Need help booting UEFI Z68 ext3 gen3

[MarkJohnson]

I am at my brother-in-laws trying to install Windows 8.1 in UEFI mode for instant boot.

I set "PCI ROM Priority" to "EFI Compatible ROM" as this is the only UEFI type setting I see in the Boot section.

When I press F11 for boot device menu, none of the devices show UEFI on any devices.

When I select to boot from my DVD anyway, Windows 8.1 Pro x64 says it can't install to my UEFI pre-formatted SSD.

Is this the wrong setting to set for UEFI booting, or does the Z68 chipset support booting from UEFI devices?

Thanks for any help
-=Mark=-

[parsec]

Re: Need help booting UEFI Z68 ext3 gen3

It's not the chipset that matters, only the UEFI firmware (BIOS is firmware too), but it must have the right options to allow UEFI booting.

Forget that PCI ROM Priority setting, look for two things, either Secure Boot in Security menu, or CSM in ACPI options. If you find CSM, set it to Disabled to allow UEFI booting/installation. If no CSM option, use Secure Boot set to Enabled. Don't worry about the security keys for Secure Boot, just enable it.

What UEFI version is on that Z68 board? Older versions may not support Windows 8.

BUT one major issue with UEFI booting, the video source must support what is called "GOP". Most cards don't without a VBIOS update. The older the card is, the less likely it will support GOP. You'll need to check the MSI forums about that '7750, but I'm 90% sure it won't support GOP with the stock VBIOS. But guess what does support GOP? The Intel on-CPU graphics on the i7-2600K. Without GOP video support, you'll get a black screen, guaranteed.

Also, it seems the Windows installation does not like pre-formatted drives. If you click New on the screen when you select where to install Windows, it will format correctly for a UEFI installation (GPT, etc.) Be sure to use the Intel SATA ports, and set the SATA mode to AHCI, or RAID if that is used.

Check out these guides for help:

UEFI Bootable USB Flash Drive - Create in Windows

UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - Install Windows 8 with

[MarkJohnson]

Re: Need help booting UEFI Z68 ext3 gen3

It's not the chipset that matters, only the UEFI firmware (BIOS is firmware too), but it must have the right options to allow UEFI booting.

Forget that PCI ROM Priority setting, look for two things, either Secure Boot in Security menu, or CSM in ACPI options. If you find CSM, set it to Disabled to allow UEFI booting/installation. If no CSM option, use Secure Boot set to Enabled. Don't worry about the security keys for Secure Boot, just enable it.

What UEFI version is on that Z68 board? Older versions may not support Windows 8.

BUT one major issue with UEFI booting, the video source must support what is called "GOP". Most cards don't without a VBIOS update. The older the card is, the less likely it will support GOP. You'll need to check the MSI forums about that '7750, but I'm 90% sure it won't support GOP with the stock VBIOS. But guess what does support GOP? The Intel on-CPU graphics on the i7-2600K. Without GOP video support, you'll get a black screen, guaranteed.

Also, it seems the Windows installation does not like pre-formatted drives. If you click New on the screen when you select where to install Windows, it will format correctly for a UEFI installation (GPT, etc.) Be sure to use the Intel SATA ports, and set the SATA mode to AHCI, or RAID if that is used.

Check out these guides for help:

UEFI Bootable USB Flash Drive - Create in Windows

UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - Install Windows 8 with

I got it working somehow.

I backed out of the screen that said win8 wouldn't install to this device until I got to REPAIR and got the command prompt and ran diskpart and cleaned the SDD. (Does clean do a secure erase?)

it wouldn't let me back to the install age so I had to reboot, and magically the DVD came up as a URFI device. I booted and the installer let me install, I first tried to format new, but it only showed one device, so I aborted out and told it next, so it would auto-format, anf it made the 4 partitions so I assume it installed UEFI mode for me.

It seems fine on the 7750 so far. I'm restoring with the easy transfer wizard, except it said it couldn't restore settings for some reason, but it restored my files. It's still restoring in fact as I used my home server and the gigabit is very slow.


Thanks for your help
-=Mark=-

[parsec]

Re: Need help booting UEFI Z68 ext3 gen3

If you have four partitions on the OS drive, Windows was installed in UEFI booting mode. But, Windows also includes a standard MBR partition on a UEFI booting installation, so it will work in "legacy/BIOS" booting mode.

What do you see as the name of the OS drive in the Boot screen in the UEFI?

Did you enable Secure Boot, or disable CSM?

A diskpart clean is not the same as a SSD secure erase. SSD owners wish it was.

[MarkJohnson]

Re: Need help booting UEFI Z68 ext3 gen3

not sure of the name of the drive in the bios, but it does say first boot device is not a drive letter or sata port, but instead says something plain like, "Windows Boot device" or something similar.

I found no Secure Boot nor CSM options in the BIOS. Is there maybe another name for it?

Do you know of windows command for secure erase? I usually use Partition Magic CD, but it's a pain to create all of the time.

[MarkJohnson]

Re: Need help booting UEFI Z68 ext3 gen3

not sure of the name of the drive in the bios, but it does say first boot device is not a drive letter or sata port, but instead says something plain like, "Windows Boot device" or something similar.

I found no Secure Boot nor CSM options in the BIOS. Is there maybe another name for it?

Do you know of windows command for secure erase? I usually use Partition Magic CD, but it's a pain to create all of the time.

[parsec]

Re: Need help booting UEFI Z68 ext3 gen3

The boot device name when UEFI booting is normally "Windows Boot Manager".

I'm concerned that the lack of a Secure Boot or CSM option will not allow that PC to be truly UEFI booting. To check this in Windows 8, do this:

Type the Windows key and R, and in the box that appears, type in msinfo32 and press return. You'll get the System Information display.

Find BIOS mode in that list, it must be "UEFI" if you are really UEFI booting, otherwise it will be "Legacy".



Windows does not have a Secure Erase feature for SSDs, you're either stuck with Parted Magic (which works fine) or a few SSD manufactures provide utility programs that can perform a Secure Erase. OCZ, Samsung, and Intel are ones I know that do, a few others might too.