Installing onto x220t in UEFI mode

I created USB following instructions here: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/UEFI#In_Windows
Booting from USB will arrive to 4 options:
Arch Linux archiso x86_64 UEFI USB
UEFI Shell x86_64 v1
UEFI Shell x86_64 v2
EFI Default Loader
options 1 and 4 goes to some black screen with nothing appearing for some time.
option 3 goes to ASSERT_EFI_ERROR (Status = Device Error)
Option 2 goes to the UEFI Shell, but I don't know what to do from there.
Some info:
UEFI BIOS version 8det61ww (1.31)
UEFI BIOS Date 2012-04-25
Embedded Controller Version 8DHT30WW (1.20)
Machine Type Model 429636U

On top of the fact that UEFI is a bit to wrap your head around at first, you are also facing the issue of having an old UEFI version (1.31).  This is why the UEFI shell v2 doesn't work.  Though why the installer won't boot, I am not quite sure.  But it may be that you are running into the Intel KMS issue that is pretty common.  Try editing the kernel command line before booting and adding "nomodeset".  If it boots, then you know it is a graphics issue.
Even though UEFI might be hard at first, in my opinion, it becomes much much easier, and ultimately makes a lot more sense than the old bios/MBR way of doing things.  I think what made it particularly hard for me at first was the fact that a) like you, I ran into issues, and b) I already understood the basic process of how the old booting method worked (which just confused the hell out of me).
If you continue to have troubles with your system, hopefully srs5694 can swoop in and save the day (sometimes mentioning his name seems to summon him).  Otherwise, I am pretty sure that cfr has the same UEFI firmware version as you.  If your machine's firmware is the same as his, you might be in for a hard time in getting things working right.  I know there were a number of bugs he had to overcome to get his machine working with UEFI.

Similar Messages

  • Would like to install Win 7 on Satellite C in UEFI mode

    Hello
    I would like to install Windows 7 64bit instead of 64bit Windows 8 creates too much trouble.
    I saw that there how to install:
    1 - BIOS Mode
    2 - UEFI MODE
    I would like to install in UEFI mode and enjoy this mode.
    But when I boot my PC by pressing F12, I do not have UEFI option for my DVD player:
    UEFI: HL-DT-ST-DVDRAM GT51N
    Do you have a specific tutorial for TOSHIBA to reinstall Windows 7 in this mode?
    thank you
    Regards
    +Message was translated by google translator+

    wrong
    It is possible to install Windows 7 in UEFI mode dice when it is a 64-bit version of
    If we go back to standard BIOS mode to install Windows 7 that can do because the GPT partition is not in MBR.
    I followed this procedure but when I validate the DVD player that will read out the bootable DVD WIndows 7 but it puts puts FAIL!!
    http://lecrabeinfo.net/installer-la-version-uefi-de-windows-vista-7-ou-8.html
    I want to keep the benefits of UEFI roles and not just convert MBR ...
    thank you
    +Message was translated by google translator+

