Win8 Prevents BIOS Access

[pauldknight]

I recently upgraded from “Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (OEM)” to“Windows 8 Pro 64-bit”, using the “Keep Windows settings, personal files, and apps” option. All except one of my programs work in Win8, and my Win8 desktop is unchanged (except for the Win8 Start Screen replacement for the Win7 Start Button). I am using a 2-year old desktop PC withhardware described at the bottom of this post.

Since I upgraded to Win8, I cannot access my BIOS settings!! The information that previously displayed during computer Startup no longer appears (so I do not know exactly when to press the [Delete] key for access to my BIOS Settings)! I have tried the following procedures, but none of these attempts would give me access to my BIOS Settings, or display any information during Startup:
· I pressed the [Delete] key repeatedly after the computer beeped once.
· I held down the [Delete] key immediately after starting my computer.
· I held down the [Delete] key before and during startup of my computer.
· I disconnected the power and data cables from my SSD system drive (to hopefully remove any influence from Win8), and started my computer.
· From the Win8 Start Screen, I selected “CharmBar > Settings > Change PC Settings > General > Restart now”.

My questions:
1. Howcan I fix this so that I have access to my BIOS Settings?
2. CanI replace my traditional BIOS with UEFI on my existing motherboard?
3. Should I replace my motherboard with a newer one that includes UEFI?
4. Should I just accept that I can never access my BIOS Settings, or never change my bootdevice priority?
5. Why do Microsoft and/or Forum Members not warn of the Win8 problems with computers without UEFI? Please see below for some of my other disappointments with the Win8 upgrade on a traditional BIOS system.

My computer Startup is much slower with Win8; i.e. more than 40seconds!
Win 8 will not let me perform a System Image restore.
USB 3.0 is not working with Win8’s native drivers. Backups to my USB3.0 HDDs are very much slower with Win8.
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My system = Self-built in November 2010 with an Intel Core i7-950 processor; -- ASUS P6X58D-E motherboard; --6GB of DDR3 1333 RAM; -- ASUS ENGT450 GPU; -- ASUS 12X BD-ROM ODD; -- Samsung 128GB SSD Series 470 system drive; -- 3TB and 2TB HDDs for data; -- Corsair CMPSU-850HX 850W PSU; -- and dual 24” monitors.

 

[znod]

My questions:
1. Howcan I fix this so that I have access to my BIOS Settings?
2. CanI replace my traditional BIOS with UEFI on my existing motherboard?
3. Should I replace my motherboard with a newer one that includes UEFI?
4. Should I just accept that I can never access my BIOS Settings, or never change my bootdevice priority?
5. Why do Microsoft and/or Forum Members not warn of the Win8 problems with computers without UEFI? Please see below for some of my other disappointments with the Win8 upgrade on a traditional BIOS system.

Try turning fast startup off.

 

[lastof]

Charms Bar > Settings > Change PC Settings > General (on left side) > scroll down to last option 'Advanced Startup' > 'Restart Now' button > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > from here you should see either 'UEFI Firmware Settings' or 'BIOS Firmware settings' or something similar >

Win8 will then automatically reboot directly into your BIOS/UEFI setup

hope this helps
Jason

 

[topgundcp]

You have quite a nice system compared to a lot of people in this forum. You don't need to change anything, your system is quite new. Having said that, don't you think people in this Forum won't be screaming if Windows 8 won't allow them to access the BIOS in their PC's ? Windows 8 does not even start after your BIOS finish posting. So the problem may be with your keyboard, maybe the DELETE key on your keyboard is bad, so I would suggest to swap the keyboard, preferably with a PS2 and the reason I said that because last month, a friend of mine brought his PC with an ASUS MB over my house to help him installing Windows 8 and I used my USB keyboard and guess what ? I could not get into the BIOS. We finally use an old PS2 and everything worked.

Since you upgraded Windows 8 from Windows 7, God knows what's happening !!! Microsoft states that you can upgrade from Windows 7 but provided your Windows 7 is completely clean and all drivers are up to date in the first place. It's always advisable to backup your data, trash everything and do a fresh, clean install. You'll be surprised that how fast your PC flies.

