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

dragorth · Oct 5, 2011

Avalon said:
Yeah, fair enough. When you put it like that, it makes sense to have a software controller for the whole system, and as we know, pretty much every software is breakable, one way or another.
Question is, in what layer will the controller be? If they're moving away from BIOS, where exactly are they going to put it? I don't see a system partition being a very good idea, unless they put it somewhere really sneaky and use properly good encryption techniques, right?

Sony used "properly good encryption techniques", but human nature being qhat it is, for most of the life span of the PS3, the password was weak.

As an example of using the system partition, Apple currently create these partitions, but does not use them except for updates. Case in point, my 2011 MacBook Pro came to me with OSX 10.6, but with a free upgrade to Lion. After installing Lion, nad updating, I gained a new feature. I can now reinstall Lion from Apple's servers online, without a disk. They accomplished this by some UEFI extensions in the EFI partition, that they do not use for Booting. By placing the update in this hidden partition, when the system rebooted, it automatically installed the correct software.

Apples OSX comes with the Bless utility, which basically points the Uefi Bios at the Boot loader. Using this, and UEFI, we are able to extend the Apple supplied UEFI Bios with new utilities, and a command line. You can even use the Bless command to make it the default.

Windows comes with the BCD family of utilities, which can load other OS's. Look online for examples of using the microsoft boot loader for Linux or Hackintoshes. Things change, but they always stay the same. The tools change, but the functions usually remain. When they don't, others create new tools to do the job.

The EFI partition is defined as a system standard, that will not change! (I have browsed the Uefi Docs slightly) This is for compatibility, and standardisation reasons. Any implementation that encrypts the EFI partition must make itself available to ALL systems, or risk being left behind at the turn of the OS market. What happens when Windows Next isn't recognized by the UEFI? You can't install it, if the partition is encrypted. This would force novice users to update the uefi, and possibly corrupt their system. Not a good user experience.

A manufacturer would rather us geeks tweaked these things, because we are the minority. ( Anything less than 10-15 percent of the market is really not worth worrying about, in the production environment. This changes drastically in the beta, and alpha environment.) Manufacturers produce as few Firmware updates as possible currently. I don't forsee that changing anytime soon.

Dragorth.

Pooch · Oct 9, 2011

Thank you for this Arkhi
I needed to reinstall Windows 8 and thought it would be no great problem if I did my Windows 7 at the same time. I installed Windows 7 first and then went on to install Windows 8 as dual boot everything worked fine until I tried to replay a Windows 7 image back. I should have guessed it is not possible

only images made on a UEFI system can be played back.
I am not ready at the moment to install both systems from scratch so I reset everything back to normal.
I think others may be interested in hearing about the "old" images not being usable.
I also have a couple of questions.
When UEFI is in use for one drive the Boot Manager is located in the BIOS. How does this work if I want to do a second OS install on its own HDD? If I dual boot it is clear that both OS's will run over one Boot Manager, what happens when I do not want to dual boot? do I then get two Boot Managers in the BIOS?
How do I clear these boot managers? is a simple BIOS reset enough?

Pooch

OK cancel my last I have now gone ahead and done it and all my questions have been answered

Alex Finlay · Nov 20, 2012

Followed this guide, I try forcing UEFI it doesn't run in UEFI could the reason be im trying to use the windows 8 All in one (which also has 32bit)? hardrive is in GPT the Fat32 no clue why the thing doesn't like to boot UEFI (even though it says UEFI: USB USB HARDRIVE) it goes to legacy even when I force UEFI boot only it doesn't work and says "insert boot media..."

theog · Nov 20, 2012

Alex Finlay said:
Followed this guide, I try forcing UEFI it doesn't run in UEFI could the reason be im trying to use the windows 8 All in one (which also has 32bit)? hardrive is in GPT the Fat32 no clue why the thing doesn't like to boot UEFI (even though it says UEFI: USB USB HARDRIVE) it goes to legacy even when I force UEFI boot only it doesn't work and says "insert boot media..."

There is no legal all in one DVD.

rtavar · Nov 23, 2012

Hi guys,
could you help?
Bought a Vaio SVS15115FBB (Brazil), and wanna do a clean install of windows 8. But when a reboot with the installation DVD it says that it cannot be installed on that partition (the main and only drive is a GPT drive).
I´ve cleaned all partitions, reboot from the DVD again, but the installer did not create the partitions correctly (?!), yes, I´m booting with UEFI turned on.
Since I do not have a +3TB drive, can I clean all the partitions with a linux DVD, convert the disk to MBR and install Windows 8?
Any sugestions?

Thanks

theog · Nov 24, 2012

rtavar said:
Hi guys,
could you help?
Bought a Vaio SVS15115FBB (Brazil), and wanna do a clean install of windows 8. But when a reboot with the installation DVD it says that it cannot be installed on that partition (the main and only drive is a GPT drive).
I´ve cleaned all partitions, reboot from the DVD again, but the installer did not create the partitions correctly (?!), yes, I´m booting with UEFI turned on.
Since I do not have a +3TB drive, can I clean all the partitions with a linux DVD, convert the disk to MBR and install Windows 8?
Any sugestions?

