Resolved PITA trying to install Windows 10 on my MacPro 5,1

[AnimeFunTv]

So I'm having a hell of a time trying to install Windows 10 on my cMP 5,1.

So I finally got around to flashing my RX580 so I can have a native boot screen, the main reason was I wanted to install Windows 10 along with having OpenCore (Dual OS's). You may ask "Why?!" Short answer, I've been having issues with Windows 10 not booting correctly under OpenCore's UEFI; Sometimes it will boot, and other times it will just stay locked at the windows logo with no progress and I would have to force shutdown by holding the power button. Not Ideal.

To Install Windows 10 outside of OpenCore required me to mod my RX580 so I can get the Apple Boot Picker. That's done and working just fine.

But for some odd reason, my MacPro (or other components) is being absolutely stubborn to install Windows.

First off, Apple Boot Picker can't see the bootable Windows Install USB when it's plugged into the front or back of my Mac for some odd reason. OpenCore can see it but I'm not trying to install it under that... So I created a DVD and now its shows up on the boot picker.

Iinstalling it under legacy/BIOS (2012 and older only work under Legacy, plus even if I select 'EFI' installer it will force load under Legacy) But when I select the disk to install I get a prompt saying that "Windows cannot be installed onto this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu."

I am trying to install it to a Nvme drive via PCIe card. I could only assume that's the issue? FYI I also removed and disconnected every other drive so this NVME is the only drive (other than the DVD) installed.

So I'm baffled, ether its the PCIE/NVME drive or I'm thinking maybe the BootRom? I have no idea.

 

[AnimeFunTv]

Alright, after reading more it looks like trying to run Legacy Windows in an NVME is impossible. According to some posts, it looks like the only other way to get windows installed onto an NVME is UNDER OpenCore and it will have use UEFI...

Although I have to ask, I'm reading into RefindPlus... I have yet to see anyone mention installing Legacy Windows onto an NVME using RefindPlus... thoughts?

 

[sfalatko]

So I'm having a hell of a time trying to install Windows 10 on my cMP 5,1.

So I finally got around to flashing my RX580 so I can have a native boot screen, the main reason was I wanted to install Windows 10 along with having OpenCore (Dual OS's). You may ask "Why?!" Short answer, I've been having issues with Windows 10 not booting correctly under OpenCore's UEFI; Sometimes it will boot, and other times it will just stay locked at the windows logo with no progress and I would have to force shutdown by holding the power button. Not Ideal.

To Install Windows 10 outside of OpenCore required me to mod my RX580 so I can get the Apple Boot Picker. That's done and working just fine.

But for some odd reason, my MacPro (or other components) is being absolutely stubborn to install Windows.

First off, Apple Boot Picker can't see the bootable Windows Install USB when it's plugged into the front or back of my Mac for some odd reason. OpenCore can see it but I'm not trying to install it under that... So I created a DVD and now its shows up on the boot picker.

Iinstalling it under legacy/BIOS (2012 and older only work under Legacy, plus even if I select 'EFI' installer it will force load under Legacy) But when I select the disk to install I get a prompt saying that "Windows cannot be installed onto this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu."

I am trying to install it to a Nvme drive via PCIe card. I could only assume that's the issue? FYI I also removed and disconnected every other drive so this NVME is the only drive (other than the DVD) installed.

So I'm baffled, ether its the PCIE/NVME drive or I'm thinking maybe the BootRom? I have no idea.

Windows 10 in legacy mode will not install on NVME. I used an SSD in the optical drive bay for Windows 10.

 

[prefuse07]

delete post

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Isn't there a warning in this forum about NOT installing Windows 10 without Opencore to prevent corrupting the EFI chip?

 

[sfalatko]

Isn't there a warning in this forum about NOT installing Windows 10 without Opencore to prevent corrupting the EFI chip?

If you install Windows in UEFI mode without OC it can corrupt your boot rom. It is fine in Legacy mode but OC cannot see it/support booting Windows in legacy mode.

 

[AnimeFunTv]

Isn't there a warning in this forum about NOT installing Windows 10 without Opencore to prevent corrupting the EFI chip?

Only if you’re attempting to use UEFI Windows outside of opencore, under legacy/Bios it won’t hurt it from what I read.

So just to clarify for myself and for anyone else who is a noob, lol.

legacy/bios windows will not boot or install to anything considered ‘external’. I tried both pcie-card/nvme or pcie-card/sata. I even tried to install onto a sata ssd on the extra cd drive cable, installed and worked fine; then installing that drive onto my pcie to sata card and it wouldn’t boot. Lame.

I also attempted to install MacOS 10.13 High Serra onto the NVME drive to try and use bootcamp; nope. Boot camp won’t/can’t make a windows partition on a ‘external’ drive.

Honestly I was just trying to get legacy/bios windows on the nvme drive for the speed, I just gave up and gonna use a sata SSD on the extra cd drive cable.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Only if you’re attempting to use UEFI Windows outside of opencore, under legacy/Bios it won’t hurt it from what I read.

So just to clarify for myself and for anyone else who is a noob, lol.

legacy/bios windows will not boot or install to anything considered ‘external’. I tried both pcie-card/nvme or pcie-card/sata. I even tried to install onto a sata ssd on the extra cd drive cable, installed and worked fine; then installing that drive onto my pcie to sata card and it wouldn’t boot. Lame.

I also attempted to install MacOS 10.13 High Serra onto the NVME drive to try and use bootcamp; nope. Boot camp won’t/can’t make a windows partition on a ‘external’ drive.

Honestly I was just trying to get legacy/bios windows on the nvme drive for the speed, I just gave up and gonna use a sata SSD on the extra cd drive cable.

Even on a Windows native PC with pre-Haswell CPU, you can't boot Windows from an nVME SSD (natively from BIOS selection) without using Refind Plus to inject nVME driver to the boot-loading process first.