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Booting Windows 7 From an M.2 (Samsung 950 Pro) on a Mini-ITX Motherboard

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If you have successfully built a mini-ITX computer that

uses Windows 7 and

boots from a Samsung 950 Pro M.2 SSD (that contains the Windows 7 OS),

then let's talk.

 

An email to Asus asked:

    "Is there a problem with using the ASUS Z170I Pro Gaming motherboard
    when the boot drive is a
    Samsung 950 Pro M.2 512 GB SSD (MZ-V5P512BW)
    that will contain the 64 bit version of Windows 7
    loaded onto the M.2 drive"

 

To which Asus replied:

    "In order to boot Windows 7 from NVMe SSD, your system must support loading UEFI drivers when the Compatibility Support Module is enabled. My recommendation in order to get your M.2 device as a boot drive is to use Windows 8.1 or 10"

 

Surely this arrangement - with at least one manufacturer's miniITX motherboard - has been accomplished successfully - right?

 

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2 minutes ago, LikeDaddy said:

If you have successfully built a mini-ITX computer that

uses Windows 7 and

boots from a Samsung 950 Pro M.2 SSD (that contains the Windows 7 OS),

then let's talk.

 

An email to Asus asked:

    "Is there a problem with using the ASUS Z170I Pro Gaming motherboard
    when the boot drive is a
    Samsung 950 Pro M.2 512 GB SSD (MZ-V5P512BW)
    that will contain the 64 bit version of Windows 7
    loaded onto the M.2 drive"

 

To which Asus replied:

    "In order to boot Windows 7 from NVMe SSD, your system must support loading UEFI drivers when the Compatibility Support Module is enabled. My recommendation in order to get your M.2 device as a boot drive is to use Windows 8.1 or 10"

 

Surely this arrangement - with at least one manufacturer's miniITX motherboard - has been accomplished successfully - right?

 

its a driver thing when it comes to m.2 and windows 7 i think. theres some guides, i think you need to put the ssd drivers onto your bootable usb. any reason youre sticking with windows 7 on a system using m.2 drive?

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53 minutes ago, LikeDaddy said:

If you have successfully built a mini-ITX computer that

uses Windows 7 and

boots from a Samsung 950 Pro M.2 SSD (that contains the Windows 7 OS),

then let's talk.

 

An email to Asus asked:

    "Is there a problem with using the ASUS Z170I Pro Gaming motherboard
    when the boot drive is a
    Samsung 950 Pro M.2 512 GB SSD (MZ-V5P512BW)
    that will contain the 64 bit version of Windows 7
    loaded onto the M.2 drive"

 

To which Asus replied:

    "In order to boot Windows 7 from NVMe SSD, your system must support loading UEFI drivers when the Compatibility Support Module is enabled. My recommendation in order to get your M.2 device as a boot drive is to use Windows 8.1 or 10"

 

Surely this arrangement - with at least one manufacturer's miniITX motherboard - has been accomplished successfully - right?

 

 

Not sure why you limited you audience to folks with mini-ITX.  Form factor has nothing to do with your issue.  With that said, I have not "successfully built a mini-ITX computer that uses Windows 7 and boots from a Samsung 950 Pro M.2 SSD (that contains the Windows 7 OS)" so I can't help you.  :P

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Posted (edited)
  • Author

done12many2,

Your point is well taken - thank you.

 

Let' make it "... successfully built an i7-6700K-based computer that uses Windows 7 and boots from a Samsung 950 Pro M.2 SSD (that contains the Windows 7 OS) "

 

Edited by LikeDaddy
Already Purchased (i7-6700K, Samsung Pro 950)
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2 minutes ago, LikeDaddy said:

done12many2,

Your point is well taken - thank you.

 

Let' make it "... successfully built a Z170-based computer that uses Windows 7 and boots from a Samsung 950 Pro M.2 SSD (that contains the Windows 7 OS) "

Is there a reason you don't want to upgrade to Windows 10? 

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Posted
24 minutes ago, LikeDaddy said:

done12many2,

Your point is well taken - thank you.

