Z370 with NVMe Windows 7 Install

[gmcraib]

Hi,

I’m having trouble installing windows 7 (from install disc) as it does not detect the M2 SSD.
It detects the storage HDD (via SATA).
Have tried loading Intel RST at pre install stage from motherboard cd (unknown version) and from intel. Both times it looked like they were loading but came back saying it didn’t work and to contact vendor.

I also tried the intel RST premium with optane option in Bios but this saw all SATA drives disappear at pre-install stage (yes still installing from disc...).

In all casss the BIOS detects all devices.
Also USB connections are not recognised at pre-install.
I tried the usb 3 driver from the mb cd but it locked everything up.
To get drivers etc I’m downloading to usb stick via laptop and then putting onto storage HDD using linux (runs from another usb stick).
As a side note I tried using mini-xp for that but got BSOD.

I’m wondering if it’s driver compatibility with W7, although it states the IRST driver is W7 compatible. (There are only a few compatible with Z370 and W7). I know W7 isn’t supported but others have got it to work.
Maybe a firmware issue with NVMe?
How do you get windows to see it?!

Maybe bios settings, UEFI is new territory for me.
It did say can’t install windows to GPT so might have legacy settings on.

Will add more details later.

[shadowsports]

Greetings,
You are on the right track..  with using non-legacy, UEFI settings in BIOS.  Also GPT (in this application) is not supported without UEFI.  Suggest you enable all UEFI BIOS settings and disable any legacy support for option ROMs, etc. 

When you boot from the media , Select F12 for one time boot menu selection and boot from the detected windows 7 option with the UEFI prefix.  If you don't select the UEFI prefixed install path, the nVME device will not be detected,  I have heard from people that they had to use the [F6] IRST driver in some circumstances if using older media, but the key is to boot UEFI.  Off to work, but am happy to help more if you can't get past this.     

[gmcraib]

I don't know why but I couldn't reply last night on my laptop.

Anyways, here are the details:
Z370 Auros Gaming 7 board
Intel i7-8700k cpu
2 x 8GB Corsair RAM (C16 ish I think) 3000MHz
Samsung 970 Pro 512GB NVMe SSD

Trying to install from W7 (Professional I think) using CD but the installer does not detect the NVMe.

[gmcraib]

Greetings,
You are on the right track..  with using non-legacy, UEFI settings in BIOS.  Also GPT (in this application) is not supported without UEFI.  Suggest you enable all UEFI BIOS settings and disable any legacy support for option ROMs, etc. 

Thanks, it feels like I'm getting closer.  It was definately booting in legacy, not sure why.  As my SATA storgae HDD is GPT and it flagged as not compatible.
I've gone back and changed/tried a few different BIOS settings and have received some pointers from Gigabyte e support. Reading around, it seems there is a few people with the same problem.
Anyways it now boots in UEFI and no flags for storage HDD (GPT), flags for USB stick (MBR).  I have played with a few different BIOS settings can't remember them all, but legacy ROM is UEFI, I did try disabling that but made no difference.

When you boot from the media , Select F12 for one time boot menu selection and boot from the detected windows 7 option with the UEFI prefix.  If you don't select the UEFI prefixed install path, the nVME device will not be detected,  I have heard from people that they had to use the [F6] IRST driver in some circumstances if using older media, but the key is to boot UEFI.  Off to work, but am happy to help more if you can't get past this.   

On the first night I started getting the UEFI prefix on some of the boot devices (eg UEFI: Optical, Samsung SSD, P0: Storage HDD, P2: Optical) after switching SATA controller from AHCI to Intel RST premium (and back again when that made no difference - disappeared SATA devices form installer).
Last night after getting USB working I was able to consistently boot UEFI: USB stick, in fact I disconnected all SATA devices so it was only UEFI: USB and Samsung SSD.

I have noticed there is no prefix before the NVMe SSD.  I just assumed it was because the m/b realises that its on board.  Also this reminds me there is no options for NVMe Configuration, just displays the drive info (less info displayed than when Intel RST Premium is enabled).

