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

How to Install Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 using the "Unified Extensible Firmware Interface" (UEFI)


information   Information
Systems that are built using Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) are more likely to achieve very fast pre-boot times when compared to those with traditional BIOS. This isn’t because UEFI is inherently faster, but because UEFI writers starting from scratch are more able to optimize their implementation rather than building upon a BIOS implementation that may be many years old.

Delivering fast boot times in Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

This method can also be used for the UEFI installation of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Vista SP1.

Note   Note
You will need to satisfy the following requirements in order to proceed:

  • A Windows 8 compatible system
  • A Windows 8 64-bit installation media. 32-bit is not supported.
  • A UEFI v2.0+ compliant PC. Check your chipset manufacturer/firmware documentation.
  • A blank, partition-free, hard disk for installation.

warning   Warning

  • Disabling UEFI will make the system unbootable as there is no MBR on the disks.
  • You CANNOT make a sector-by-sector copy of GPT disks. The Disk and Partition GUIDs will no longer be unique. This must never happen. You can make a sector-by-sector copy of the contents of ESP or basic data partitions.




Here's How:

1. Do step 2 or 3 below depending on what installation Media you are using.

2. If using a 64-bit Windows 8 or 8.1 Installation DVD with UEFI

A) Insert the DVD, restart the computer, and go to step 4 below.
NOTE: If you are unsure that your 64-bit DVD has UEFI support, then see OPTION TWO here: Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 ISO - Download or Create


3. If using a 64-bit Windows 8 or 8.1 Installation USB Flash Drive with UEFI

A) If you have not already, you will need to create a Windows 8 or 8.1 installation bootable USB flash drive with UEFI from either a Windows 8 installation ISO or DVD.

B) Connect the USB, restart the computer, and go to step 4 below.



4. Press whatever key (ex: F11) it shows to boot to your motherboard's boot menu, and select to boot from the listed UEFI DVD or UEFI USB. (see screenshot below)

UEFI_USB_Boot_Menu.jpg

5. Do steps 2 to 7 in the tutorial at the link below, and return.

Clean Install - Windows 8

6. Delete all partitions/volumes on the disk # (ex: Disk 0) that you want to install Windows 8 as UEFI on until that disk # shows as unallocated space. (see screenshot below)

Step7.jpg

7. When you are finished, click/tap on New, Apply (for full size of disk), and OK. (see screenshot above)

8. You will notice that the disk has now been formatted as GPT with 4 partitions. Select the "Primary" partition 4, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: You might receive a "Windows can't be installed on drive 0" warning, but as long as you can click on the Next button, you're fine.

Note   Note
The 4 partitions are:
  • Paritition 1 - Recovery
  • Partition 2 - System - The EFI System partition that contains the NTLDR, HAL, Boot.txt, and other files that are needed to boot the system, such as drivers.
  • Partition 3 - MSR - The Microsoft Reserved (MSR) partition that reserves space on each disk drive for subsequent use by operating system software.
  • Partition 4 - Primary - Where Windows is to be installed to.

    It is imperative that these 4 partitions remain in the exact order as they are





setup.PNG

9. You can now finish doing the steps in either tutorial below.


10. That's it. You have successfully installed Windows 8 on a UEFI system.








External Links:


 

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Last edited by a moderator:
very nice tutorial arkhi. thanks.

I have below 3 queries:-

  • A UEFI v2.0+ compliant PC. --> My mobo is ASUS M5A97 EVO R2.0. Is that fine?
  • A blank, partition-free, hard disk for installation. --> You mean the hard disk say 80 GB SATA will have no partition...right? just the C: drive?
  • I can install other progs, games on that hard disk which will house the Win 8?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350 4.00 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M5A97 EVO R2.0
    Memory
    8 GB DDR3 Corsair Vengeance 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    SAPPHIRE HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 OC with Boost VAPOR-X
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek HD
onlytanmoy said:
•A UEFI v2.0+ compliant PC. --> My mobo is ASUS M5A97 EVO R2.0. Is that fine?

Yes, that is fine.

•A blank, partition-free, hard disk for installation. --> You mean the hard disk say 80 GB SATA will have no partition...right? just the C: drive?