Thanks

Welcome to EightForums.

Are boot from the uEFI DVD Drive.

Brink · Dec 16, 2012

Tutorial has been updated and made easier to follow along.

blackroseMD1 · Jan 11, 2013

Thanks for the awesome tutorial. Recently got my first UEFI based computer and was stymied as to why Windows wouldn't install after I wiped out the hard drive. This helped a ton.

qwetymikey · Feb 27, 2013

hi,

what is the difference with this install and a normal installation. recently i got my windows 8 dvd (before i just used usb). i just put it on my pc and let it install normal, is this the right way?

how can i know if i am doing a uefi install or not ??

theog · Feb 28, 2013

qwetymikey said:
hi,

what is the difference with this install and a normal installation. recently i got my windows 8 dvd (before i just used usb). i just put it on my pc and let it install normal, is this the right way?

how can i know if i am doing a uefi install or not ??

Your post
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2299-clean-install-windows-8-a-8.html#post174992

qwetymikey said:
HI, may I ask, why when I deleted the partition and reformat, it created 4 partitions, called as recovery, msr, system and primary?

For more info on uEFI:
Windows and GPT FAQ
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
UEFI and Windows
Technical Note: UEFI BIOS vs. Legacy BIOS - YouTube
Sample: Configure UEFI/GPT-Based Hard Drive Partitions by Using Windows PE and DiskPart

wand · Mar 1, 2013

Windows 8 Pro $39 upgrade won't install on UEFI, GPT 4TB

I've got a new ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 mobo installed with an AMD FX 8 core processor to try to build a prototype server. I also have a 4TB HGST drive. I have not been able to install either the Windows 8 Pro $39 upgrade or a Windows 2012 Standard Server downloaded from TechNet to this hard drive. Both DVD installs create the 4 partitions mentioned above and start the installation process to partition 4 but then the installation fails down the road. I've retried multiple times to no avail, including replacing the HGST drive, thinking it was bad. I even tried creating the system with a 200 GB Partition 4, just in case the 4TB was the problem. No help.

I am able to boot a Win 8 Pro SSD MBR drive that I created on another system, so I can boot this mobo and get Win 8 running.

So is my problem that I don't have the necessary UEFI drivers in the ISO build of these DVDs to install on this system? That sounds like a possibility from the comments above, except that I can boot from the DVDs just fine and go through all the partitioning steps required, but it just doesn't complete the installation with either DVD. The Win 8 DVD is the same disk I used to install my Win 8 upgrade on my system and on the SSD.

Any suggestions?

HGST hasn't been able to help, nor has anybody else so far.

Thanks!

theog · Mar 1, 2013

Welcome to EightForums.

wand said:
I've got a new ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 mobo installed with an AMD FX 8 core processor to try to build a prototype server. I also have a 4TB HGST drive. I have not been able to install either the Windows 8 Pro $39 upgrade or a Windows 2012 Standard Server downloaded from TechNet to this hard drive. Both DVD installs create the 4 partitions mentioned above and start the installation process to partition 4 but then the installation fails down the road. I've retried multiple times to no avail, including replacing the HGST drive, thinking it was bad. I even tried creating the system with a 200 GB Partition 4, just in case the 4TB was the problem. No help.

I am able to boot a Win 8 Pro SSD MBR drive that I created on another system, so I can boot this mobo and get Win 8 running.

So is my problem that I don't have the necessary UEFI drivers in the ISO build of these DVDs to install on this system? That sounds like a possibility from the comments above, except that I can boot from the DVDs just fine and go through all the partitioning steps required, but it just doesn't complete the installation with either DVD. The Win 8 DVD is the same disk I used to install my Win 8 upgrade on my system and on the SSD.

Any suggestions?

HGST hasn't been able to help, nor has anybody else so far.

Thanks!

Download the Windows 8 Pro ISO from your TechNet account.

wand · Mar 11, 2013

theog said:
Welcome to EightForums.

wand said:

I've got a new ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 mobo installed with an AMD FX 8 core processor to try to build a prototype server. I also have a 4TB HGST drive. I have not been able to install either the Windows 8 Pro $39 upgrade or a Windows 2012 Standard Server downloaded from TechNet to this hard drive. Both DVD installs create the 4 partitions mentioned above and start the installation process to partition 4 but then the installation fails down the road. I've retried multiple times to no avail, including replacing the HGST drive, thinking it was bad. I even tried creating the system with a 200 GB Partition 4, just in case the 4TB was the problem. No help.

I am able to boot a Win 8 Pro SSD MBR drive that I created on another system, so I can boot this mobo and get Win 8 running.

So is my problem that I don't have the necessary UEFI drivers in the ISO build of these DVDs to install on this system? That sounds like a possibility from the comments above, except that I can boot from the DVDs just fine and go through all the partitioning steps required, but it just doesn't complete the installation with either DVD. The Win 8 DVD is the same disk I used to install my Win 8 upgrade on my system and on the SSD.

Any suggestions?

HGST hasn't been able to help, nor has anybody else so far.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Download the Windows 8 Pro ISO from your TechNet account.

