Installing Win 7 Pro on New SSD - AHCI, Dual Boot and Other Questions

[MTL777]

I'm going to install Win7 Pro 64 Bit on a new SSD which I'll mount on a machine that is currently on Win XP. My machine has an old AMD Phenom CPU with Asrock M3A790GXH/128M motherboard. I am using AHCI mode/driver for my old SSD and I plan to continue using AHCI for my new SSD. I am also using PhenomMsrTweaker to automatically ramp up the CPU speed when the CPU load is high, and ramp it down when the load is low. These are my questions:

1. Does the Win 7 Pro installation automatically install the correct AHCI driver (does it already have the correct driver for my motherboard) or do I need to download the AHCI driver and make it available during installation?

2. I want to have a dual boot system where one boot partition is for my audio recording/production apps while another boot partition is for my business and other apps. I want to have a menu to select one or the other as the partition to boot when I start up my machine. Could you please suggest some ways that I can implement this?

3. Can I use the same license key to install Win 7 Pro 64 Bit on these two boot partitions? If so, how do I go about registering my license with Microsoft? Do I need to register it twice?

4. Is there a PhenomMsrTweaker version that is compatible and works with Win 7 Pro 64 Bit that I can download? A download link would be much appreciated.

5. I have the onboard sound disabled for my motherboard as I'm going to use a special sound card (RME Hammerfall HDSP 9632 on PCI slot) for my system. Is it a good idea to disconnect the RME sound card first during Win 7 installation and connect it later after Win 7 installs? I'm worried that the Win 7 installation might not have the correct driver for my sound card, so installing the sound card later with the correct driver from RME might be a good idea. Do you think so?

6. What other possible drivers do I need to have on hand that the Win 7 install might not have the correct drivers for? I would like to be prepared and have these drivers ready should they be needed during Win 7 installation. Note, I am only going to use the onboard video/graphics and the sound card is the only non-standard thing in my system.

7. Considering my hardware and system and the things I am aiming to achieve, are there any things to watch out for that might cause the install to fail or not be completely successful?

Much thanks in advance for your most appreciated help!

 

[samuria]

I assume your going to put the new drive in the xp pc then install 7? the first job is to goto the MB makers site and see if it has drivers for 7 if its old you may not be able to get any drivers and if your using 64bit the drivers must be signed or they wont work

 

[MTL777]

I assume your going to put the new drive in the xp pc then install 7? the first job is to goto the MB makers site and see if it has drivers for 7 if its old you may not be able to get any drivers and if your using 64bit the drivers must be signed or they wont work

Yes, the old Win XP drive will be set aside and be replaced with the new drive.

Oh my, I can't find my motherboard anymore on the manufacturer's download page. Where can I possibly find the drivers that I need? I have sent a message to Asrock support and hope they will reply.

What exactly are signed drivers and why the requirement to have signed drivers when installing 64 bit?

Thank you so much!

UPDATE:

Sorry, after a little more digging, I found the drivers here:

ASRock > M3A790GXH/128M

But why are there so many drivers? Do I need all of them? Isn't the All-In-One driver enough?

 

[samuria]

MS set a code in place for 64 bit the drivers must be tested by MS to ensure they dontcrash the system they are then signed without that they wont load.



You should download lan driver you may not need any but if you have the lan you can get on the net and download the others if needed

 

[MTL777]

MS set a code in place for 64 bit the drivers must be tested by MS to ensure they dontcrash the system they are then signed without that they wont load.