 

Let' make it "... successfully built a Z170-based computer that uses Windows 7 and boots from a Samsung 950 Pro M.2 SSD (that contains the Windows 7 OS) "

 

Okay, so the issue your experiencing isn't exclusive to Z170 either so we should be able to get you up and running.  It's a matter of getting your Compatibility Mode set up right so the the Windows installer can detect the 950 Pro.  I'll grab some screen shots for you to try to simplify it as much as possible.

 

20 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

Is there a reason you don't want to upgrade to Windows 10? 

 

I run 2 x Windows 10 Pro, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 Ultimate all of which are the 64-bit variant.   My daily OS is Windows 10 Pro.

 

Disregard as I just realized that you were talking to OP.  I get confused.  A lot!  :D 

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  • Author

The motherboard is ASUS Z170I PRO GAMING, but

a different mini-ITX board can be purchased if necessary.

 

Regarding " I'll grab some screen shots for you to try to simplify it as much as possible."

 

Thank you!

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48 minutes ago, LikeDaddy said:

The motherboard is ASUS Z170I PRO GAMING, but

a different mini-ITX board can be purchased if necessary.

 

Regarding " I'll grab some screen shots for you to try to simplify it as much as possible."

 

Thank you!

 

Okay bud, each system is just a little different, but Compatibility Support Module (CSM) is the issue that's common between them all when trying to install Windows 7 on a system with a motherboard that support UEFI.

 

The first image is a shot from your BIOS and the rest are from my Asus x99 BIOS, but they should be very similar, if not exactly the same in the areas we're concerned about.  I cant find enough shots of your BIOS alone, hence the switching.

 

First things first, make sure you disconnect any additional SSDs or HDDs.  The only thing you want installed is the 950 Pro M.2 that you are trying to install Windows 7 on. 

 

 

 

Go into "CSM" shown here.

 

Capture.PNG

 

 

 

Set the following per this screenshot:

 

160725222422.jpg

 

 

 

Once that's done, return to the main Boot Menu and just below CSM, you should see "Boot\Secure Boot".  Go into Secure Boot and switch "OS Type" to other OS.  

 

160725222519.jpg

 

 

 

Lastly and a step that I'm not sure is necessary, delete your Secure Boot Keys under "Boot\Secure Boot\Key Management".

 

160725222546.jpg

 

 

 

Insert your Windows 7 installer USB drive.  Hit "F10" to save settings and reboot.  Upon reboot, return immediately to BIOS and go to the "Boot" tab.

 

Scroll all the way down to "Boot Override" and you should see your the USB device with the Windows 7 installer on it.  There may be two versions of it.  Select the non-UEFI version.  Again.  Do not select the one that has UEFI in the title.

 

Windows 7 should now detect your 950 Pro and install.  More than likely you will not need to install an additional driver for the 950 Pro once you get to the point within the Windows installation.

 

Hope this help and good luck.

 

 

 

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  • Author

Incidentally, my Windows 7 Professional is on DVD that came in the retail box.

 

1. Can the optical drive be connected to follow your steps?

2. If not, what's the best way to get Windows 7 Pro from the DVD to USB?

3. If USB is needed, can a USB3 be used or is USB2 needed?

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3 minutes ago, LikeDaddy said:

Incidentally, my Windows 7 Professional is on DVD that came in the retail box.

 

1. Can the optical drive be connected to follow your steps?

2. If not, what is the best way to get Windows 7 Pro from the DV to USB?

3. If USB is needed, can a USB3 be used or is USB2 needed?

 

You can do it from the DVD or you can use the tool located here to move your installer to a USB device.  It's much easier to use USB.

 

**that link loads slowly**

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  • Author

The referenced tool states as the first step:

 

"To create a bootable DVD or USB flash drive, download the ISO file ..."

Is the Windows 7 Pro ISO file on my retail DVD, or somewhere else?

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5 minutes ago, LikeDaddy said:

The referenced tool states as the first step:

 

"To create a bootable DVD or USB flash drive, download the ISO file ..."

Is the Windows 7 Pro ISO file on my retail DVD, or somewhere else?

 

You can create your own ISO file from your retail DVD.  Search "how to create and ISO".