  • Prepare an usb thumb drive, to boot windows 7 or 8 in UEFI mode

    Purpose of this post:
    Prepare an usb thumb drive, to boot windows 7 in UEFI mode and install the system in pure UEFI mode.
    Why am I writing this:
    I had a hard time finding out how to make a custom installation of windows 7 in pure UEFI mode, and avoid using the factory restore disks. After hours of research, experiments etc I finally got the point and found a solution. And I'm happy to share my research with you. I hope this will be of help. If something is not clear, or more information is needed, I will be glad to explain things further.
    History:
    As most of you already know, BIOS was developed for PC in early eighties and has remained unchanged in recent years. But, since 2000, Intel started working on a new firmware interface, called Extensible Firmware Interface, abbreviated EFI. And since 2005 United EFI Forum has been handling the responsibility for development, management and promotion of UEFI specifications. Bigger companies like Intel, AMD, Microsoft and Dell have already started to bring out their products in accordance to UEFI standards which has more stable, secure and easier to use interface.
    How does UEFI works (in a nutshell):
    Once you power on the UEFI based PC, the Pre-EFI is executed which initializes only the CPU, memory and the chipset. This followed by Driver Execution Environment (DEX) where other hardware is initialized.
    Advantages of UEFI:
        It can integrate various drivers this will not require to load during booting so saves time.
        PC can connect to network without OS.
        Also integrated drivers allow rendering GUI based control panel which out dates the old school bluish BIOS screen.
        Not all the installed hard drives are scanned as boot drive is set during the installation of OS in UFFI.
        Applications like anti-virus and diagnostic tools can be stored on virtually any non-volatile storage devices attached to a PC.
    For a system to boot and install in UEFI the partition table of the HDD should be GPT (GUID Partition Table), not the old school MBR (master boot record). GPT has many advantages, can have virtually an unlimited number of partitions (windows will allow only 128) and impressively big partitions.
    Since UEFI has a lot of advantages why not having a system install and boot in UEFI mode? AFAIK new Lenovo notebooks/netbooks are UEFI capable and OS’s are already installed in pure UEFI mode.
    So, let’s go now to the point. Do you want to have more control over your HDD? Let say, you have a 320GB HDD and you have divided it in two partitions, one of 50GB, for your Windows 7, and the remaining for your data. If something goes wrong and you need to restore your system to factory default, with the recovery disks, it will wipe your partition scheme, set the system to default and this way your data will be lost.
    You may want to make a “vanilla” installation of windows from a USB thumb drive and avoid using factory recovery disks. Now here things get complicated. A standard preparation of the USB with Microsoft’s software (Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool), or other tools, will give you a bios installation, not a UEFI one. So for the system to boot, you will need to change some settings in bios, and changing it from UEFI to legacy bios. The installation will prepare the HDD in MBR partition table, and you will lose all the advantages of UEFI, described above.
    Now this can be avoided, by properly preparing an USB to boot and install in UEFI mode. Here are the steps:
    Step by step tutorial:
    1.    In a windows computer, download a legal copy (although trial) of the windows 7 os. You can do this from here: http://www.mydigitallife.info/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-from-digital-river/
    Be sure to download the same version that came preinstalled in your computer. For example, if you have a Lenovo x120e, with a Windows 7 professional, 64bit, download an iso image of the Windows 7 professional 64bit.
    2.    Once downloaded burn the iso to a USB thumb (at least 4GB) using Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool.
    3.    After preparing this, create a folder on your computer, name it whatever (i.e. W7pro64bit). Go to the root of your USB
    and select all the files and folders there (9 in total) copy, and paste to your folder you created, W7pro64bit.
    4.    Using windows format the usb again in FAT32. Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool, formats it in NTFS. We need a FAT32 formatted disk to achieve our goal. Formating again the USB in FAT32 will not touch the MBR of the USB thumbdrive. And after copying back the files (see step 6) the USB will still be bootable. (nice, and simple, isn't it?)
    5.    Now go to the folder W7pro64bit and do the following:
    a.    Browse to W7pro64bit\sources\ and open install.wim file. It’s a big file, and can be opened as an archive with 7zip (free software). Do not extract it, do not modify it, just browse the file with 7zip. Just to be sure you do not mess with that file, you can copy it somewhere else in your computer, and than procede.
    b.    Browse this file (install.wim) to \1\Windows\Boot\EFI\ and locate the file bootmgfw.efi. Do not move, delete it, but just drag that file to the desktop. (if you have copied the file install.wim to another place in your computer, than you are safely do whatever you want with that file ) Close the 7zip program to release the install.wim file.
    c.    Rename the file you just copied to the desktop from bootmgfw.efi to bootx64.efi.
    d.    Now go back to w7pro64bit folder and browse \efi\Microsoft. Form there copy the folder boot and paste it one level up, on the folder: \efi. It will look like this: \efi\boot.
    e.    Now copy the file you saved on your desktop and renamed (bootx64.efi) to \efi\boot (inside the boot folder you copied on step 5d
    6.    Now go to the root of the folder W7pro64bit and select all folders and files (9 in total) copy, and paste all those files back to your USB thumb drive. (see step 4 for more info)
    7.    Go to the computer that you are going to reinstall, and before restarting it, use the program ABR (activation backup and restore) to backup the license of your windows os. (use google to find ABR). Advanced Tokens Manager (ATM ) is great too. This link may be of help: Backup and restore W7 activation. After the program finishes its magic, it will create a few files inside the folder where the program itself reside. Copy these files to a new folder in your usb.  Rename it to ABR so you will quickly find it later. (if you decide to use ATM, the procedure may be a little different. But you are smart enough to figure out how to use it)
    8.    Backup to an external storage all your data before continuing.(reminder: are you sure you saved the license as explained in step 7, to a safe place? To a external drive, to another computer? If you are sure, than go on with step 9)
    9.    Now restart your laptop, and enter your bios settings. Go to the boot settings, and set the computer to boot in UEFI only. Not both, not UEFI first, or legacy, BUT UEFI only. Save and restart.
    10.    Press f12 (or the corresponding key for your machine) to choose the boot device and chose to start from the USB thumb drive with your windows 7 pro 64 bit.
    11.    If everything is done correctly, your computer will boot from the USB.
    12.    Follow the wizard and choose a custom install, not upgrade. At the disk partition window delete all the partition you see there until you have only one unallocated space.
    13.    Select it, and click next to install windows, without making partition in this point. The installer will create a GPT partition table not a MBR since the USB booted in UEFI mode.
    14.    Immediately after the first restart remove your USB thumb, and the installation will continue from the HDD. Wait until installation finishes.
    15.    When you will be finally on your desktop, on the installed OS plug your USB go to the ABR folder and click on restore.exe. It will restore your license and your copy of windows will be activated.
    16.    Now you can go in computer management/disk management and shrink the HDD to create your partitioning scheme. Make sure to leave enough space to your windows os. (30gb or more for extra programs you will install at your choice)
    17.      Download from lenovo.com thinkvantage system update and update your system. Windows update too can install all the necessary drivers, if you need only  basic drivers support.
    Note: if tvsu will fail to work, see this:
    http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkVantage-Technologies/ThinkVantage-System-Update-Servers-down-the-wh...
    It may look a looong tutorial, but once you do this for the first time, it will look a piece of cake.
    Final words:
    From now on, you can install windows 7 in UEFI mode with your special USB without changing your partition scheme anymore. If you have a data partition beside your os partition (see the example above), when you reinstall the system using your USB thumb drive, at the disk partition window chose the partition where windows is installed, delete it, and reinstall windows to the unformatted area. Your partition with your data will be intact and the installation will automatically mount your data partition to the system. And, all the scope of this procedure, you will always have a pure UEFI installation of the system, with all its benefits.
    Have fun!
    abvasili
    Moderator note: changed subject to match new content.  Was: Prepare an usb thumb drive, to boot windows 7 in UEFI mode
    I'm just a volunteer. I like to help others where I can. Do my ideas work? I hope so. o_O
    Who helped you today? Do not forget to thank him.
    My hardware: TP x120e 0596-2ru. Windows 7, sp1, 64Bit, English, installed in UEFI mode.