You should download lan driver you may not need any but if you have the lan you can get on the net and download the others if needed

These are the Win 7 64-Bit drivers available for download:

AMD all in 1 driver ver:8.631_W7_logo
Realtek high definition audio driver ver:R2.31
Lan driver ver:7005
AppCharger ver:1.0.4
SATA RAID Driver (For system to read from floppy diskette during Windows installation)
VGA driver ver:8.631
AMD OverDrive ver:3.0.2
IES ver:2.0.78
Instant Boot ver:1.23
OC DNA ver:1.5
OC Tuner ver:2.3.82
ASRock XFast LAN utility ver:6.61
ASRock XFast RAM utility ver:2.0.28
ASRock XFast USB utility ver:3.02.28

It seems that some of these, like the XFast LAN/RAM/USB utilities, are not really drivers and can be skipped, but that's just my suspicion. How do I know which ones are needed? Will the Win 7 install ask for the driver it needs that it doesn't have available? For example, will the Win 7 install ask for LAN driver or VGA driver if it doesn't have these drivers for my motherboard or will it install a generic driver instead?

 

[samuria]

You only need the LAN driver chances are windows will have all the right drivers but if you need to get any with LAN driver you can get on the net to get them. What sata does the board support being old it may only be sata 2 so it would reduce the performance of a ssd which are sata 3

 

[Megahertz07]

As it's an old computer you probably don't have more than 4G of memory.
Only install win 7 64 if you have more than 4G of memory.
If you have 4G or less, install win 7 32. It will run better.

First, set BIOS properly (SATA=AHCI) etc.
I would say that Win 7 installation disk has all needed drivers for installation. Once you finish installation, open device manager and look for the missing drivers.

I have a backup drive with win 7 and I use the same license. In my point of view, is the same computer, only different boot drive and the will never be used at same time.

I suggest you install win 7 in one partition, activate, install all drivers and updates then shrink the partition and create a new one. Then clone the fist partition on the new one. As your MB and disk is a MBR, use EasyBCD (EasyBCD 2.3 Download - TechSpot) to make it dual boot.

For the updates, use the offline SP2 and then the security ONLY updates.
MS releases SP2 for Windows 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums

 

[MTL777]

You only need the LAN driver chances are windows will have all the right drivers but if you need to get any with LAN driver you can get on the net to get them. What sata does the board support being old it may only be sata 2 so it would reduce the performance of a ssd which are sata 3

Thanks Samuria!

The board supports SATA 2 only. Because AHCI is faster than IDE, I have set AHCI mode for SATA in the BIOS. I hope Windows will have the AHCI driver. If it doesn't have it, will the installation prompt me to insert a driver disk for it? Which of the drivers I listed has the AHCI driver? Could it be in the AMD All In 1 driver or in the SATA RAID driver? I want to be prepared with the correct driver disk in case the installation asks for it.

 

[samuria]

It should have all the drivers as win7 is about same age as the board

 

[MTL777]

As it's an old computer you probably don't have more than 4G of memory.
Only install win 7 64 if you have more than 4G of memory.
If you have 4G or less, install win 7 32. It will run better.

First, set BIOS properly (SATA=AHCI) etc.
I would say that Win 7 installation disk has all needed drivers for installation. Once you finish installation, open device manager and look for the missing drivers.

I have a backup drive with win 7 and I use the same license. In my point of view, is the same computer, only different boot drive and the will never be used at same time.

I suggest you install win 7 in one partition, activate, install all drivers and updates then shrink the partition and create a new one. Then clone the fist partition on the new one. As your MB and disk is a MBR, use EasyBCD (EasyBCD 2.3 Download - TechSpot) to make it dual boot.

For the updates, use the offline SP2 and then the security ONLY updates.
MS releases SP2 for Windows 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums

Thank you so much for all these great info!

When Win 7 doesn't have the exact driver, will it leave the driver missing or will it install a generic driver that it thinks is the closest one?

So you suggest to install and activate Win 7 only once then clone it to the second partition? Does the second partition have to be the exact same size as the first partition?

What do you mean by "shrink the partition"? You mean create an image of it? And how exactly do I clone the first partition to the new one?

Do I need to download and install IE 11 if I'm not gonna use it (I'll use Firefox)?

So, in the Windows update download links you provided, I should look for "Updates for Windows 7 for x-64 Based Systems" since I'm installing Win 7 Pro 64-bit, correct? I just want to be sure about that.

