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Win7 x64 booting natively via EFI (no BIOS emulation)

mac-hacks said:
FYI - aka "avkdm" followuing this thread is Rod Smith, developer for reEFIne.
Click to expand...

Actually, I'm Rod Smith, rEFInd's maintainer, not avkdm.

I don't know anything about ESXi or XenServer, so I'm afraid I can't answer the question about whether rEFInd can launch them. If they start via standard EFI boot loaders, then rEFInd should be able to do it. Likewise if they start via conventional BIOS boot loaders. If they launch after an OS kernel has launched, then it's up to the OS configuration to launch them.
 
srs5694 said:
:) Words! :)
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I think you handled that very well. If I had written something I would be QUICK to correct someone who was giving someone else kudos, even if it was a mistake. :)

As for the refind, I do not believe it will be of any use as my boot loader. Grub2 pretty much does everything I need it to do, especially with UUID searching. refind would have helped me TREMENDOUSLY in the beginning. There is a good use for this software as a replacement to refit. Let me thank you so your work doesn't go unnoticed.

I attempted to boot via EFI on a modified Windows 8 Consumer Preview DVD. Basically what I did per a suggestion on here was to replace the install.wim on the Windows 8 ISO with an install.wim file from my Windows 7 enterprise ISO. I tested this at work and it did in fact work in VMware. It did NOT work on my Mac Pro. A funny thing that IS occurring is that the modified ISO actually triggers CSM mode after a few seconds. EFI boot doesn't even work. If you guys want to see a TRUE efi boot, go download ESXi and just boot it off your macs. You will not be disappointed.

Since Windows 8 was released, it appears that people are having REAL success installing this version via EFI. However, there is still a need for Windows 7 to be installed via EFI, especially with Windows 7 Enterprise users, as the time frame for support is 1/13/2015. There are only 3 ways I see Windows 7 installs happening with EFI:

1. You use an alternate hard drive and go the unattended installation route(the road I took)
2. Wait to see if MS fixes the EFI boot issues so you can use the graphical installer interactively.
3. Wait for d3vi1's VGA loading app, or code a VGA driver that the windows installer can use.

1 and 3 are the only feasible options, with 1 being the shortterm solution and 3 being the longterm solution. EFI booting works if the OS supports it. I have installed Fedora, OS X just fine. Windows will fail unless you use an alternate hard drive with an unattended install. It's actually documented from pages 10-12 I believe. I will not quit until an interactive Windows 7 is possible.
 
srs5694 said:
Actually, I'm Rod Smith, rEFInd's maintainer, not avkdm.

I don't know anything about ESXi or XenServer, so I'm afraid I can't answer the question about whether rEFInd can launch them. If they start via standard EFI boot loaders, then rEFInd should be able to do it. Likewise if they start via conventional BIOS boot loaders. If they launch after an OS kernel has launched, then it's up to the OS configuration to launch them.
Click to expand...

Sorry about that, i copy & paste wrong user name by accident ;)

-----------------------------------------------

I made Windows 8 USB Installer, use Windows 7 install.wim. I did not slipstream any drivers. I got error saying "Driver Missing" after install Process finish showing 100%

/dev/disk0 was drive i use. AS you can see from screen shot, EFI was not created. Going to bed, I plan on looking into tomorrow. Any suggestions are welcome.

323Ixyzl
 
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Create the ESP partition. Make the EFI Microsoft directory manually. Create the BCD manually. Use your boot manager to hopefully auto detect the MS boot loader. If not, manually launch it from the EFI shell. "You can do it!" :)

What files are in the other EFI directories?
 