    seanare wrote:
    Thank you, as I noted here, your post was the key to my getting a Windows 8 SecureBooting setup on a W530.
    In the case of Windows 8, I needed to copy the files away, reformat my USB key as FAT32 and copy the files back, and viola I was able to boot from my USB install media with the BIOS set to only boot UEFI.  From there, there rest was easy (for Windows 8, the copying and renaming is not necessary, the key is having a FAT32 partition on the USB media, rather than an NTFS one; the EFI files are already in the right location).
    Thank you again good sir.
    You are welcome... and I'm happy that the change of the file system helps with windows 8 too. Thanks for confirming that.
    abvasili
    I'm just a volunteer. I like to help others where I can. Do my ideas work? I hope so. o_O
    Who helped you today? Do not forget to thank him.
    My hardware: TP x120e 0596-2ru. Windows 7, sp1, 64Bit, English, installed in UEFI mode.

  • How to install Windows 7 in UEFI modeand what bios settings for D30

    How do you install windows 7 in UEFI mode and what bios settings do I need to install it on a D30 workstation.

    Not a ThinkStation guy, but FWIW, that can happen when installing Win 7 in UEFI mode when CSM support is not enabled in BIOS.
    Is CSM support - either explicit or by selecting "other OS" and turning UEFI back on as suggested above - an option?
    Z.
    The large print: please read the Community Participation Rules before posting. Include as much information as possible: model, machine type, operating system, and a descriptive subject line. Do not include personal information: serial number, telephone number, email address, etc.  The fine print: I do not work for, nor do I speak for Lenovo. Unsolicited private messages will be ignored. ... GeezBlog
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  • Booting in UEFI mode

    Hello,
    I have a Z77A-G45 mainboard which supports UEFI. I am trying to install Windows 7 (64 bit) on a GPT hard drive which already has Linux Mint 13 (equivalent to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS) installed. The disk is 1TB big and I have reserved 250 GB of unallocated space for Windows at the beginning of the disk. The disk was partitioned using Gparted (or the Linux Mint partition editor which is also based in libparted I think).
    The problem is that the Windows DVD only boots in BIOS mode, so it's not letting me install it on a GPT hard drive. As I have read I must boot the DVD in UEFI mode to be able to install Windows the way I want. The problem is that in the boot options I don't have one for booting in UEFI mode (the only option I get is tagged 'CD/DVD:ATAPI iHAS122 C'). I have read that I can boot into the UEFI shell, browse the DVD and start the installation program from a UEFI boot file (*.efi). When I try to do that most of the tutorials tell me to point my prompt to fs0: but I only see blk'n' (n is the number of the device) block devices. blk5 is the DVD. I mount it using the command 'mount' and the prompt tells me it boots successfully. Then I point the prompt to 'blk5:' and it works, but when I try 'cd' or 'ls' I get the error "ls/dir: Cannot open current directory - Not Found".
    I am certain my motherboard supports UEFI and I am quite sure it's enabled because I get the graphical BIOS. I didn't have any problems formatting the disk as GPT, and the Windows installer (in BIOS mode) recognises all the partitions correctly but it won't let me install the OS complaining about the GPT hard drive.
    What can I do? Is there a middle step I am skipping? As much as I read around everyone with this problem gets to browse the DVD in the UEFI shell but I am stuck there.
    Thank you very much in advance.

    I copied all of the files from the dvd to a usb 3.0 stick and installed from the in UEFI mode. (Just select the UEFI: HP usb stick or whatever)
    Are you sure you don't see UEFI: DVD Burner in the boot list?