In addition, make sure before you do the above, go to ASUS site and check if there's any new BIOS for your MB then update it first and also when you install Windows 8, use a network cable and plug directly to your router so that Windows can update all the drivers for your PC.

Hope this helps.

 

[znod]

Charms Bar > Settings > Change PC Settings > General (on left side) > scroll down to last option 'Advanced Startup' > 'Restart Now' button > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > from here you should see either 'UEFI Firmware Settings' or 'BIOS Firmware settings' or something similar >

Win8 will then automatically reboot directly into your BIOS/UEFI setup

hope this helps
Jason

Don't think he will have a such an option without UEFI. I don't have the option of going to BIOS at the point you mention, and I don't have UEFI.

 

[stealth2920]

I had the same issue. I just disabled fast start up and everything boots as it did before.

 

[Mystere]

It does not appear that your Motherboard officially supports Windows 8. There are no Windows 8 driver downloads, and the bios appears to not support UEFI (ie legacy BIOS). That doesn't mean Windows 8 won't work, as most Windows 7 drivers should work ok.

Windows 8 doesn't control access to your BIOS. That happens prior to Windows 8 even booting. There is really no way for the BIOS to control this. I understand that this may have started after you installed Windows 8, but it may just be a coincidence, or it may be that the upgrade caused your CMOS to be corrupted or any number of things. You could try removing the battery from your motherboard and letting the charge drain out of it.

It may be that if your keyboard is USB, that the flag in the BIOS to support USB got turned off. The board isn't even being sold on their site anymore (can't find any pictures of it). If it has a ps/2 keyboard, you might try hooking up a PS/2 keyboard and seeing if you can get into the bios.

Finally, regarding how slow things are. Upgrade installs (which is what you did) are often problematic. Corruption in your system can cause all kinds of weird errors during the upgrade process, which results in incomplete or incorrect upgrades. A clean install is always preferable.

There was a recent bios update made available for this board, but it doesn't seem to address any specific Windows 8 issues. You might try updating to that if you can.

If all else fails, you might consider swapping out your motherboard for one with official Windows 8 support (this would allow you to take advantage of UEFI to use larger than 2TB drives). If you think about it, with the reduced cost of Windows 8, plus the cost of the new motherboard, you're probably still cheaper than buying Windows 8 at retail price.

 

[znod]

I had the same issue. I just disabled fast start up and everything boots as it did before.

Are you running under UEFI?

 

[stealth2920]

No I am using the bios. When I had fast start enabled it would bypass the area where you could select to enter the bios. Once disabled it boots normally like it did in Windows 7. Obviously boots a little slower with fast start up disabled, but no big deal and allows me to enter the bios if I need to change anything. My system overclocked so I occasionally enter the bios to make changes.

 

[znod]

Thanks

 

[Mystere]

No I am using the bios. When I had fast start enabled it would bypass the area where you could select to enter the bios. Once disabled it boots normally like it did in Windows 7. Obviously boots a little slower with fast start up disabled, but no big deal and allows me to enter the bios if I need to change anything. My system overclocked so I occasionally enter the bios to make changes.

I can't understand how fast boot would cause that to happen. The boot process is the same regardless. Fast boot is a mini-hibernation process, but the computer still has to run through its normal POST before it boots, and that should let you into the BIOS.

 

[pauldknight]

You have quite a nice system compared to a lot of people in this forum. You don't need to change anything, your system is quite new. Having said that, don't you think people in this Forum won't be screaming if Windows 8 won't allow them to access the BIOS in their PC's ? Windows 8 does not even start after your BIOS finish posting. So the problem may be with your keyboard, maybe the DELETE key on your keyboard is bad, so I would suggest to swap the keyboard, preferably with a PS2 and the reason I said that because last month, a friend of mine brought his PC with an ASUS MB over my house to help him installing Windows 8 and I used my USB keyboard and guess what ? I could not get into the BIOS. We finally use an old PS2 and everything worked.

