Interesting booting issue

theog · 16 Aug 2011

This will be the norm as more OEM manufacturer's start using EFI BIOS.

IMO, I would leave EFI BIOS partition alone.

If you would like to see what you can do in the EFI BIOS, have a look at video I linked to in post 26.

gregrocker · 16 Aug 2011

Win7 is on a GPT disk. Read more about that here: Convert GPT Disk to MBR Disk

lymecore · 16 Aug 2011

Yeah maybe it's normal... but on a previous installation I was able to boot from my Hard Drive. I don't like changes! Either way, I'm starting to give up... I mean, if a complete and proper re-install couldn't solve this, then what can?

Thank you for helping me still.

Bare Foot Kid · 16 Aug 2011

Hello again.

If you really wanted to experiment you could over-write the boot order of the HDD and use diskpart to create a single Primary partition to do another clean install to see if that clears it up.

Note

If that doesn't work, after another clean, use diskpart to create, format and mark Active a single 100GB partition to see if that works, use Step Two #2 in the SSD/HDD tutorial for reference.

SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

gregrocker · 16 Aug 2011

This is a question I would ask Asus. Normally I would convert GPT to MBR disk, wipe the HD and reinstall expecting to get the Win7 100mb System Reserved partition per usual.

However there may be a setting in the BIOS governing this and that should be known for sure ahead.

You can also unplug DISK0 for now, plug its cable into Disk1 then do a test install to a partition you have created by shrinking D. Partition or Volume - Shrink

You have plenty of space to test it there. You will not get the 100mb Sys Reserved partition but you'll know for sure if you can boot an MBR disk from BIOS, and if so you can replug Disk0, convert, wipe it and safely install just as you have successfully tested on DISK1.

lymecore · 16 Aug 2011

To sum it up then, these are my last questions: What do you think, why is there a Windows Boot Manager BIOS option and why am I not able to boot from Windows' disk?

theog · 16 Aug 2011

As the ASUS P8P67 has a EFI BIOS.
Extensible Firmware Interface - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Information

Disk device compatibility

In addition to the standard PC disk partition scheme, which uses a master boot record (MBR), EFI works with a new partitioning scheme: GUID Partition Table (GPT). GPT does not suffer from many of the limitations of DOS MBR. In particular, the DOS MBR limits on the number and size of disk partitions (up to 4 partitions per disk, up to 2.2 TB (2.2 × 1012 bytes) per disk) are relaxed. GPT allows for a maximum disk and partition size of 9.4 ZB (9.4 × 1021 bytes). The EFI specification does not prescribe any particular file system. The only Microsoft Windows versions that can boot from disks larger than 2.2 TB, are 64-bit Windows Vista/7, Windows Server 2008 and later, as well as the Itanium versions of Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP.

Asus EFI BIOS video

Scenarious · 16 Aug 2011

Have you read through the BIOS settings in your mobo's manual? They are usually pretty detailed and informative. Anything you don't understand, make a note of it and look it up online later. You may even want to look at the online manual in case it has been updated. With every new board I go step by step through every one of my BIOS settings using the manual. I've worked on plenty of different motherboards and know most BIOS settings but I seem to learn something new every time. You may want to check the motherboard manufacturers forums too, maybe others have had a simmilar issue with that motherboard.

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Motherboards- ASUS P8P67

It's always best to get the BIOS set up before installing the OS. Unless you know what you are changing and why, it's not wise to go changing BIOS settings after the OS is installed.

Now, about your EFI BIOS -
The new ASUS EFI BIOS is an Extensible Firmware Interface that complies with uEFI architecture, offering a user-friendly interface that goes beyond traditional keyboard-only BIOS controls to enable more flexible and convenient mouse input. Users can easily navigate the new EFI BIOS with the same smoothness as their operating system. The term "BIOS" in this user manual refers to "EFI BIOS" unless otherwise specified.

So, you can use a USB mouse instead of using the keyboard when setting up your BIOS.

I did not see anything about a "Windows Boot Manager" option in the manual for your BIOS.

Good Luck

gregrocker · 16 Aug 2011

What listings do you have in msconfig>Boot tab, or on EasyBCD 2.0 (still a free version) listings page when you install it to Win7?

If a Windows 7 Boot Manager still shows up without any OS's listed then using Diskpart to clean the boot sector is next: Clean and Clean All with Diskpart Command. This will wipe the HD.

But I would run the test install Barefoot and I proposed just above first to know for sure an MBR HD will boot as normal with that BIOS.

lymecore · 17 Aug 2011

msconfig only shows my Windows 7 installed.

I really do not want to reinstall Windows again... I am pretty sure that before this installation I wiped the whole disk. My setup should be fully GPT compatible. Also, when I selected the destination drive for the W7 install, it didn't let me choose my 1TB HDD, which is MBR. It seems the mobo wants a GPT disk.