  • Booting Windows 7 install DVD in uefi mode fails for satellite p870

    So as the title says, I'm trying to boot the windows 7 installer in uefi mode. It gets pretty far into the boot process, but then just falls flat on it's face. Booting the DVD in safe mode, I can see that it loads all the drivers up to disk.sys, then it seems like it's trying to display the installer GUI and fails. The top quarter or so of the screen gets blanked to black, and then everything just sorta stops. DVD stops spinning, and nothing else happens. I'm kinda restricted to uefi at the moment, as the drive i want to install on has some stuff i'd rather not lose on it, and i've just carved out some empty space for windows. 

    Hello Jerry:
    Trying to help a friend who just got a Satellite L875D that needs to downgrade from factory Win8 to a purchased disk of Win7-64 to continue using his legacy software & not have to re-train himself & buy more stuff.  Tried putting in the Win7 disk before starting the first time, but it didn't boot from that drive. Then the initial start-up factory screen didn't give an F-key to enter BIOS. Some forum notes say it might be F-2 or F-12; another post says he tried every F key.
    Do I have to do/finish the Win8 installation, and then let Win7 format the C drive? One post talks of the Win8 method to reach the UEFI, and then you say to disable secure boot. And I am not sure if the Win8 is in a "safe" partition since there are no disks included; or if I should do the Win8 install and make a backup of it, and then do the Win7 clean install.
    Thank you.

  • Change the already installed Win 8.1 BIOS mode from Legacy to UEFI

    Hey,
    It seems that my Windows 8.1 is installed in BIOS mode: Legacy as "msinfo32.exe" shows. I can boot into it with no issue, but when I go to my laptop's BIOS settings and change the mode back to UEFI, it gives me an error "Operating system not
    found" (not sure about the exact error message).
    I am just wondering if it is possible to change the Windows 8.1 BIOS mode to UEFI so when I change the laptop's BIOS settings back to UEFI, it can boot into it?
    Regards.

    Hi Amin CiscoSoft,
    Since UEFI mode need an EFI system partition (ESP) which has the partition type ef00, usually contains a FAT32 file system. We need to recreate the partitions needed for booting the installation media in UEFI mode.
    Before you doing that we VERY recommended for you to read all contents including Prerequisites and warring paragraph in links below, then perform a backup of your data. If you have a second disk drive big enough, you can simply create a system image and
    able to recover the full installation as it was before you started this procedure if anything goes wrong.
    Since the steps are complicated, please follow the steps in
    http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/14286.converting-windows-bios-installation-to-uefi.aspx
    Regards

  • Impossible to install arch in UEFI mode on my Acer Aspire S3-391

    Hi there,
    I am trying to install arch-linux on my Acer Aspire S3-391, which came with a pre-shipped Windows 8. I am trying to make a dual boot, so I would like to keep the UEFI mode at startup. However, my computer won't boot on the Arch Linux USB Flash drive when in UEFI mode : when plugged in, the key prevents the computer from loading anything. The "Acer" page keeps on reloading itself, without even letting me access the BIOS menu (In other words, the computer is blocked at "POST" phase when the installation media of arch is plugged in).
    Here's what I did to try and solve the problem  :
    1) of course, I disabled Secure Boot and hibernation in Windows 8.
    2) tried to boot in legacy bios. It works, and i could install arch this way : but as told before, i would like to install it in UEFI mode.
    3) Checked, re-checked and re-rechecked the installation media.
    4) tried to install Ubuntu in UEFI mode. It worked : the bootable key of Ubuntu was loaded, when the bootable key of arch is blocked. Why ? No idea...
    5) Installed Ubuntu, and tried to install Arch in UEFI mode from Ubuntu, following the tutorial "Install_from_Existing_Linux". No luck here : i was blocked at step "Testing if you are booted into UEFI mode" on the beginner's guide : I was not, and I couldn't find any solution in the tutorial.
    Any suggestions on what I should try next ?

    If you've already installed in BIOS/CSM/legacy mode, my recommendation is to install your EFI-mode boot loader and try it out. You'll need to use something else that does boot (such as Ubuntu), install the boot loader using the Windows bcdedit command (assuming you're dual-booting), or install the boot loader as EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi (if you're setting up for Linux alone) to get it to work, though.