NO, A blank, partition-free, hard disk for installation, (which means NO C: partition.)

•I can install other progs, games on that hard disk which will house the Win 8?

Yes, you can install Apps & Games on C: partition after install. ( C: will be made on installation of Windows 8)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
@theog >> thanks a lot for the clarification.
one query-- how will this differ compared to installing Win 8 & other apps on a SSD? i mean in terms of speed and performance?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350 4.00 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M5A97 EVO R2.0
    Memory
    8 GB DDR3 Corsair Vengeance 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    SAPPHIRE HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 OC with Boost VAPOR-X
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek HD
@theog >> thanks a lot for the clarification.
one query-- how will this differ compared to installing Win 8 & other apps on a SSD? i mean in terms of speed and performance?


None, only SSD are faster than HDD.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
ok..and this UEFI Win 8 installation method is applicable on a SSD as well..right?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350 4.00 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M5A97 EVO R2.0
    Memory
    8 GB DDR3 Corsair Vengeance 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    SAPPHIRE HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 OC with Boost VAPOR-X
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek HD
@theog >> many thanks for the prompt responses mate..much appreciated.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350 4.00 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M5A97 EVO R2.0
    Memory
    8 GB DDR3 Corsair Vengeance 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    SAPPHIRE HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 OC with Boost VAPOR-X
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek HD
When I installed windows 8 UEFI I inserted my disk and took the following steps. When Windows 8 install came to actual install screen. I 1.) hit ctrl+f10 2.) type diskpart 3.) type list disk 4.) type select disk 0 5.) clean 6.) type convert gpt 7.) exit

After that I just installed windows and it worked fine.

Is this method OK? Or does it cause problems?

Thank you for your time and great guide.

I am having a few hiccups with windows 8. I installed with the metod above. I guess I should have asked is my method stable or do I need to create the UEFI USB? I am not sure if I am writing this very well.

EDIT: I think I answered my own question. If I was able to do the install in the first place that means my Windows 8 was UEFI ready. Indeed, there is an "EFI" folder on my Windows 8 disk. I was thinking that because I took the above manual steps I was using a windows 8 disk without native UEFI support.

Interesting note when I don't "convert GPT" manually in the command prompt the system partition ends up as only 99mb when it should be 100mb.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 64 bit
Hello lieuliau, and welcome to Eight Forums.

No. The disk will be converted to GPT during installation with UEFI. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hello lieuliau, and welcome to Eight Forums.

No. The disk will be converted to GPT during installation with UEFI. :)
Many thanks! I'm using Windows 8 Legacy mode, now I want to install it in UEFI. I have created UEFI USB Boot by Rufus, but when I use it to boot Windows, I have error PC need to be repaired. My mainboard is Gigabyte B75m D3H, support UEFI. I lost here, don't know how to fix this problem :(( Please help!
The ISO I used to create USB is en_windows_8_x64_dvd_915440.iso
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8
Hello lieuliau, and welcome to Eight Forums.

No. The disk will be converted to GPT during installation with UEFI. :)
Many thanks! I'm using Windows 8 Legacy mode, now I want to install it in UEFI. I have created UEFI USB Boot by Rufus, but when I use it to boot Windows, I have error PC need to be repaired. My mainboard is Gigabyte B75m D3H, support UEFI. I lost here, don't know how to fix this problem :(( Please help!
The ISO I used to create USB is en_windows_8_x64_dvd_915440.iso

Something must be wrong with my USB. I boot by DVD and I install UEFI Windows 8 successfully.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8
lieuliau,

It could be a number of reasons for why the USB didn't work, but I'm happy to hear that you got it successfully installed using UEFI with the DVD. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
lieuliau,

It could be a number of reasons for why the USB didn't work, but I'm happy to hear that you got it successfully installed using UEFI with the DVD. :)
Thanks! This is the best forum of Windows 8. I can find here many useful tutorials!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8
hi,
i created a bootable flash memory and copied files, but when i selected boot from USB my laptop bios has failed.
my friend has resolved this problem very difficulty , i worry about do it again !
guys do you have a another way to install windows 8 in UEFI mode ?