Thanks again!

 

[Megahertz07]

- As Samuria and I wrote, all needed drivers for installation should be on the Win 7 installation disk. But there will be some specific drivers, like LAN, sound etc drivers that you will need to install after the Windows installation. Don't worry, that isn't critical and it's easy to get installed.
- You didn't mention how much memory you have, but if it's less than 4G, install win 7 32. It will run better.
- Once you have your Win 7 running, with all drivers set, Updates installed, Windows activated, you have done the basic. If you going to have common programs (like Firefox) on both partitions, also install those programs.
- As IE is part of the OS, I strongly suggest you install IE 11 and all security updates related.
- To create a new partition, you will have to make some space for it. So you will have to shrink the existing partition with Windows Disk manager (C:\Windows\System32\diskmgmt.msc) or with Best Free Partition Manager for Windows | MiniTool Partition Free
- My suggestion is to make both Win 7 partition 85G. Create another partition with the remaining space to store data. Then you can access the data from both Win 7 installations.
- Once you created both 85G partitions, clone the fist Win 7 partition to the second partition. MiniTool Partition Free has a copy partition wizard.
You will have same installation on both partitions but you will only be able to boot the fist one. Use EasyBCD (EasyBCD 2.3 Download - TechSpot) to make it dual boot.

It's very important that, when you begin Win 7 installation, you disconnect ALL other disks from MB.
Clean Install Windows 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums

 

[MTL777]

- As Samuria and I wrote, all needed drivers for installation should be on the Win 7 installation disk. But there will be some specific drivers, like LAN, sound etc drivers that you will need to install after the Windows installation. Don't worry, that isn't critical and it's easy to get installed.
- You didn't mention how much memory you have, but if it's less than 4G, install win 7 32. It will run better.
- Once you have your Win 7 running, with all drivers set, Updates installed, Windows activated, you have done the basic. If you going to have common programs (like Firefox) on both partitions, also install those programs.
- As IE is part of the OS, I strongly suggest you install IE 11 and all security updates related.
- To create a new partition, you will have to make some space for it. So you will have to shrink the existing partition with Windows Disk manager (C:\Windows\System32\diskmgmt.msc) or with Best Free Partition Manager for Windows | MiniTool Partition Free
- My suggestion is to make both Win 7 partition 85G. Create another partition with the remaining space to store data. Then you can access the data from both Win 7 installations.
- Once you created both 85G partitions, clone the fist Win 7 partition to the second partition. MiniTool Partition Free has a copy partition wizard.
You will have same installation on both partitions but you will only be able to boot the fist one. Use EasyBCD (EasyBCD 2.3 Download - TechSpot) to make it dual boot.

It's very important that, when you begin Win 7 installation, you disconnect ALL other disks from MB.
Clean Install Windows 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums

Thank you so much! I have more questions.

I want to be sure... Do you think the Win 7 installer already has the AHCI driver and I don't need to point the installer to a driver disk having the AHCI driver during Win 7 installation? This seems to be the procedure recommended when installing RAID drivers (if you're using RAID) and I know now that the AHCI driver is found as one of the files in the RAID driver download from Asrock.

I just bought additional 4GB of RAM so I will have 8GB now.

I don't understand why I have to "shrink the existing partition". I have a 500GB SSD. Before installing Win 7, I will create a 100GB primary partition and then install Win 7 on that partition. Once all the basic installations are done, I will create a second 100GB partition and then clone the first partition to the second partition. So why do I need to shrink the first partition?

Now, after cloning, can I modify the size of the second partition? Why do the first and second partitions have to be the same size? I want the second partition to be larger than the first because I will be storing more data on the second partition.

What will happen if I still have other disks connected when I begin the Win 7 installation? I know to be careful to point the Win 7 installer to the correct disk where Win 7 should be installed, so does it matter if other disks are still connected or are you just suggesting this as an extra ounce of precaution?