Did you do a EFI boot from the USB?
Click to expand...
yes

N6tgbrhZ


What files are in the other EFI directories?
Click to expand...
Apple EFI Folder

--------------------------------------------

Just wondering if i shoiuld use :

option 1 "rEFIt"
Code: 
sudo mkdir /efi
sudo mount -t msdos /dev/disk0s1 /efi
open /efi
# have the following subdirectories 
    /efi/efi/refit
    /efi/efi/tools
   /efi/efi/Microsoft/Boot/bootx64.efi
sudo bless --mount /efi --setBoot --file /efi/efi/refit/refit.efi --labelfile /efi/efi/refit/refit.vollabel
option 2 "rEFIne".
Code: 
mkdir /Volumes/esp
sudo mount_msdos /dev/disk0s1 /Volumes/esp .
sudo mkdir -p /efi/refind 
sudo cp -r refind/* /efi/refind/ 
sudo rm /efi/refind/refind_ia32.efi 
sudo bless --setBoot --folder /efi/refind --file /efi/refind/refind_x64.efi 

have refine.conf set like this

menuentry "Windows Boot Loader" {
  search --fs-uuid --no-floppy --set=root 4efa-3a56
  chainloader /efi/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi +1
}

or

menuentry "Windows 7" {
	loader \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi

add
Code: 
 \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootx64.efi
to refine/refit folder and does bootx64.efi need to be bless?
 
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FYI
- it boots windows 8 boot.wim and you will need working Windows 7 Serial.

- before installation i use Windows 8 install menu to format drive. You will have 4 partitions. (Recovery, Efi, Reserve, data) It would not install, it errors out before installation even starts

- way i got it to install was deleting all 4 partitions and leaving it UN-formated. i select UN-formatted drive and let installation create partitions.

----------
duffman9000 said:
I say use rEFInd. Good luck!
Click to expand...

thats not going to work

Code: 
$ mkdir /Volumes/esp
root at AirMacPro in ~
$ sudo mount_msdos /dev/disk0s1 /Volumes/esp
mount_msdos: Unsupported sector size (0)
root at AirMacPro in ~
$

Im going to start over create partitions with iPartition before i install and try it again. So partition table looks like this.

http://db.tt/zh17e3oK
 
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mac-hacks said:
thats not going to work

Code: 
$ mkdir /Volumes/esp
root at AirMacPro in ~
$ sudo mount_msdos /dev/disk0s1 /Volumes/esp
mount_msdos: Unsupported sector size (0)
root at AirMacPro in ~
$

Im going to start over create partitions with iPartition before i install and try it again. So partition table looks like this.

http://db.tt/zh17e3oK
Click to expand...

It's unclear if you're saying that your partition table currently looks like that screen shot, or that your goal is to make it look like that. This is important because the error you noted with mount_msdos suggests that either the ESP's FAT filesystem is damaged or the ESP isn't on /dev/disk0s1. (The ESP can be just about anywhere, although it's most commonly on /dev/disk0s1.) If you're certain the ESP is /dev/disk0s1, you could try doing a filesystem check on it. I'm not sure of the exact command from OS X, though (my Mac is powered down at the moment). In most Linux distributions it would be "dosfsck /dev/sda1" (/dev/sda1 being Linux's equivalent to /dev/disk0s1).

Also, on a Mac it's possible to install rEFInd on an OS X boot partition. This makes it a little bit easier to access the rEFInd files from OS X, although it might be harder to do so from other OSes.
 
srs5694 said:
It's unclear if you're saying that your partition table currently looks like that screen shot, or that your goal is to make it look like that. This is important because the error you noted with mount_msdos suggests that either the ESP's FAT filesystem is damaged or the ESP isn't on /dev/disk0s1. s.
Click to expand...

I created partition table as shown from here with 2 different formatting tools with out success. When I use iPartition, partition did not show up from Windows 8 Install Menu. It show as UN-formated Disk. I use diskpart from Windows 8 Repair to create EFI, MSR, Primary
Code: 
C:diskpart
select disk 1
clean
convert gpt 
create partition efi size=200
create partition msr size=128
create partition primary align=1024
exit

REBOOT
and i receive error at beginning of installation.

