cMP 3,1 freezing on boot menu

[UCDHIUS]

So, I just got my 3,1 test machine.

I tried to install windows via usb but the machine would hang and freeze when I clicked on the install USB via EFI boot menu.

So I moved over to my 4,1 machine and installed W10 onto a newly reformatted SSD.

Moved it over to 3,1 and it still freezes when I choose it via EFI boot menu.

If I let it boot by itself

I’ll boot and freeze at blank white screen.

Any pointers?

Original 8800GT

Any help is greatly appreciated !

Thanks

 

[LightBulbFun]

So, I just got my 3,1 test machine.

I tried to install windows via usb but the machine would hang and freeze when I clicked on the install USB via EFI boot menu.

So I moved over to my 4,1 machine and installed W10 onto a newly reformatted SSD.

Moved it over to 3,1 and it still freezes when I choose it via EFI boot menu.

If I let it boot by itself

I’ll boot and freeze at blank white screen.

Any pointers?

Original 8800GT

Any help is greatly appreciated !

Thanks

short answer is you cant install windows in EFI mode on a MP3,1 you have to do it in BIOS mode.


long answer is you can install windows in EFI mode on a MP3,1 however the MP3,1s Firmware does not support the windows 10 pre Driver Graphics protocols so ya get no "Boot screen" (ie no Windows logo and spiny dots), windows is still booting ya just dont get any picture on screen that its doing so

you only get a picture once the GPU drivers kick in, however the GeForce 8800 GT (or any Tesla Nvidia card) drivers dont like windows in EFI mode on any Mac unless ya set the right bus mastering bit via an EFI shell.

so what I would I recommend if you want to install windows 10 in EFI mode on a MP3,1 is:

if you have a 5770, install it into your 4,1/5,1 with the windows 10 SSD install the Radeon drivers so everything setup (windows 10 should automatically install em after a moment)

then move it back over to the MP3,1 and chose EFI Boot in the boot picker it will seem to freeze however if you give it a moment ya should get a login screen as the GPU drivers take over (the 5770 drivers can handle an EFI mode setup)

it may also help to setup remote desktop so you can remote in if the drivers fail to kick in for some reason.

 

[UCDHIUS]

short answer is you cant install windows in EFI mode on a MP3,1 you have to do it in BIOS mode.


long answer is you can install windows in EFI mode on a MP3,1 however the MP3,1s Firmware does not support the windows 10 pre Driver Graphics protocols so ya get no "Boot screen" (ie no Windows logo and spiny dots), windows is still booting ya just dont get any picture on screen that its doing so

you only get a picture once the GPU drivers kick in, however the GeForce 8800 GT (or any Tesla Nvidia card) drivers dont like windows in EFI mode on any Mac unless ya set the right bus mastering bit via an EFI shell.

so what I would I recommend if you want to install windows 10 in EFI mode on a MP3,1 is:

if you have a 5770, install it into your 4,1/5,1 with the windows 10 SSD install the Radeon drivers so everything setup (windows 10 should automatically install em after a moment)

then move it back over to the MP3,1 and chose EFI Boot in the boot picker it will seem to freeze however if you give it a moment ya should get a login screen as the GPU drivers take over (the 5770 drivers can handle an EFI mode setup)

it may also help to setup remote desktop so you can remote in if the drivers fail to kick in for some reason.

Awesome, thanks for the info.

I don’t have a 5770 but i do have a AMD 380X should this work?

 

[LightBulbFun]

Awesome, thanks for the info.

I don’t have a 5770 but i do have a AMD 380X should this work?

it should in theory

(but keep in mind as its a PC card with no available Mac EFI, you wont have any boot screens on the MP4,1/5,1 as well)

 

[UCDHIUS]

Update to this, I got some blank DVD's I burnt a windows 7 ISO to the disc. For some odd reason the 3,1 would error out at 85% installing.

I tried a few times and gave up. However I did pull the SSD out of the 3,1 and installed it into my 4,1.

Popped the same disc in

The 4,1>5,1 booted via CSM and and boom windows 7 installed to the SSD.

Popped the SSD out and popped it back into the 3,1, Windows 7 did some start up changes on it own and booted no problem.

Also Windows 10 did not want to install onto the 3,1 at all even though it was booting via CSM. It would boot to the installer screen and windows logo and it would freeze. I'm currently upgrading Windows 7 to 10 via media creation tool. We will see how that goes.

Edit Windows 7 to 10 upgrade went excellent !