Since you upgraded Windows 8 from Windows 7, God knows what's happening !!! Microsoft states that you can upgrade from Windows 7 but provided your Windows 7 is completely clean and all drivers are up to date in the first place. It's always advisable to backup your data, trash everything and do a fresh, clean install. You'll be surprised that how fast your PC flies.

In addition, make sure before you do the above, go to ASUS site and check if there's any new BIOS for your MB then update it first and also when you install Windows 8, use a network cable and plug directly to your router so that Windows can update all the drivers for your PC.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for your suggestion, topgundcp. I did a CLEAN INSTALL of Win8 (= the RESET option), but I still cannot access my BIOS Setup!! I did connect my computer directly to my Internet Modem.

 

[znod]

Did you see the possible solution I posted above? Try turning fast startup off.

 

[JohnOfE]

If you are being prevented from entering BIOS, I find it hard to believe the OS has anything to do with it as the BIOS is what initiates it, meaning BIOS comes first. How can it be prevented by something it hasn't loaded yet?

If it was me, I would disconnect the hard drives and start the computer to see what happens.
If I go no where with that; leaving the hard drives disconnected I would then clear the CMOS with the jumper on the motherboard. and try again.

The BIOS doesn't depend on the OS, it's the other way around. The BIOS WILL load without an OS and you should be able to access it, especially is you reset it by clearing the CMOS.

Once you get into the BIOS, turn off the computer, reconnect the hard drives, turn on and get into the BIOS and configure everything accordingly.

It's possible you BIOS is set for quick boot (nothing to do with the OS, it shortens the POST time), clearing the CMOS will disable it (or should).

 

[topgundcp]

If you are being prevented from entering BIOS, I find it hard to believe the OS has anything to do with it as the BIOS is what initiates it, meaning BIOS comes first. How can it be prevented by something it hasn't loaded yet?

That's what I thought from post #4 on previous page but come to think of it, a few years back when I did a lot of heavy OCing's and I used EVGA MB, came with an application that you could install as a Windows Application. This application will allow you to alter BIOS settings from Windows and will take effect on next reboot.

Having said that, I think he might have some application modifying the BIOS after Windows booted up or perhaps, the possibility might be when you turn on Fast boot and Windows could modify the BIOS.

So OP, when you have an opportunity, let us try to boot up Windows, turn off Fast Boot option then set it to Safe Boot followed by a reboot and do it at least 2 times to see if that's a possibility and of course don't forget to keep tapping on DEL key.

 

[znod]

Excellent thinking. Same is true on my ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3. Forgot about it; never let the Windows app change anything though. The app it is used, among many other things, for doing "software" OCing.

 

[JohnOfE]

Having said that, I think he might have some application modifying the BIOS after Windows booted up or perhaps, the possibility might be when you turn on Fast boot and Windows could modify the BIOS.

So OP, when you have an opportunity, let us try to boot up Windows, turn off Fast Boot option then set it to Safe Boot followed by a reboot and do it at least 2 times to see if that's a possibility and of course don't forget to keep tapping on DEL key.

Exactly right.

When I enabled fast boot in the Toshiba utility on my laptop, it altered the BIOS setting and it prevented me from getting into BIOS because it skipped POST completely. Logging in and disabling Fastboot using the Toshiba utility fixed the problem.

On a Desktop, clearing the CMOS should do the same thing if you can't disable it anywhere else.

 

[pauldknight]

UPDATE:
Two weeks ago, I installed Win8 in my two-year-old computer. I have tried countless procedures to try to regain access to my BIOS Settings. Finally yesterday, I tried to reset my BIOS to factory settings as recommended in ASUS online troubleshooting, but I still could not access my BIOS Settings to complete that procedure. NOW MY COMPUTER WILL NOT DO ANYTHING!! Boat anchor anyone??