So Gigabyte e-support pointed me to a W7 install USB toolkit from their support page.  This looked like it would solve the problem, it creates a bootable image onto USB stick using the files from the W7 CD plus it seems additional drivers for USB compatibility (xHCI I asusme from reading around).  I selected the USB box and the NVMe box.
Got USB devices recognised at install screen but again no SSD! In fact one of the USB devices likes to pretenf its a HDD so it was listed as an install option (8GB....)

Again afterwards I played around with BIOS settings, just can't seem to get this to work.
Didn't bother with xHCI hand-off setting as thats for USB only?
Worth a try I suppose.

Disabling CSM meant that the USB would not boot (as it also had the UEFI: prefix) so changed that back.
Have tried default settings etc, nothing.

I think it is either the driver for the toolkit, or I need a driver from Samsung, but all they have is installer drivers not the native files.
I'm also considering flashing the BIOS from F4 to F5h as it says improved NVMe support, but the descriptions on each BIOS update are lacking so not sure if it helps and I don't like flashing unnessecarily.

I was also able to install a version of the Intel RST driver (v15 something, last W7 compatible) but it did not help.  It did show the 8GB USB stick though!

Does anybody know the version of IRST on the m/b cd?
Or the NVMe driver provided on the W7 USB toolkit?

I might try that again incase the image is not spot on.
could maybe be the NVMe but it is detected in BIOS, albeit not with UEFI prefix on the boot screens.

Hmmmm.

[shadowsports]

It sounds like you are right there.  It's the Windows 7 installer on your USB stick that you chose to boot from.

UEFI:Win7xxxxx 

How old is your W7 install media?  Make yourself a fresh copy.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows7

You can use the Gigabyte toolkit as well las the IRST Drivers (F6) files if needed. Don't bother with the Samsung toolbox or Magician files they are not needed.

[gmcraib]

Hi sorry it takes me so long to reply, I'm really busy at work and have been away a lot.  Plus for some reason I can't click the reply/quote buttons with my laptop, ah well.

So I have been attempting to get to the bottom of this, again playing with BIOS settings, updating BIOS and using the Win 7 USB tool but it does not work.
It is (sometimes) possible to preload a driver (depending on driver) but nothing I do enables W7 to recognsie the NVMe at install.
So I wondered if it was perhaps a faulty NVMe, downloaded W10 install image and getting to the install screen that detects the NVMe and it would be possible to install to.
So it is definately a driver issue.

I now think the driver supplied as part of the USB Tool is not suitable for my application, but find that strange as would have thought the Samsung NVMe's were the most popular.
My one is the 970 Pro 512GB, so perhaps that is not covered by driver.
I've been in touch wiht Samsung to get the native files (they only offer installer package drivers on their support website) but heard NOTHING back and that was weeks ago!

There are a couple of sources on the web where people have extracted the driver(s) and made them available but I want to get them from an official source.

I'll check and see what G/byte have come back with on their support page, but I'm thinking I need to contact Samsung again, failing that Microsoft to obtain the drivers that are in W10 and make available for W7 (yeah good luck...)
I absolutely refuse to install W10 but may do it temporarily if its the only way I can access the Samsung .INF files.

[gmcraib]

Gigabyte have sent me a Samsung driver!
Aha!  Shall try this and see....

Will hopefully be replying from my own PC next......

[shadowsports]

Many have had difficulty with this.  There are too many scenarios.  In the majority of cases, its usually been the age of the W7 install media, not selecting the UEFI : Prefix or BIOS settings.

W7 can be installed to a nVME boot device on hardware that supports UEFI boot.  Unless you have a specific application that requires W7, there is no reason not to install W10. 

W7 EOL 1/2015
Extended supports ends 1/2020

It will be here before you know it.       

[gmcraib]

Well I have some good news! But also some not so good news.

Last week I quickly checked the install screen to see if loading the Samsung inf file I got from GB esupport would work and hey presto! I now have the option to install to my nVME!

So yesterday I was off work ill and had some time to try installing. After mucking about with formatting and making sure it was partitioned GPT and UEFI, I managed to get W7 to install.
At least up to audit mode which is where I customise the install and set up drivers etc.
However the bad news is that I can’t get the chipset drivers to install.