Looks like only way to even get 1st part of Windows 7 install by using WIndows 8 USB Installer w/ W7 install.wim is using UN-formated disk.

Rod, I need to re-install to UN-formated disk and Ill post filesystem check if i get same error message. After i grab quick bite to eat.
 
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mac-hacks said:
I created partition table as shown from here with 2 different formatting tools with out success. When I use iPartition, partition did not show up from Windows 8 Install Menu. It show as UN-formated Disk. I use diskpart from Windows 8 Repair to create EFI, MSR, Primary
Code: 
C:diskpart
select disk 1
create gpt ? "I think that was CMD I use help to get CMD to format as gpt"
create partition efi size=200
create partition msr size=128
create partition primary align=1024
and i receive error at beginning of installation.

Looks like only way to even get 1st part of Windows 7 install by using WIndows 8 USB Installer w/ W7 install.wim is using UN-formated disk.

Rod, I need to re-install to UN-formated disk and Ill post filesystem check if i get same error message. After i grab quick bite to eat.
Click to expand...

Diskpart> select disk 1
Diskpart> clean
Diskpart> convert gpt

That's the commands thats missing from that. Need to clean then vonvert the hdd before doing anything else . make sure u select the right disk.For some reason the installer doesn't automatically create the efi partition for you. It does, however, create the msr partition. You don't really need to add that line there.

Also, the installer needs to pick up the t disk with the efi partition when it boots, so after running diskpart you need to restart. After that you should have no issues until the reboot.
 
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Windows probably requires its partitions (or at least the ESP and Windows partition) to have filesystems (aka "to be formatted") before it'll recognize them. In fact, I'm 100% certain of this for the ESP. I don't know about iPartition, but I'm pretty sure that the Windows diskpart command does partitioning only; it doesn't create filesystems. It's been years since I've done it this way, but in the Windows 9x/Me era, you'd use the FORMAT command to place a filesystem on a partition. In OS X, I don't know of a way to prepare an NTFS volume, but the newfs_msdos command can create a FAT filesystem, as in "sudo newfs_msdos /dev/disk0s1" to prepare the ESP (assuming it's at /dev/disk0s1).
 
Ok guys. What I did was I created a WinPE 4.0 Image. I BELIEVE that my Macbook is able to EF boot this. I can tell when it goes into CSM mode and I have NO reason to believe that CSM mode is being activated. I am able to get into the winPE 4.0 environment. I have extracted the contents of my win7 DVD onto my Nokia N9 and I can connect it to my laptop via USB Mass storage. I see the contents and I am able to run setup.ext. However, I am unable to install. It seems as if it still thinks it is in BIOS mode. Is there anyway to verify I am in EFI mode?
 
DaGr8Gatzby said:
This won't work. Someone else has already tried this way and unfortunately, I get the same error. Windows STILL believes that it is running on older BIOS hardware. I'm out of ideas.
Click to expand...

Did you try deleting the boot files that are not related to EFI boot? I've been dragging all day and I'm undecided what to do next: try to install Win7, which will probably fail, or install Win8, which I know will work.
 
No. I believe I may have found a solution. I won't know until tonight. I will update this thread tomorrow.
 
Diskpart> select disk 1
Diskpart> clean
Diskpart> convert gpt

That's the commands thats missing from that. Need to clean then vonvert the hdd before doing anything else . make sure u select the right disk.For some reason the installer doesn't automatically create the efi partition for you. It does, however, create the msr partition. You don't really need to add that line there.
Click to expand...


i did clean & yes your right it was convert. I couldn't remember, that's why i added ? w/ "...''s

I did reboot and partition table was /dev/disk0 & look like this except disk # wasn't "1"
 
I did this manually. The Windows 7 installer still will not allow me to install onto the GPT drive. I will test some more tonight.
 
