How do I install windows 7 with EFI option?

Am I missing something here? The machine in question has a 2TB disk, so I will just install it with normal mode, but what happens when we start using 3TB disks? Apparently I have to use EFI mode for >2TB system disk. When I do that with this machine, Windows 7 setup says "This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk, ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in computer's Bios menu". The motherboard is a Gigabyte Z68AP-D3, which says "hybrid EFI" on the splash screen. Am I correct in thinking Gigabyte or Microsoft haven't got it working properly yet?

I keep seeing this UEFI mentioned. But most boards I encounter only say EFI, without the U. Is this a failed first attempt that simply won't work?

So does my board have an outdated EFI or a new version? There is no U mentioned in the BIOS settings. It's a brand new board.

Brink said:

It's basically Gigabyte's current implementation of UEFI. You can read more about it from the links at the link below to help get a better idea about it.

Let me google that for you

There's no need to be rude, I have already googled ad nauseum, that's why I'm asking in here.

Brink said:

Reading more about that motherboard from other site reviews, it claims to support 3 TB HDDs.

In addition, the link below may be able to help with the error message you are getting. You could check to make sure that you have AHCI (SATA) enabled in the BIOS and to disconnect all HDDs other than the 2 TB HDD that you are installing Windows 7 to.

Error message when you try to install Windows Vista on a computer that has uninitialized hard disks: "This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk"

AHCI is enabled, I always do.

There is only the one hard disk in there. Just a 2TB hard disk on the first SATA 3 port, and a DVDRW on the first SATA 2 port.

This though.... "Create one or more partitions on all the hard disks that are not initialized." - would that help? How? Windows setup is telling me that the BIOS does not support booting to that drive.

It's said that all of human knowledge is available via Google if you only know how to ask the question. Helping users Google is one of the best ways we can help here. Shawn Brink is one of the most respected leaders in the tech field and would never be rude to anyone.

We are bracing for a wave of EFI BIOS which will cause many of the install and Repair methods pioneered by these Forums to be retooled. So we are in full google mode ourselves here.

Is there an EFI Boot disk listing in your BIOS Boot Order? This would mean you can install Win7 to a GPT disk to use unlimited primary partitions. However if neither is your aim then knowing your board supports 3tb HD's means you're good to go.

gregrocker said:

We are bracing for a wave of EFI BIOS

It seems to have been around for ages, but I suppose nobody has needed to use it yet.

gregrocker said:

Is there an EFI Boot disk listing in your BIOS Boot Order? This would mean you can install Win7 to a GPT disk to use unlimited primary partitions. However if neither is your aim then knowing your board supports 3tb HD's means you're good to go.

No, the only things in the BIOS boot disk listing are the usual stuff: "Hard Disk", "CDROM", "USB-xxx", "Legacy LAN", etc.

Windows setup saw the disk as usual, but just refused to install to it. It's not like when there are no drivers for the controller and the disk doesn't even show up.

It's ok for this machine, as with a 2TB HDD I can do without EFI, but when someday I set up a 3TB machine, there will be a problem. I wanted to know what I was doing wrong.

Brink said:

Sorry, but not sure how you took that as being rude. It was just to help answer your question and provide some more information about Gigabyte Hybrid EFI from a variety of sources. Mostly just for a FYI.

That's ok, it's just that lmgtfy.com is normally used by people as an insult to mean you could have googled it instead of bothering me with something blatantly obvious to the rest of us I'd have just linked directly to the google search :-P Maybe I go on forums with too many trolls sometimes.