  • Z77A-GD65 - Problems installing Windows 8.1 in UEFI mode

    Hey guys.
    I've got my new Samsung 840 Pro SSD today and I want to install Windows in UEFI.
    So I got a 32GB USB Sandisk drive, I formatted it to FAT32 and used WinUSB maker to make it boot from a Windows 8.1 ISO file.
    I went into BIOS and selected UEFI boot mode, and set UEFI: USB Hard Disk as the first boot option.
    That didn't work so I tried UEFI: USB Key which did the same.
    Unfortunately I'm not able to boot into the installation. I can only boot to the MSI UEFI Shell and I have no idea what to do from there.
    I tried clicking F11 to get to the boot menu but I only have "UEFI Shell" and "Enter Setup" to choose from.
    For some reason neither my USB drive or my Samsung 840 Pro are recognized in UEFI mode at the Boot menu.
    I plugged in the USB drive to my laptop and verified that the file system is indeed FAT32 and not NTFS.
    Maybe it's because I used WinUSB maker?
    Please tell me what to do because I really want to install 8.1 in UEFI.
    Thanks

    I had this same problem with trying to install Windows 8.1 from the ISO I was able to download from MS. I eventually got the installer to work. Two ways to do this.
    1. Set your BIOS boot option to Legacy + UEFI
    2. Change your boot device to the legacy form of your USB flash drive
    That should make it boot.
    or
    1. While at the shell command prompt
    2. Shell> Fs0:
    3. fs0:> \EFI\BOOT\BOOTX64.EFI
    Or type whatever the Flash device is labeled as
    Hope this helps,
    I have the Z87-GD65 mobo but I imagine the Z77 has a similar bios...

  • [SOLVED] Attempting to boot from USB key in UEFI mode

    I am attempting to boot from a USB Key in UEFI mode to dual boot windows 8 and arch linux.  I'm unsuccessful in getting the USB key to boot in UEFI mode. 
    I am following the guide on page: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Un … _Interface due to the fact that I am receiving error " No loader found. Configuration files in /loader/entries/*.conf are needed."
    I am attempting to use the archiso media and have created refind.conf according to https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/31894#comment102233 in (USB)/EFI/boot/refind.conf
    However, I'm stuck on the initial step from the wiki: Install refind-efi pkg. In the usb's filesystem, overwrite the file EFI/boot/bootx64.efi with /usr/lib/refind/refind_x64.efi.
    My question is: How do I install the refind-efi package onto the USB key using an arch linux host machine and the USB plugged into the machine.
    Last edited by tonysoprano (2013-02-13 04:09:56)

    swordfish wrote:1. Might be possible, that the uefi integration is pretty bad. Have you already looked for an update of the uefi bios?
    This is my thought, too. The "memory map has changed" message sounds like the firmware is messing with the way memory is laid out in the middle of the boot process. A firmware update, if available, is likely to be the best way to deal with this problem. If not, trying Fedora's patched GRUB Legacy and GRUB 2 are also worth doing; it's conceivable that one of them includes a workaround for the problem.
    2. In your first posting you mention Windows 8 on this machine. Is W8 starting in uefi mode?
    This is important, but if the disk uses GPT partitioning, then Windows is starting in EFI mode.
    3. If W8 is starting in uefi mode, are you sure that secure boot is disabled?
    It is; if it weren't, neither rEFInd nor ELILO could start -- or even if they were configured to start in Secure Boot mode, ELILO doesn't launch its kernels in a way that respects Secure Boot, so the ELILO failure can't be caused by Secure Boot. Also, when launched with Secure Boot active, rEFInd returns a clear error message about a security violation and then returns to its main menu; it doesn't hang the computer.
    One possible workaround occurs to me if all else fails: Have rEFInd launch a BIOS version of GRUB. The setup procedure, in outline, is as follows:
    Create a BIOS Boot Partition on the disk.
    Install the BIOS version of GRUB 2.
    Configure rEFInd to include a scan for BIOS-mode boot loaders by uncommenting the "scanfor" line in refind.conf and adding "hdbios" to it.
    Thereafter, you'll see a new "generic" icon, which should launch GRUB, which should launch Linux in BIOS mode, even though Windows launches in EFI mode. This will work on most modern UEFI-based computers with a single hard disk, but things get trickier with multiple disks and with some UEFI implementations that lack the necessary firmware features. If a future firmware update fixes the problem, or if a future kernel's EFI stub loader includes a workaround, the EFI-mode booting will become an option once again.