Code: 
C:diskpart
select disk 1
clean
convert gpt 
create partition efi size=200
create partition msr size=128
create partition primary align=1024
exit

REBOOT

I forgot about one more thing to add to that:

after create partition efi size=200
format fs=fat32 quick

that part is actually pretty important, or else the installer can't write to the filesystem, and it doesn't create or format it. the msr partition isn't as important. when you create your windows partition in empty space the msr partition will automatically get created. it's the efi partition that's a doozie, it already needs to be there and formatted at boot time or else you'll have problems during the installation. Hope this helps.

----------

example:

Code: 
This is what mine looked like when i did it:

x:\sources\> diskpart
diskpart
version bla bla bla loading

diskpart> list disk
bla bla bla - the hdd that i was installing to was disk 0. may or may not be the same for you so always good to check. change 0 to whatever disk you're installing to.

diskpart> sel disk 0
diskpart> clean
diskpart> convert gpt
diskpart> crea part pri size=200

     #you can actually abbreviate down to 3 letters in diskpart

diskpart> format fs=fat32 quick label=efi

     #i labeled the drive efi for convenience, it's not necessary though


reboot

from here you should just be able to go ahead with the installer. create the partition in the wizard by clicking on the empty space, hitting advanced, and hitting new. you'll get the message "windows will create extra partitions for bla bla bla" and just hit ok and proceed with installation. You shouldn't have any errors at this point at the end regarding bcd. you'll just have the graphics thing to deal with when your computer reboots after the install... (maybe, tell me how it goes)
 
by default Windows 8 creates EFI using Fat32, correct? I'll confirm format next time around.

After comparing Windows 7.iso to Windows 8.iso

You notice from screen shot 1,iwhich is windows 7.iso. There no "boot" folder in /EFI/ like Windows8 ScreenShot 2 & 3

ScreenShot 1
zLBPzOvf


ScreenShot 2
http://db.tt/Qp4V946Y
ScreenShot 3
http://db.tt/yATb9eu8

Has anybody try adding
Code: 
[B]/efi/boot/boot64.efi[/B]
/efi/microsoft/boot/
to windows7.iso or W7 USB installer?
 
Quick question guys. Before I go home and spend the rest of my night trying to get this to work, are you guys trying to get a dedicated Windows install working or are you trying to dual boot OS X and Windows?
 
DaGr8Gatzby said:
Quick question guys. Before I go home and spend the rest of my night trying to get this to work, are you guys trying to get a dedicated Windows install working or are you trying to dual boot OS X and Windows?
Click to expand...

im trying to get windows 7 UEFI install using USB for MacBook Pro. On dedicated SSD in optical Bay.

Im testing with Mac Pro.
 
Ok I have that currently setup on my Mac Pro. I have a Macbook Pro I can test with tonight. I do all my testing on this laptop since I have an SSD. Quick results. I'll update this thread with my findings. Fortunately, I want to migrate all my OSes onto one drive on my mac pro. So I'll have similar hardware to test.
 
DaGr8Gatzby said:
Quick question guys. Before I go home and spend the rest of my night trying to get this to work, are you guys trying to get a dedicated Windows install working or are you trying to dual boot OS X and Windows?
Click to expand...

I'm dual booting OS X and Win8. I had a difficult time installing this time, but I just finished and updated my drivers. I finally got the trackpad to work correctly, but now I have to turn off the keyboard backlighting. The function keys still don't work.

I also ran a short CrystalDiskMark test run. It's not too far off from expected values and much, much better than what is seen when not using AHCI.
 
duffman9000 said:
I'm dual booting OS X and Win8. I had a difficult time installing this time, but I just finished and updated my drivers. I finally got the trackpad to work correctly, but now I have to turn off the keyboard backlighting. The function keys still don't work.

I also ran a short CrystalDiskMark test run. It's not too far off from expected values and much, much better than what is seen when not using AHCI.
Click to expand...

Microsoft Display driver? Can you install an Nvidia driver?
 
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