Thanks again!

 

[Megahertz07]

Thank you so much! I have more questions.

I want to be sure... Do you think the Win 7 installer already has the AHCI driver and I don't need to point the installer to a driver disk having the AHCI driver during Win 7 installation? Yes, I think the win 7 installation disk will have the AHCI driver.
This seems to be the procedure recommended when installing RAID drivers (if you're using RAID) and I know now that the AHCI driver is found as one of the files in the RAID driver download from Asrock.

I just bought additional 4GB of RAM so I will have 8GB now. OK

I don't understand why I have to "shrink the existing partition". I have a 500GB SSD. Before installing Win 7, I will create a 100GB primary partition and then install Win 7 on that partition. Once all the basic installations are done, I will create a second 100GB partition and then clone the first partition to the second partition. So why do I need to shrink the first partition? If you create a 100G partition you wont need to shrink the partition.

Now, after cloning, can I modify the size of the second partition? Yes, you shrink the second partition and format the remaining space.
Why do the first and second partitions have to be the same size? They don't need to be the same size. But you wont need more than 85G each.
I want the second partition to be larger than the first because I will be storing more data on the second partition. As I suggested, use the remaining partition for data (500-85-85 =330G) and use this partition to store data from both win 7 installation.

What will happen if I still have other disks connected when I begin the Win 7 installation? I know to be careful to point the Win 7 installer to the correct disk where Win 7 should be installed, so does it matter if other disks are still connected or are you just suggesting this as an extra ounce of precaution?
Yes, it's for an extra ounce of precaution. Seen many people (also myself) that ended the installation in one disk and the boot loader on another.

Thanks again!

You're welcome

 

[MTL777]

In my case, I won't have the system reserved partition (boot loader?) since I will create the primary partition on which I'm going to install Windows before I run the installation DVD. I just have to be careful to point the installation to install Windows on the primary partition that I created. So I guess it's alright if there are still other drives connected during the install as long as I'm careful, right?

Thank you so much for your detailed answers to all my questions! I really appreciate your help.

 

[Megahertz07]

Better be safe than sorry.
You don't need to take out the other drives. Just disconnect the power or SATA cables.

System reserved is on OEM computers. They have the boot loader, diagnostic, Factory recover and other programs.
On a clean install you don't create System reserved but it will create M$ reserved (120M). If you you create the partitions on another computer, you wont have the M$ reserved.

 

[Megahertz07]

Did you succeed on installing Win 7 on your computer?
Give us a feedback.

 

[MTL777]

Did you succeed on installing Win 7 on your computer?
Give us a feedback.

I haven't gotten to it yet. I got so busy at work and didn't have time. I'm still also gathering more information and getting updated software for all the apps that I'm going to install in Win 7, and I have so many apps to install. I'll let you know when I'm finally done with it.

BTW I got a reply from Asrock (manufacturer of my motherboard) to install/update the AMD All-In-1, Realtek HD Audio, LAN, and VGA drivers (from the set of drivers downloaded from their site) after running the Win 7 installation. They said these are the only drivers that I need to install/update. They're probably just trying to be certain, and maybe some of those drivers are already found on the Win 7 installer, but I guess it doesn't hurt to install/update them again.

 

[MTL777]

I started installing Win 7 Pro 64-Bit. I'm stuck at installing update KB3125574. It tries to install but after some time it says The following updates were not installed: Update for Windows (KB3125574)

What should I do?

 

[Megahertz07]

You must have first to install KB3020369.
MS releases SP2 for Windows 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums

 

[Paul Black]

Hi MTL777,

I started installing Win 7 Pro 64-Bit. I'm stuck at installing update KB3125574. It tries to install but after some time it says The following updates were not installed: Update for Windows (KB3125574)

What should I do?

I gave you an answer to this question here: Help! Unable to Install Windows Update KB3125574

I hope this helps!