  • Cannot boot Arch (USB or HDD) in UEFI Mode

    I have a new MSi GT70-0ND, 1x 128GB SSD (no RAID) and 1x 750GB HDD. The SSD was preloaded with an MSi OEM copy of Windows 8. I did not receive an OEM disc, so I've tried to avoid touching the SSD and the hidden recovery partition on the HDD.
    Using Universal USB Installer, installed archiso onto USB flashdrive.
    Windows boot device selection menu did not detect the flashdrive.
    Checked UEFI BIOS settings - USB set to "Full Initial".
    Moved flashdrive from port to port, eventually was detected.
    Reboot, received an error relating to bootloader signing.
    Rebooted again into UEFI BIOS settings, disabled secure boot.
    Rebooted, received infamous "No loader found. Configuration files in \loader\entries\*.conf are needed."
    Googled, checked forums, saw gummiboot issues, recommendations to use rEFInd, and dd/UEFI issue.
    Transferred archiso to working Arch machine, followed instructions here https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/UE … B_from_ISO.
    Installed rEFInd using instructions here https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/31894#comment102233. I have since tried various changes to refind.conf and can not discern any difference.
    Attempted to boot laptop from flashdrive in UEFI mode after Windows' boot device menu again failed to detect flashdrive multiple times.
    Got rEFInd menu, found nothing functional (except Windows bootloader, of course): Arch entry froze the system requiring hard reboot, UEFI Shell v2 gave an assertion error (from memory, it was "String.c(166) String != ((void *)0)"); Googled, seeing some related but no identical errors, UEFI Shell v1 failed to start reporting something like "using load options '<null string>'".
    Rebooted in BIOS/Legacy mode, but flashdrive was unbootable (duh)
    Again using Universal USB Installer, installed archiso onto flashdrive.
    Rebooted in BIOS/Legacy mode, archiso menu appeared, but during udev events, received a drm/nouveau init table error; Hard reboot. Appended
    nouveau.modeset=0
    to kernel line, everything worked
    Installed vanilla Arch system to the HDD including UEFISYS partition.
    When it came time to set up and install rEFInd/efibootmgr, of course
    modprobe efivars
    failed.
    Redid flashdrive the UEFI-safe way on Arch machine, attempted to boot in UEFI mode, it appears that menu entries from my /boot/efi (UEFISYS) partition are present, but this is irrelevant as only the Windows bootloader and \refindx64.efi work (loads rEFInd graphical mode, in which nothing works except BOOTX64.efi which quickly flashes a message with a file path (too quickly to read) then loads Windows. UEFI Shell v2 now has same error as v1:
    Using load options '<null string'> Error: Not Found while loading shellx64_v2.efi
    rEFInd (version 0.5.0) "About" dialog reports EFI Revision 2.31, Firmware: American Megatrends 4.653, Screen Output: Graphics Output (UEFI)
    I have tried adding various things to the refind.conf "options" directive, e.g. gpt, loglevel=7, pci=nocrs, add_efi_memmap, archisobasedir=arch, archisolabel=ARCH_201212, acpi=off, etc. in different combinations.
    I am at wits' end. Bottom line: nothing but rEFInd (via flashdrive) and Windows works in UEFI boot mode - nothing. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

    I doubt if this will help you with your main goal, but I've fixed a few memory bugs in rEFInd recently, so the "String.c(166) String != ((void *)0)" error you mentioned might go away if you upgraded to the latest version of rEFInd (0.6.0).
    Beyond that, here's a suggestion:
    Prepare a USB flash drive or CD-R with rEFInd 0.6.0. Be sure to include an EFI driver for whatever filesystem you used in Arch's /boot (or root, if there's no separate /boot partition) in the flash drive's or CD's EFI/BOOT/drivers_x64 directory. (Note that rEFInd 0.6.0 includes an ext4fs driver.)
    Using an emergency disc, create a refind_linux.conf file in Arch's /boot directory. Include, at a minimum, two lines, each of which should include the options "ro root=/dev/{whatever} initrd={\path\to\initrd}", changing the device filename to point to your root and the initrd= specification to point to your two Arch initrd files (one for each line). The path should be relative to the root of whatever filesystem holds those files, so if you've got a separate /boot partition, there would be no directories, just the filename preceded by a backslash; and if you have no separate /boot partition, you'd lead with "\boot\". Note the need for BACKslashes, not forward slashes, in the initrd= specification (but forward slashes in the root= specification).
    Reboot using the rEFInd flash drive or CD-R you've prepared. With any luck, rEFInd should come up and show you an Arch option. Try using it. If it fails, try again, but hit Insert and select the second option from the list.
    With any luck this will get your system booted in EFI mode, but I can't make any promises about that.

  • How do you reinstall 64-bit Windows 7 in UEFI mode?

    I have a PC with a single hard disk and, a while ago now, I installed 64-bit Windows 7 on it in UEFI mode. 
    The disk has two primary partitions: a C: partition which contains my Windows 7 system and other installed software such as Office, and a D: partition which contains only personal data. 
    (In other words, I don’t have a multi- or dual-boot system.)  
    I now wish to reinstall 64-bit Windows 7 into the same C: partition, again in UEFI mode.
    There is a procedure for reinstalling Windows 7 documented on the following MS Web page:
    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/installing-reinstalling-windows#1TC=windows-7
    in the section entitled “Using the Custom installation option without formatting the hard disk”.
    The following YouTube video demonstrates this procedure:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr_s29MWOA0
    and it looks relatively straightforward. 
    Essentially, the re-installation starts by inserting the installation DVD into the optical disk drive and running setup.exe while still logged on to Windows 7 with an administrator user ID. 
    At the screen entitled “Where do you want to install Windows?”, both the System Reserved partition (the example in the video is a legacy BIOS installation) and the C: primary partition are visible. 
    On that screen, you simply select the C: primary partition and click
    Next, and Windows 7 is effectively reinstalled over Windows 7. 
    Any personal data in the C: partition is preserved in a folder called Windows.old.
    The big question is, does this procedure work for a UEFI installation? 
    The documentation does not state that it works only for a legacy BIOS installation. 
    If I were to follow the procedure, when I reach the screen entitled “Where do you want to install Windows?”, I would expect to see the EFI System Partition (ESP), the Microsoft Reserved Partition (MSR), my C: primary partition and my D: primary partition. 
    Can I simply select the C: primary partition and click Next to start the (re-)installation?
    It appears that nowhere in the procedure do you specify what mode of installation (legacy BIOS or UEFI) is required. 
    Does the installation setup simply use the same mode as that of the existing installation?
    Does anyone have any experience of reinstalling Windows 7 in UEFI mode, using this procedure or any other method?