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Is the following link really Microsoft?

http://www.microsofthup.com/hupus/home.aspx

 

The link above was found by performing the search you suggested which produced; among others, the following web page:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/how-do-i-get-a-iso-of-windows-7-professional/ee20fd97-2b92-4551-a000-6b96daea9cfd?auth=1

 

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26 minutes ago, LikeDaddy said:

Is the following link really Microsoft?

http://www.microsofthup.com/hupus/home.aspx

 

The link above was found by performing the search you suggested which produced; among others, the following web page:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/how-do-i-get-a-iso-of-windows-7-professional/ee20fd97-2b92-4551-a000-6b96daea9cfd?auth=1

 

 

Yes, the Home Use Program from Microsoft is a legitimate program, but I think it's a bit off topic.  If the ISO/USB thing is getting confusing, just install it from your DVD.

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done12many2,

 

A USB drive with the Windows 7 Pro ISO image has now been made here.

 

The Asus Youtube channel suggests updating the motherboard's BIOS/UEFI as the first step in this new-build process, but the Youtube video appears to assume that this Windows 7/M.2 matter is not an issue.  Which step is best to do first in this particular case?

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18 hours ago, LikeDaddy said:

done12many2,

 

A USB drive with the Windows 7 Pro ISO image has now been made here.

 

The Asus Youtube channel suggests updating the motherboard's BIOS/UEFI as the first step in this new-build process, but the Youtube video appears to assume that this Windows 7/M.2 matter is not an issue.  Which step is best to do first in this particular case?

 

Give it a spin with your current BIOS.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
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done12many2,

After installing the Samsung Pro 950 M.2 drive, it appeared in the UEFI.

Upon observing the CSM settings, they were already set as instructed.

 

However, after inserting the USB containing the Windows 7 Pro (with SP1) ISO file, and then selecting the non-UEFI version of the USB that appeared in the UEFI, using F10 did not save the selection.  Subsequent attempts to change boot option priority settings also resulted in a: 

"You have not made any changes to the BIOS settings."

message, regardless of whether or not F10 or mouse clicks were used to save and exit.

The boot option priority settings are indeed changed, but the change does not persist.

All other UEFI settings that were changed were indeed sucessfully changed, yet the no-changes-made message still appears when F10 or save and exit selections are made.

(BIOS version 1809 is being used).

 

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Earlier it was stated:

" A USB drive with the Windows 7 Pro ISO image has now been made here."

 

The Windows 7 Pro (with SP1) ISO image was simply copied to the USB.

Is this the problem - and if it is the problem - what is the correct way to put the ISO onto the USB?

 

*** [UPDATE: Rufus was used to make a proper bootable USB drive. ] ***

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11 hours ago, LikeDaddy said:

Earlier it was stated:

" A USB drive with the Windows 7 Pro ISO image has now been made here."

 

The Windows 7 Pro (with SP1) ISO image was simply copied to the USB.

Is this the problem - and if it is the problem - what is the correct way to put the ISO onto the USB?

 

*** [UPDATE: Rufus was used to make a proper bootable USB drive. ] ***

 

Sorry about the delay and yes, the fact that you just put the ISO onto the USB is the problem.  You'll need a Window USB installer creation tool suck as Rufus to set the USB up correctly.

 

Once that's done, you can either hit F8 while booting to choose the non UEFI version of that USB flash drive or go into BIOS and scroll down to "Boot Override".  Within "Boot Override" select the non UEFI version of the USB flash drive and it will go straight into loading the Windows installer. 

160813091500.jpg

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Now it recognizes Windows on the USB, but ceases Windows installation because no device drivers are found.

Can the device drivers simply be copied to the same USB (presuming that the device drivers can be downloaded from the Asus website)?

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10 minutes ago, LikeDaddy said:

Now it recognizes Windows on the USB, but ceases Windows installation because no device drivers are found.

Can the device drivers simply be copied to the same USB (presuming that the device drivers can be downloaded from the Asus website)?

Yes they can.  Just create a folder on the root directory of the same USB and put the controller drivers in there.  When it doesn't detect the drive, manually install the controller driver by "browsing" for that folder. 

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The drivers have been placed in a new folder on the USB, but the driver folder does not appear when browsing.

The "hide files" option is not activated.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
  • Author

The NVMe-based M.2 drive was abandoned in favor of a Samsung 850 Pro SSD. 

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