ASUS K55VD
Intel Core i5 3210
RAM 6 GB
HDD 750GB
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS K55VD
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 - 3210M
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    6 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GEFORCE 610M
hi,
i created a bootable flash memory and copied files, but when i selected boot from USB my laptop bios has failed.
my friend has resolved this problem very difficulty , i worry about do it again !
guys do you have a another way to install windows 8 in UEFI mode ?

ASUS K55VD
Intel Core i5 3210
RAM 6 GB
HDD 750GB

You can use the Windows x64 DVD.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
A question for you, I have an Asus P8z77 V Deluxe, it has all of the options in the BIOS to use UEFI, do I need to set any of these up before trying to reinstall Win 8 in UEFI mode, or can I simply install UEFI from the DVD then set up Legacy or UEFI in the BIOS after Win 8 / 8.1 has been installed? It is a bit confusing as I expect many manufacturers have different set ups in their BIOS.

I have been booting into what I thought was UEFI, but in fact is still legacy mode for months!

I must admit, using my Win 8 ISO DVD I do not remember seeing a UEFI option?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    Intel 3770K
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8Z77V-De-Luxe
    Memory
    32GB DDR 3 1600MHz. Gskill
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Nvidia GTX460 1GB OC
    Sound Card
    NA
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2412m / Acer 2251W
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Intel 520 - 240GB SSD/ WD 1TB /Seagate 1TB/WD 500Gb/Seagate 1.0TB USB 3.0
    PSU
    Coolermaster 850W
    Case
    Coolermaster HAF 920
    Cooling
    Corsair H100i
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Microsoft
    Internet Speed
    10MB/512
Hello Miggins,

Unfortunately, each motherboard does have it's own unique settings for UEFI vs Legacy BIOS.

Did you create a UEFI USB for Windows 8 using Rufus in the tutorial below?
Looking at chapter 3 in the manual below for your Asus P8z77 V Deluxe, you would want to make sure that in the Boot tab, you have the UEFI/Legacy Boot setting set to Enable both UEFI and Legacy like below. It is set to this by default. This way your Windows 8 installation media will determine if it's installed using UEFI or Legacy BIOS.

UEFI-1.jpg

UEFI-2.jpg

Hope this helps, :)
Shawn
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hi,

I'm trying to install Win8 64-bit on a new PC in UEFI mode but so far it's failed every time I've tried. I can successfully install Win8 if I use the old MBR mode. I'm using a genuine MS Win8 64-bit DVD for the install.

I have a ASUS H87M-PRO mobo which is supposed to be UEFI compliant with a Haswell i5. The HDD is a Samsung 840PRO 256GB SSD that's plugged in on SATA port 0.

In the BIOS settings the SATA mode is set to: AHCI.

I have run DISKPART on the SSD and successfully cleaned the drive & converted it to GPT mode.

With the Win8 install DVD in the drive the BIOS BOOT section shows 2 boot selections for the DVD drive ... 1 prefixed with "UEFI".

If I select the UEFI entry to boot from, I then get to "Please hit any key to boot from CD or DVD". Doing so, simply sends me back to the BIOS screen after 2-3 secs.

I've also tried to changing some of the CSM settings to select UEFI devices 1st, etc. I've even tried disabling CSM.

The Secure Boot option is set to default value: Windows UEFI mode. I have not tried to change this.

So far all attempts fail to get beyond the "Please hit any key ..." msg when I either select the "UEFI" boot device or force a UEFI only boot by changing the CSM settings.

I've Googled & read this & other threads & although I'm certainly not a PC expert I can't see what I'm doing wrong or what's causing the UEFI install to fail.

So time to ask the experts ... Does anyone know what am I doing wrong or what I've missed doing that would cause the install to fail?

TIA
BazzaG
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 PRO 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel BX80646I54670 Core i5-4670
    Motherboard
    ASUS H87M-PRO
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance LP CML16GX3M2A1600C9 16GB (2x8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Onboard
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster PX2370
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD + about 12 Seagate HDD's of various sizes (used for video archiving)
    PSU
    Silverstone Strider 550W Gold ST55F-G
    Case
    Silverstone GD05B (HTPC Style Case)
    Cooling
    Stock Intel
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    Cable
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender 2014 AV
    Other Info
    Lite-on IHES312 Blu-Ray
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