    Hi,
    It depends. Do you have Windows 7 DVD? Does your computer have a Boot from EFI Drive option?
    Windows 7 DVD can boot in either BIOS mode or UEFI mode. Different UEFI firmware implementations support different methods for handling the installation operation. The processes for booting the computer into UEFI mode for the Windows product DVD are
    the same. If you can find a boot from EFI Drive option, please perform the suggestions as i referred to.
    If you cannot find any boot option, perform the steps below:
    Use Device Manager's Firmware option and select Boot from EFI Internal Shell.
    Use the EFI internal shell, as follows:
    Start the EFI internal shell from the EFI boot menu and select the drive with the Windows product DVD. The following example assumes that the drive is Fs0:
    Shell> Fs0:
    Start the EFI boot application. For example, on an x64 system, run the following command:
    fs0:> \EFI\BOOT\BOOTX64.EFI
    After the application starts, you may be immediately prompted to press a key to boot from the drive to continue. Press a key to continue booting from the installation media.
    Andy Altmann
    TechNet Community Support

  • Yoga 11s - how to boot from USB in UEFI mode (tried everything)

    I have been trying for days to install Windows 7 on my new Yoga 11s in dual boot configuration with 8.1, with no luck.  Typical catch-22 problem -- can't boot from the install media in UEFI mode, and if booted in legacy mode, Windows won't install on GPT partition. I followed all the steps everywhere mentioned:  disabled secure boot, set boot mode and order in every possible combination, etc.  I followed these steps exactly to create a UEFI-bootable USB drive:http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Windows-8-and-8-1-Knowledge-Base/Why-can-t-I-boot-from-a-USB-key-on-UEFI-ThinkPad-or-ThinkCentre/ta-p/1004621 I can boot easily from the USB in legacy mode, but in UEFI mode, when starting the machine, the USB is ignored.  If I go into Windows 8.1 recovery and do an advanced start and choose EFI USB, the machine thinks for a moment and then says: "System doesn't have any USB boot option.  Please select other boot option in Boot Manager Menu." Then I click OK and it offers only one option on the menu, Windows Boot Manager. I don't know if the lack of boot options is just a symptom of the USB not really being UEFI-bootable, or some other steps are needed to add boot options.  I even tried adding an item within the windows boot manager, but that didn't work, because even if it could work in principle I don't know the right settings. Has anyone actually made this work?  If so, what is the secret?

    I had the same problem and a lot of frustration. I finally solved the problem by using a different USB key. I also had to go into boot options and select the USB key even though I had the USB key first in the boot order. Right now I am Re-imaging from my backup and pray for success. Although things may look brigth afterall I have to leave out some steam:The whole problem started with a screen error, which had to be repaired. So before sending it to repair I made an image backup, - just in case. I got an eight hour time window where I had to wait for a pickup of the computer,- very frustrating when you are having a job requiring traveling. After ten days the computer computer came back with a scrambled hard disk with at note saying that it was an software error, although it was no doubt an hardware error because it worked perfectly with an external monitor. I have not counted the number of hours this bad service has costs but it exceeds the value of the computer!  

  • Blue screen when booting from USB drive in UEFI mode (2013.07)

