Blue screen when installing Windows 8 in UEFI mode

Hello!

I own a Samsung R780 notebook with 08JA bios version, which has the UEFI Boot setting. The laptop comes with Windows 7 which I upgraded to Windows 8, but it was installed in BIOS mode, and I wanted to switch to UEFI. I tried to follow the instructions on the following website: Converting Windows BIOS installation to UEFI - TechNet Articles - United States (English) - TechNet Wiki

Unfortunately, after I followed all the steps, Windows didn't boot anymore, and it reacted like nothing was installed. Because of this, I wanted to do a clean install. After I booted in UEFI mode from the DVD, the Windows 8 logo appeared and before the very first menu appeared (where I select the language, time zone etc) I got a blue screen that disappeared too fast. I tried to record with my video camera and to play it, and found out the error KMODE EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED. I discovered that if I'm trying to start the installation in BIOS mode I don't get the blue screen. I tried to start the setup program in bios mode, and to partition the hard drive by creating one single partition as big as the HDD is, then I cancelled the installation, started the diskpart utility from the command prompt and executed the "clean all" command on the partition.

After all of this I was finally able to boot the DVD in UEFI. I partitioned the HDD how I wanted and when I started the installation I got another blue screen that I needed to record, with the same code as above: KMODE EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED. Also, I found out that I'm getting blue screens also when I'm trying to click on "Repair your computer", this time with code SYSTEM SERVICE EXCEPTION. Also, sometimes when I'm trying to begin the installation, the partition program shows "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in computer's BIOS menu.". Also, if I'm trying to partition the hard drive normally and I get a blue screen at the beginning of the installation and I'm starting the installation again without creating again the partitions, the partition where I tried to install Windows shows that it was formatted in a version of NTFS that isn't supported.

In the end I want to mention that the problem isn't the DVD because on my desktop PC it works flawlessly while installing in UEFI, as well as the repair option. Also, in the BIOS of the laptop I have the SATA mode set to AHCI, even though it also doesn't work in IDE (not that I planned to install it in IDE). I also tried to load Intel RST and Intel Chipset drivers during the installation, from the partition manager, but it also didn't help and I got the same bsod. I also tried to contact Microsoft about it and the guy advised me to try a full format (which I tried already by using the clean all command) or to try to contact Samsung (and I doubt it will help, since the laptop is not certified for Windows 8).

I would try to give you more information about it, but I doubt that's possible when I don't even have Windows installed.

The article that you refer to seems to be an excellent piece of work - yet it still didn't work for you.

Are you able to reinstall Win7 in UEFI mode? Are you able to wipe/initialize the entire hard drive and then install Win7?
Are you able to install anything after turning Secure Boot off?
I also have seen discussion about the CSM setting needing to be disabled. Here's a link to the UEFI how-to at the Intel site: Microsoft Windows 8® - Enabling Secure Boot

I noted 2 things at the Intel link:
- Intel states that you cannot convert a BIOS install to a UEFI install - as such I have to wonder if the attempt made some changes to your hard drive/partitions that are now preventing the installation (that's why I suggested trying a wipe of the HDD).
- you don't mention having a efi file for your Windows installation (but it's required to install Win8). I have no idea if this is included on the installation DVD or not.

Thank you for your answer. My Samsung R780 was released in 2010, that's why it has no Windows 8 certification, so no Secure Boot option. Also, if I remember right, UEFI Boot was added when I updated the BIOS to version 08JA (the only one that was ever released). Windows 7 came installed in BIOS mode, so when I upgraded to Windows 8, of course, it still remained BIOS. Also, I never tried to install Windows 7 in UEFI, only Windows 8. I needed to do some quick things with Windows 7 a few days ago so I installed it for a few hours, and it worked flawlessly, but I installed it in BIOS mode, also because it has no option for UEFI boot in the boot menu, like Windows 8.

About that article:
1. As I stated above, there's no Secure Boot on my laptop.
2. Boot -> CSM is Disabled ---> I don't have any option like that.
3. Select “Built in EFI Shell” ---> I have no EFI Shell.

Frankly, I'd suggest sticking with the BIOS installation if it's essential that you have a stable OS on your system.
I'd shy away from the UEFI until it becomes certain that it's stable.

I'm currently trying to study up on UEFI, but it's very difficult as it varies so much from manufacturer to manufacturer.
There are certain things that it must have in order to conform to the standard - but discovering them and how they are implemented in each system is very confusing.

The online communities could use some UEFI experts - so you may want to continue to post your trials with it so that others can learn from it.

Good luck!

Since it's not my main PC I don't mind trying my luck I will certainly post my experiences here, but first I have to get past the BSOD, so that I actually have something to post. I think I'm gonna try to install Win7 in UEFI soon, to see if it works, and I'll post the results here. If anyone has any idea how to solve my problem, please post it, any help will be appreciated!