Initially I thought the chipset drivers were installed and went about adding other drivers from the install cd. However nothing would clear the remaining devices from device manager. Given their names (SM bus, memory controller etc) and their hardware id’s I concluded they must be chipset Resources.
I don’t like using the express install prefer to install manually to avoid adding bloatware (google toolbar?? Oh why gigabyte??!) but used the scan feature to check what drivers I needed.
After I did a bit of browsing it said the inf updater (eg chipset driver) was installed along with intel ME etc. But I don’t think they were because I then installed ME interface etc.
However, the issue I now have is that the chipset driver crashes. Whether from install button or by opening up the setup.exe file. Have tried the two newer versions from gigabyte but they also crash.
Have tried it initially from usb installer image (did a repeat W7 install after realising chipset drivers were not installed) and from W7 disk (copied NVME and other drivers to hdd because no matter what I do usb drivers will not work at install screen, infact loading the usb drivers from mb cd kills usb so lose mouse and keyboard. Obviously this was not an issue with the W7 usb image from GB). I also tried running as admin (pointless really as in audit mode) and it crashes.

So original problem is solved but a new one has emerged!

[gmcraib]

Reading around some people are having problems with the inf updater failing, I think in operation. But I can’t get the .exe to even run.
A few people are downloading from intel and there is a version on their site but I’d much rather stick with drivers provided by gigabyte, in case they include specifics for the motherboard.

I’ve also seen to try it with -overall switch. Might be worth a try.
Could go back to usb installer image (after getting NVMe to work, repeat attempts have been from W7 disk) and even try installing in legacy BIOS rather than UEFI BIOS.

I also flashed to latest F10 bios version and resinstalled.
So after not being able to install W7 I have now installed it several times!

Happy to hear thoughts and anything I haven’t thought of.
Has anybody else had problems with the chipset driver on W7 or W10?
Did read that some people have solved it by installing vga driver first, which I find surprising.
(Also it will be nVidia driver as I’m using a GTX1070 and the intel vga driver from mb cd is not compatible)

[shadowsports]

Greetings,
Congrats on solving the storage detection issue.  Have a beer now!

I just installed chipset drivers from Intel's website yesterday without any issues.  They don't come with any bloatware.

There is nothing magical about using drivers from Gigabytes website exclusively.  In the majority of cases, they are identical to what you will get from the vendor. (Intel, nVidia, Microsoft, etc).  An exception might be video hardware if it needs to support some advanced proprietary feature, (exclusive to their hardware) but this is extremely rare.

Windows 7 audit mode or SysPrep (I guess you have reasons for this), but absolutely unnecessary.  All you are doing is creating headaches for yourself.  The Intel .inf utility does a great job installing only the chipset drivers you need for proper system function.

Here's my recommendation:

Install the OS of your choosing without audit or SysPrep. Use System Restore or image back up program of your choosing, Windows back up, Acronis, Macrium, etc (create a back up image).  Now update your system.  Not happy with something?  Restore from back up and continue..  or waste time fighting the installer so you can have the "cleanest" possible install of Windows 7 I guess.      Your choice. 

[gmcraib]

I do need to set-up via audit mode, would love to say it’s because I use an answer file but really I’m not that advanced! 😂
It’s because I setup users directory onto a seperate HDD from the windows install.
I then add all drivers etc up to the point where I’m ready to start installing programs. That last part probably unnessecary but have always done it as part of clean install process.

Have just installed the driver from intel website. It’s v10.1.17 so much older than what’s available from gigabyte.
I can only assume that the later files are not fully W7 compatible or contain code that crashes the app on W7.

Of course that’s my next headache, undoing the W7 update block on this cpu/chipset but hey ho there are workarounds I believe.
Besides come 2020 it’s no different.

[gmcraib]

Forgot to say the reason I always try to install drivers from motherboard cd is because sometimes they contain specific code for hardware on the board that is not in the original driver.
Also the cd drivers may be based files and downloads from support pages could just be updates again missing code contained in base.
Don’t think either are the case
here but it’s hard to tell.
I was lucky to stumble upon the older intel driver! Google search took me to an intel page with it, it’s not listed through the front door!