    SOLUTION for me was to update the firmware on my ASRock mb as thatu pdate changed the EFI software (by American Megatrends) version from 2.00 to 2.31. However, other users are still experiencing the blue screen.
    SHORT VERSION
    When I try to boot Arch Linux 2013.07 with an USB drive in UEFI mode (for installation), I get a blue screen (which is rather a literal description and not a hint towards the old Windows' one) with the message
    Failed to install override security policy (14): Not found
    LONG VERSION
    I made an USB installation media (product: Intenso Rainbow) by following this advice on the wiki.
    I used the july release of Arch for that. First of, after installing the image to the USB stick I found that I needed to correct the label in the archiso-x86_64.conf file to ARCH_201307 (or was it the label of the usb stick, can't remember right now). (Pretty sure it was the same problem with "Linux Live USB Creator" which I used 3-4 months ago...)
    After doing that, I rebooted and selected the entry
    UEFI Intenso Rainbow
    from this list of entries:
    SATA HDJ ... something (the hard drive where Win 7 64 bit is installed with all programs)
    SATA something (hard drive which only contains data)
    Windows Boot Manager
    USB: Intenso Rainbow
    UEFI: Intenso Rainbow
    It went to a blue screen with a message in white text saying
    Failed to install override security policy (14): Not found
    Below that was an OK button which had a black rectangle over it.
    After I experienced the bluescreen, I tried booting the
    USB Intenso Rainbow
    entry and the boot process then worked fine, I got to that Arch menu where I could choose
    Boot Arch Linux (x86_64)
    Boot Arch Linux (i686)
    Boot existing OS
    Run Memtest...
    and so on...
    But just to make sure, I then did the check for UEFI mode according to this and only saw a folder acpi and ... something else I can't really remember, but it definitely was not efi. Thing is, I needwant to boot into UEFI mode as I have Win 7 already installed in UEFI mode.
    Some info about my motherboard: it's from ASRock and is called H67M. The BIOS is dated to 2011-10-26 and is version 1.7.
    So far, I only found a mention of the problem here at superuser.com.
    Last edited by jones (2013-07-15 07:15:18)

    Ok then, so this thread has also become about the blank screen problem when booting (in this particular case, Arch 2013.06 since 2013.07 seems to be worse).
    srs5694 wrote:Typically, you adjust kernel boot options using your boot manager or boot loader. In GRUB, you hit the "e" key to open an editor. In rEFInd, you hit F2 or Insert twice. I don't recall offhand what key does the job for gummiboot (which I'm pretty sure the Arch installer uses), but I'm certain it's got the feature.
    You are right. Thanks. I realized I had the gummiboot config right in front of me all the time. It's the file 'archiso-x86_64.conf' in \loader\entries (on Windows).
    An addendum: I think the USB: Intenso Rainbow boot option takes me into a GRUB menu. Hitting 'e' in this "big" and fully designed menu didn't do anything IIRC. Hitting 'Tab' did the trick to get into editing the boot command line.
    Hitting 'e' worked in the gummiboot menu though.
    So I tried booting with the following options (also by combining some of them)
    nomodeset
    acpi_backlight=vendor
    radeon.modeset=0 (I have a Gigabyte 7870 card in this desktop machien)
    i915.modeset=0
    but it did not help.
    To be rather safe than sorry: I should mention that there are two grey-ish bars visible on the top and bottom of the screen after I try to boot the first entry, Arch Linux archiso x86_64 UEFI USB. Always has been with those two older Arch version (2013.05+2013.06). I also found another thread where one user talks about using the VGA port of the monitor, which I am currently not, I am using the DVI one, so that's worth a try too. EDIT It did not help either. What I did was setting the primary graphics adapter in the UEFI north bridge configuration menu to 'onboard' which worked immediately when rebooting (I hit the button labeled "Source" on my monitor and it showed it is using the "Analog" mode), but the problem just stayed the same. Adding aforementioned boot options or a combination thereof did not change anything.
    Thanks for the e-mail addresses, I sent one to James Bottomley.
    Last edited by jones (2013-07-07 11:12:05)

  • T440s & Windows 7 in UEFI mode

    Hi, 
    I try to install Windows 7 on my T440s. However, I fail booting the USB stick with error code 0xc000000d ("An error occurred while attempting to read the boot configuration data"). I created the USB stick as described in the Forum here (http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Windows-7-Knowledge-Base/Prepare-an-usb-thumb-drive-to-boot-windows-7-in...). Also, the USB-Stick boots fine in UEFI mode on my old (HP) Laptop. Also I can boot on CSM-Mode Compatibility Support Module. I tried several other how-tos and what else Google answered search fo that error code (e.g. disabling USB3, disable nearly everything the UEFI BIOS could disable etc...). It really seems to be an issue in conjunction with that UEFI implementation...
    I'm using latest UEFI BIOS (GJET64WW, 2.14).
    Anyone successfully installed Windows 7 on that model? Any help would be appriciated.
    Best regards,
    falstaff
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    Hi,
    What do you mean by Also I can boot on CSM-Mode Compatibility Support Module ?
    Windows 7 won't run in UEFI mode without CSM enabled.  IIRC it may boot but won't run.
    I don't have a T440s to test with, but here's how I make and boot a Win 7 UEFI installer:  format a flash drive as a single partition - FAT32. Use an (un)archiving tool like 7zip in Windows to extract the contents of a Win 7 SP1 installer ISO to a flash drive.  (or just copy a DVD to flash).
    Boot it and install.  IIRC the file manipulation required to create a bootable flash drive applied to pre-SP1 Win 7.
    Z.
    The large print: please read the Community Participation Rules before posting. Include as much information as possible: model, machine type, operating system, and a descriptive subject line. Do not include personal information: serial number, telephone number, email address, etc.  The fine print: I do not work for, nor do I speak for Lenovo. Unsolicited private messages will be ignored. ... GeezBlog
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