UPDATE

I actually tried both downloads from TechNet for Windows 8 Enterprise and Windows Server 2012. Both failed multiple times. Never did get them to work with the 4TB Hitachi Drive.

I then changed to a < 2TB GPT drive and everything installs just great.

So my question is:????
What does it take to get Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 to boot from a >2.2TB drive with a UEFI bios? Has anybody done it yet. There is an absolute dearth of information about UEFI bios, large drives, and booting, anywhere that I can find including Microsoft's website, MSDN, and Technet. Can anybody from here or maybe from Microsoft answer this question. It makes no sense that Windows 2012 can't boot from a >2.2 TB drive, unless they have some requirement that I don't know about to boot only to a smaller drive and then use the larger drive for data only.

As I said, it makes no sense to me???

Thanks,

Wand

PS Brink, you seem to have a lot of experience with GPT drives. Any suggestions?

Brink · Mar 11, 2013

Wand,

I don't have a drive over 2TB to try doing a UEFI installation with, but the guy in the article below did so with a 3TB HDD and 64-bit Windows 7. It pretty much installed the same way here except the W7 has 3 partitions instead of 4 with Windows 8.

3TB Western Digital Drive on a UEFI day night - Connected Digital World

theog · Mar 11, 2013

Brink said:
Wand,

I don't have a drive over 2TB to try doing a UEFI installation with, but the guy in the article below did so with a 3TB HDD and 64-bit Windows 7. It pretty much installed the same way here except the W7 has 3 partitions instead of 4 with Windows 8.

3TB Western Digital Drive on a UEFI day night - Connected Digital World

Shawn

Would test, but no HDD over 2tb.

Wand,

Did the 4tb HDD show in screenshot 2?

Did the installer make the first 4 partitions in screenshot 3?

aneesh · Mar 16, 2013

thank you arkhi

m1midan0s · Mar 24, 2013

Hi!

I've been trying to create an UEFI-supporting image of my Windows X64 upgrade ISO, but with no luck... On my laptop I still have the ESD folder, but when I run the application it says: "Filename.iso not found Exiting". (I forgot the exact filename it shows...)

So, how will I go about creating an UEFI-supporting ISO now? As far as I can see that's the only option I have?

Come to think of it: do ALL the downloaded upgrade ISO's lack UEFI support? I was following this tutorial to prevent disappointment when I receive my new hardware tuesday. Maybe I won't even need to do all this. Is there a way to test if the ISO supports UEFI on a non-UEFI system?

theog · Mar 24, 2013

m1midan0s said:
Hi!

I've been trying to create an UEFI-supporting image of my Windows X64 upgrade ISO, but with no luck... On my laptop I still have the ESD folder, but when I run the application it says: "Filename.iso not found Exiting". (I forgot the exact filename it shows...)

So, how will I go about creating an UEFI-supporting ISO now? As far as I can see that's the only option I have?

Come to think of it: do ALL the downloaded upgrade ISO's lack UEFI support? I was following this tutorial to prevent disappointment when I receive my new hardware tuesday. Maybe I won't even need to do all this. Is there a way to test if the ISO supports UEFI on a non-UEFI system?

Welcome to EightForums.

Upgrade to Windows 8 - Microsoft Windows

Microsoft said:
Purchasing a full version of Windows 8

If you want to build your own PC and install Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro, or want an additional operating system running in either a local virtual machine or separate partition (including a Mac), you can purchase the Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro System Builder products (OEM versions). If available in your country or region, Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro System Builder products can be purchased at participating stores, you'll need to ask a sales rep for more info. This version doesn't include customer support.

m1midan0s · Apr 15, 2013

theog said:
Welcome to EightForums.

Upgrade to Windows 8 - Microsoft Windows

Microsoft said:

Purchasing a full version of Windows 8

If you want to build your own PC and install Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro, or want an additional operating system running in either a local virtual machine or separate partition (including a Mac), you can purchase the Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro System Builder products (OEM versions). If available in your country or region, Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro System Builder products can be purchased at participating stores, you'll need to ask a sales rep for more info. This version doesn't include customer support.

Click to expand...

I think you misunderstood me. Last year I upgraded my HTPC to Windows 8 using the upgrade assistent. I downloaded the ISO and followed the procedure. Now I have installed a new (UEFI supporting) motherboard + new ram and CPU. But the DVD I burned doesn't support UEFI (all I get is AHCI choices and one UEFI: built-in EFI supported ROM - or something).

From the tutorial I understand you must have the ESD folder intact.

I recently reinstalled windows 7 and windows 8 on my laptop and I don't have the ESD folder. Neither do I have it on my HTPC.

I want to reinstall Windows 8 now on my HTPC in UEFI-mode, but isn't there anyway to make the ISO support UEFI?

Brink · Apr 15, 2013

Hello m1midan0s, and welcome to Eight Forums.

The tutorial below can help show you how to create a bootable Windows 8 installation USB for UEFI.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15458-uefi-bootable-usb-flash-drive-create-windows.html

Once created, you could use the tutorial on the first page of this thread to install with UEFI.

Hope this helps,

Shawn

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

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