Confirm the SATA controller is set to AHCI, and that you followed all other steps in Clean Reinstall Windows 7.
Do you feel confident in doing the BIOS update from Windows following closely the steps in the instructions which accompany the Download or are contained in it's ReadMe file?
The SATA controller is indeed set to AHCI and I followed all the other steps of the clean reinstall tutorial.
Do I have to find another BIOS update since the one from the Gateway website is for Ivy Bridge and I have Sandy Bridge?
No, not unless the update matches your specs.
Place the Win7 DVD in the drive and reboot the PC, tap the key shown on first screen for one-time BIOS Boot menu which is normally F10 on Gateway. Do you see a UEFI DVD drive choice?
If not reboot into BIOS setup, see if UEFI DVD choice shows up there then move it to top of the list, save changes and exit. If not then move the EFI Device choice to top and save changes. Reboot to see if DVD will boot.
If so then I'd back up the OS drive data and image, then wipe it with Diskpart Clean Command
while doing a Clean Reinstall Windows 7 from the UEFI DVD choice at boot.
Hi!
I do have an option "UEFI DVD drive" in the one-time BIOS Boot menu but it fails when I try to boot from the DVD.
Nevertheless, in the BIOS setup, the DVD drive (E) does not indicate UEFI, but when I switch it for the "UEFI Windows Boot Manager" and then reboot, I can boot from the DVD with no problems.
Also, I don't have any device called EFI in the boot manager.
Is there a setting for Secure Boot in BIOS setup, normally on Security tab? If so disable it.
Look elsewhere for CSM, Legacy BIOS and any other UEFI or EFI settings to report back all choices available for each.
If it will boot as a UEFI DVD but not complete install then the problem is with a BIOS setting or the DVD, and the DVD just installed in Legacy mode, correct?
I would also study each of those Intel choices in BIOS so I know exactly what they do and whether they can be disabled long enough to see if they are causing the problem. Start with the Manual downloaded on the PC model's Support Downloads webpage, if necessary google each to read enough about each to know what it does and if it can be disabled.
The DVD just indeed installed in Legacy mode. As I said, it won't let me boot from the DVD in the one-time boot menu as it appear as something like "UEFI DVD drive E".
In order to boot from the Windows DVD, I have to enter the BIOS setup by pressing "Delete" and then set the DVD at the first place.
There is no other settings really. I still have the same BIOS version as before. I will check those Intel features to see if I can disable some of them.
Hi!
Sorry for the late reply. I'm very busy these days.
Anyhow, I read about the Intel features but they are all very useful... I could probably disable the Intel AES-NI feature but I'm not sure if it could cause a security issue. According to Intel, it accelerates the encryption of data and it gives your IT environment faster, more affordable data protection and greater security, making pervasive encryption feasible in areas where previously it was not.
Seems to me that a regular Windows user dosen't really need this feature to be enabled... Could this be related to my problem?
Well... I don't know what to do anymore. I can't find any other BIOS updates for my Gateway FX6860... I still have the same problem and I have to restart my computer at least one time before I can boot up correctly. It's very annoying >.<
Let a see a screenshot of Disk Mgmt
What happens when you set Windows Boot Manager first in BIOS then trigger UEFI DVD with boot key?
What happens when you try a fresh ISO and DVD burned with ImgBurn at 4x speed, then flash stick formatted with Option One of UEFI Bootable USB Flash Drive - Create in Windows
What happens if you disable the Intel features only as a test?
When I choose the (DVD E: ) using the F12 boot menu, it starts just fine. I tried it with the Kaspersky Rescue Disk and it works fine.
It also works with the fresh ISO burned on a DVD using ImgBurn (4x speed) + with the flash stick formatted with option one of UEFI bootable USB flash drive.
I will disable the Intel features and I will try to boot several times at different intervals.
Quote