Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H (rev. 1.4) SATA/IDE Windows install problems

[rebbae]

First of all greetings!

I am currently running on Ubuntu which had no issues installing, made my own partitions and la di da it works, everything - perfect!
The issue I'm having with this Motherboard is time-wasting and annoying to such quality and quantity that I'd rather leap from a bridge than have to think again and again, how to get by this problems.

My specifications: Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H (rev. 1.4) - the unfortunate Motherboard with a Phenom II X4 B60 Deneb on 4GHz (+/-) (an O.C.-ed, black edition is actually X2 II 520 I believe, guessing since I returned it to from Hybrid to Normal just 'cuz I thought it will make the problem solved) 16 Gb RAM, 3 SATA hard-drives and one 40 Gb PATA.

Now, from the beginning, when I didn't yet have any SATA drives, the 64-bit install of Windows 7 went perfectly on an older PATA drive. No BSODs, drivers running perfectly - but it seems I have a bad (streak is it or stake?) of cards dealt when HW is involved.

Before this computer I had also a Gigabyte Motherboard for a Pentium 478 Socket, ran Pentium 4. No problems, great motherboard and drivers. At that time, pimped it up as it could be, then a damn storm hit the clouds so byebye to that PC. I unplugged everything 'when-storm-was-a-coming, but just the other morning, wanting to start it - NOTHING. I remember some components were saved and still have them or sold them, besides the point.

Then I buy an HP laptop - with 1 lousy year warranty - guess what - another storm as the year passed - Notebook gone byebye. No warranty, all I could severe was the battery, disk and RAM. Oh and I got a nice notebook purse now without the notebook. Woohoo.

The main issue is I believe, that in this time of 2013, you have to have a damn FLOPPY DISK, to put your drivers on is complete b.s. The motherboard, being the 1.4 edition only has the F8 BIOS, and with a couple of clicks the guys and gals at Gigabyte could help a great deal and MAKE THE USAGE OF SATA DRIVES, HARD DISKS OR OPTICAL if not MANDATORY but please make it an option. Guessing SSD Drives don't work either.
I have tried installing Windows 7 the whole day, then tried Windows 8 I had from when it was a free download and when it worked.


Tried:

1.  - the obvious: changing from AHCI SATA to NATIVE IDE which just made things run more slowly and again asked me for the driver. So I put in the Gigabyte CD, it installs it supposedly fine but then again it hits me with a note that I cannot install on either of the harddrives partitions.
And I am not going to install it on a PATA drive again: it's as slow as a slug chasing a good wind to glide...
2. - as I said before - the PC was OC-ed and I've put it to defaults in BIOS, always checking that SATA is put to NATIVE IDE. Also slowed things down, of course.
3. - in BIOS tried almost everything (and please, pretty please respond if someone has a clue what to do I haven't tried) played with Virtualization, with USB interfaces on and off, taking out RAMS: 4x4 Gb Unabridged and trying with just 1 slot, every slot, trying with just on drive... nothing.

The funny stuff that actually happened during an install of Win 8 on AHCI mode and I mean everything was OC-ed back - even the DVD was on AHCI. I've set the proper booting, the boot started - again with the pop-out for a driver install.
Downloaded the new drivers for Windows 8 64-bit off of the official site, in Ubuntu using Wine - extracted to a WD USB HDD, tried to browse and it seemed like the install will go, it waited of a second or 2, but stopped and the same old popout: BROWSE for DRIVER, DRIVER MISSING.

I usually dual-boot since Linux doesn't have or dare I to say merely cannot start some of the Windows programs I use for work, and the ones that, let's say Ubuntu Studio have - are not enough for what I need in the end. There's gaming also but, Windows is to me more of a NEED then a WANT.

I'm clueless. Especially since the brand I loved so much end's up with a lousy product (I still do no get why are there no BIOS updates for the 1.4)  I end up buying it and having said already too much, now am going to jump off a bridge with my PC case I'll also fill up with rocks, tie it to myself and down-to-the-get-go.

Thanks and bye, friends. Any advice would be helpful.
Adios!

[Vezina]

Any of the Windowses should install in IDE Mode just fine.

Try and install Windows XP if you have it.

Maybe you should do a low level format to the HDD using IDE Mode.This will destroy all data on the hard drive so back up data.Delete Track 0 as well.
I remember a strange thing with my Seagate HDD when i installed Windows8 RC and that needed low level format on the HDD.I wouldnt try Windows 8 in your place ,it is messing up HDD-s ,at least the official RC did.

Instead of Ubuntu i would install Simply Mepis ,it s faster ,has a real partitioning tool and is better looking
Install it later after the Windows and choose install Grub at the end of installation.
Make one partition for the Windows one for the Linux (which you will transform in 2 or 3 ext4 partitions later) and one or two for the data.You can partition using the partitioning tool from the Live Simply Mepis disc or with Windows XP that usually does everything as it should.After partitioning you can choose to install any Windows you want.Ubuntu is cr..p compared to Mandriva or Simply Mepis.

[rebbae]

I partition everything thru PartedMagic, so that's that. Now, as I didn't jump off the bridge, am downloading various drivers (mostly AMD for SATA AHCI and RAID support as well as chipset) and thinking about flashing BIOS if the new drivers don't help.

Thanks for the suggestions but I'm fine with U. Studio, have it installed the way I want with all the tweak and whatnot. The thing I hate is, even if I do manage to install Win, I hope UStudio will just have a grub issue to resolve and that the entire reformating and reinstall will not be needed.
Thanks for your advices, but seems I gotta go kill the damn machine with flashing.
Pozdrav!