Good luck and thanks for sharing with us!

I tried to install Windows 7 in UEFI mode. I checked if it works (i hit Shift + F10 and the firmware type was 2, however it showed: Callback_BootEnvironmentDetect: Detected boot environment: EFI). So not UEFI but EFI. Is it Windows 7 that doesn't make the difference or do I have an old UEFI version?

Anyway, it worked to enter repair, then I closed it and tried to install Windows 7. I reformatted my HDD, and when I started the installation this appeared:

View attachment 18014

EDIT: I seem to have the same problem as the person here: I get a bluescreen with error code "0x0000001e" when - Microsoft Community

However, the error code is the same, and in the brackets the first code is the same, second is different, third same, fourth different, as you can see in the screenshot I posted. From the error code it doesn't seem to be the very same error, but similar.

Please note the "Usual causes" here: BSOD Index

I'd suggest running hardware diagnostics just to be sure that there's not a problem there. Here's a list of free one's that I suggest: Hardware Diagnostics

I unfortunately have mostly bad news. I contacted Samsung UK, and they told me the laptop hasn't been bought from the UK so they can't help me. Actually the laptop is from Italy and I got it as a present... how should I contact Samsung Italy when I have no Italian knowledge?

About the error codes, the ones that would describe my problem as close as possible would be KB 161703, but it's for Windows NT and 2000, and KB 314451, but it's for XP. They both recommend the following solutions:

Method 1: Free Up Disk Space -> my hard drive is empty
Method 2: Disable or Remove the Third-Party Driver -> I didn't load any additional drivers during the setup
Method 3: Upgrade Your System BIOS -> I have the latest version

Also, I downloaded the Western Digital HDD diagnostic for my HDD model and ran both a quick and full scan, and everything went allright. I even wrote zeros to the whole HDD, and it didn't help. I ran Memtest86+ 4.20 and it passed around 8 or 9 times, without any errors, then I stopped it. After this I tried to boot Windows 8 in UEFI, and when I clicked repair... bam, bsod.

The only good part in this story is that my hard drive and RAM memory and healthy and fully working.

Do you think the cause may be a bad implementation of the UEFI Boot option by Samsung?

Also to note the Samsung R780's latest firmware update was from June of 2011. UEFI 2.3.1 is required for Windows 8 compatibility, and that wasn't approved until April of 2011, so with the release dates being so close it is possible the UEFI version on your motherboard isn't fully 2.3.1 compliant. If not, this is the sort of behavior you'll see if you have a UEFI firmware prior to 2.3.1 and you disable CSM support (aka go "native UEFI").

I'd be contacting Samsung to know the UEFI revision that the June 2011 firmware update brings (v1.0.0.2) before trying to get Win8 on there in native UEFI mode. Since almost all UEFI boards I've seen with 2.3.1 have SecureBoot support, having a board without it doesn't necessarily mean it isn't 2.3.1 complaint, but it is a good indication it isn't (as it's part of the spec).

My desktop has an MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3) motherboard that came with UEFI. At the beginning I had no option for Secure Boot nor CSM support. Some time ago I was using bios version 23.7, and after a time I updated directly to 25.8 and ME8. By doing that, in the software for controlling the UEFI from Windows called ClickBios II I found Windows 8 features, like Fast Boot, MSI Fast Boot and Secure Boot, but didn't find them in the UEFI itself. I tried to see if they work and Secure Boot doesn't, even if it shows as enabled (checked with powershell). Enabling MSI Fast Boot was greying out the normal Fast Boot but it didn't work (it made no difference in boot speed), Fast Boot didn't work either, but it did work if i first enabled Fast Boot and then MSI Fast Boot, without disabling the first.

I may be wrong but I think these features were meant to be integrated into the 7 series of motherboards, and I really have no idea how I got them, but they are seriously broken. Anyway, my point is that even though I have a pretty new motherboard with up-to-date bios, I can't enable/disable Secure Boot, nor CSM support (I never saw it in the UEFI at all).

Sorry for my late reply, I didn't have time at all lately.

I contacted Samsung Italy and mentioned that I get BSOD when I'm installing Windows 8 in UEFI, and got a reply that my laptop isn't certified for Windows 8. Then I answered that it happens the same with Windows 7 and the reply was that I should follow the instructions provided (???) and if I still have problems I should call their customer support by phone.

Can someone here help me with contacting them? This would be greatly appreciated. As I said, I have almost no knowledge of Italian, and I certainly cannot contact their customer by phone. If not, does anyone have any other solution? I also tried to create the partitions manually and then to install Windows but it didn't work, then to install it in traditional bios mode and to convert it and it doesn't boot Windows anymore after that, as it happened at the beginning.

Thank you!