Windows 7 EFI install hangs on "Starting Windows" screen

I want to do a clean install of 64-bit Windows 7 Pro on the Intel R1304WTTGSR server (S2600W motherboard). The specs for this server say Windows 7 EFI is compatible and has been tested with this server. The server does not come with any O/S installed.

The firmware ("BIOS") is set to boot using EFI. AFAIK, this means it cannot boot using BIOS ("Legacy") mode.

When I boot the Windows installation disk (latest version of Windows 7 x64 ISO from Microsoft web site), using EFI, the screen shows first "Loading files", then "Starting WIndows". At this point:

- With nothing connected to the network ports (LAN), the system hangs. By "hangs" I mean nothing changing on the screen, no DVD or disk activity, no response to mouse or keyboard, and no response when front panel power button is pushed.

- With a CAT-5 (Ethernet) cable connected between network ports 1 and 2, the system proceeds with some animation of the Windows flag (fading and brightening), but other than this, the system hangs as above. The reason for connecting the network ports is that someone posted that there is a bug in the Windows 7 install disk network drivers, that they hang when nothing is connected.

In either case, waits of several hours does not matter--the system is frozen.

The system has the latest BIOS (version SE5C610.86B.01.01.0016). The server did not come with any software.

I have seen some suggestions that this kind of hang is due to missing or incompatible drivers, but I don't know how to load them on a system with no O/S.

The EFI boot procedure I am using is to select the UEFI boot from the BIOS, or use the EFI shell (part of the firmware) to start BOOTX64.EFI on the Windows 7 installation disk.

Any suggestions on how I can do this installation? I have tried different disk, different Windows 7 installation DVD. Memory dx shows no errors, resetting BIOS to factory defaults doesn't help.

Are you using win 7 with sp1 or it wont work some other ides may help see https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/...ased-computer/

@samuria:
Yes, the Win 7 ISO has SP1.

I have read the instructions on the Technet link you gave, and I have done everything listed there, up to the point where the install hangs at step 5 ("Follow prompts to install Windows 7 just like any other install").

What kind of disk you are trying to install to (HDD, SSD, M.2 SATA express)?
Did you load the SATA drives at the beginning of install?
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/dow...r-for-Windows-

@Megahertz07:
Attempting to install to the HDD (in this case, Seagate 8TB). There is no SSD in the system.

Install fails the same way when I tried installing to a Seagate 3TB drive.

I don't know what you mean by "Load the SATA drives at the beginning of the install". Since the installation is on a new system, there is no O/S on it. The drivers for SATA drives are in the EFI section of the firmware (BIOS), and also on the Windows installation medium (CD-ROM).

@Megahertz07:
>New motherboards has chip sets (yours is C612) that requires new SATA drives that aren't on the DVD. >Never heard that BIOS has this drives files. BIOS normally only have settings.

The point you make about drivers sounds like the right approach. BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) does indeed have disk drivers (in firmware). Otherwise it could not load an O/S from disk. In fact, the Intel firmware, typical of modern computers, supports UEFI, which means it recognizes the FAT32 file system during the boot process.

>Go to https://downloadcenter.intel.com/dow...r-for-Windows-, download the file, extract the drives >under Drivers\x64\Win7_2K8\AHCI (all 12 files) and place on a USB flash drive.

>When you boot from Win7 installation DVD or USB, choose Custom install

Here's the problem. The system never gets to this point. The "flag" screen is displayed and the system hangs. So there's no way to load the drivers.

From what I have read on the Internet, there is some way to add the drivers to a Windows 7 installer on USB. I have been unsuccessful in creating an EFI-bootable USB containing Windows 7 installer.

Read my tutorial
Create a Windows 7 USB flash installation with new drives for new MB's

I read your tutorial, and I didn't see anything about making the resulting USB EFI-bootable.

Two suggestions for improvement:

1) The figures don't show on the sevenforums web site, though they are in the .PDF version

2) In English, "drive" means a hard disk (HDD), and "driver" means a piece of software that controls a device. They are not synonymous. So, you load drivers, not drives. I found your directions confusing until I realized this.

Server64 said:

I read your tutorial, and I didn't see anything about making the resulting USB EFI-bootable.

- It is there: Make a USB drive (4G minimum) bootable using Windows7-USB-DVD- Installer or Rufus with the Windows 7 installation disk or iso file.

Two suggestions for improvement:

1) The figures don't show on the sevenforums web site, though they are in the .PDF version

- Sevenforums only show figures to those that has logged in. Next time log in so you can see the figures.

2) In English, "drive" means a hard disk (HDD), and "driver" means a piece of software that controls a device. They are not synonymous. So, you load drivers, not drives. I found your directions confusing until I realized this.

- I apologize for my terrible English. As you may have seen, my natural language isn't English. I tried to do my best. I'll correct my post so people don't get confused.

Megahertz