Today, Microsoft Win8 Technical Support said that they cannot help me because my motherboard is probably NOT compatible with Win8. Thay said that their Pre-Install Compatibility Tests do NOT check our computers' hardware.

Later today, ASUS replied to my earlier email to say that the P6X58D-E may NOT be compatible with Win8.

Has anyone installed Win8 successfully with the ASUS P6X58D-E or similar motherboards, and then been able to access the BIOS Settings?

If not, be warned -- I think that I will have to buy a new motherboard with the new UEFI-BIOS, and a new CPU because of my attempt to use Win8 with this motherboard!!

 

[JohnOfE]

UPDATE:
Two weeks ago, I installed Win8 in my two-year-old computer. I have tried countless procedures to try to regain access to my BIOS Settings. Finally yesterday, I tried to reset my BIOS to factory settings as recommended in ASUS online troubleshooting, but I still could not access my BIOS Settings to complete that procedure. NOW MY COMPUTER WILL NOT DO ANYTHING!! Boat anchor anyone??

Today, Microsoft Win8 Technical Support said that they cannot help me because my motherboard is probably NOT compatible with Win8. Thay said that their Pre-Install Compatibility Tests do NOT check our computers' hardware.

Later today, ASUS replied to my earlier email to say that the P6X58D-E may NOT be compatible with Win8.

Has anyone installed Win8 successfully with the ASUS P6X58D-E or similar motherboards, and then been able to access the BIOS Settings?

If not, be warned -- I think that I will have to buy a new motherboard with the new UEFI-BIOS, and a new CPU because of my attempt to use Win8 with this motherboard!!

At this stage I'm willing to look past your OS and dig deeper:

You cannot Brick a motherboard by installing an operating system, no matter what.

A motherboard will work and POST even with a hard drive NOT attached, it has no impact. The BOIS is stored on a ROM chip, which in turn stores its setting on an erasable CMOS memory.

The ONLY way to brick a motherboard is by botching a BOIS update, even then you may still recover.

Software installed on a system drive cannot and will not prevent BIOS access.

Software that interacts with the BOIS may change setting in the BIOS, such as Quick Boot, and clock rates, etc. But when the computer is turned on, the BIOS is in full control.

So...

If you cannot get into the BIOS, there must be something wrong somewhere other than the operating system.

Find the evidence; remove the hard drive and see if it POST's.
If it does not; logic tells us that the BOIS has a problem. My course of action to remedy a defective BIOS would be to flash it by downloading an updated version of the BIOS and the utility to flash it from a bootable CD.

I say all this based on your firm belief the the motherboard is not POSTing and "doing nothing".

I would also suspect graphics adapter in the even of a black screen at boot with nothing at all displayed ever.

Tell me: Did you erase the CMOS using the jumper on your motherboard? If you have not done this yet, please do it and report back.

 

[MrShowdown]

UPDATE:
Two weeks ago, I installed Win8 in my two-year-old computer. I have tried countless procedures to try to regain access to my BIOS Settings. Finally yesterday, I tried to reset my BIOS to factory settings as recommended in ASUS online troubleshooting, but I still could not access my BIOS Settings to complete that procedure. NOW MY COMPUTER WILL NOT DO ANYTHING!! Boat anchor anyone??

Today, Microsoft Win8 Technical Support said that they cannot help me because my motherboard is probably NOT compatible with Win8. Thay said that their Pre-Install Compatibility Tests do NOT check our computers' hardware.

Later today, ASUS replied to my earlier email to say that the P6X58D-E may NOT be compatible with Win8.

Has anyone installed Win8 successfully with the ASUS P6X58D-E or similar motherboards, and then been able to access the BIOS Settings?

If not, be warned -- I think that I will have to buy a new motherboard with the new UEFI-BIOS, and a new CPU because of my attempt to use Win8 with this motherboard!!

Ways to access BIOS settings (Windows 8, Non-UEFI):
-If W8 is already booted, restart! It will use legacy start-up, and shows you the key to enter BIOS.
-If you don't want to do restart to get in to BIOS, disable Fast Start-up!