Solved Win7 Clone to PCIe M2 NVME SSD + Clover Boot Uefi

[mkos]

Hi,
I've tried summarize the question in the title and here the details.
I've installed a new Samsung 990 as PCIe M2 Nvme on Win7 64 and managed to install it and make it fully recognizable by the system using the drivers on winraid forum... but now I have the problem of running WIN7 from it!

I’d like to be able to run my actual Win7 from the new fast ssd so this is what I did:

1. I cloned the OS to the new disk using Macrium and in the end of operation it converts disk from MBR to GPT to have the whole 4TB available. (cloned 2 times thinking something was wrong but no, all seems OK with cloning…) After that I can see the disk listed in Device Manager as Nvme and I also have the correct Samsung Storage controller listed. The disk is nowfully usable as storage! but...
2. to try boot from it I’ve downloaded Clover-5161-X64.iso and create a bootable USB with Rufus, then placed the NvmExpressDxe.efi in the correct folders as explained in many guides
3. restarted the system and modify the BIOS to boot from USB and then after booting I can see the Clover interface but under Windows logo it is written “Boot Windows from Legacy HD1” and many others HD2,3,4,5,6… but - No Windows EFI ! and when trying to boot it fails of course and I just got the blinking underscore and nothing happens.

So… the problem/question is: should I manually create an EFI system partition in the new disk? in the beginning of the (new) cloned WIN7 OS? Or being GPT should be already EFI??? Sorry but bit confused with MBR/GPT and BIOS/UEFI... What can I do to boot it?

It seems that most of the guides and cases are for installing a new OS in the PCIe Nvme Disk but in my case the system is cloned from an existing Sata III SSD.If I have to create that partition, something like AOMEI Partition Assistant can be a good option? and I won’t lose the data/OS in the ssd? I saw some guide and it seems safe but…

Thanks a lot if someone have some suggestion on how to proceed!

 

[SIW2]

The usual set up is an esp partition ( Efi System Partition ) of at least 100mb which is a special partition type then formatted fat32.

The boot critical files can then be created on that partition using bcdboot command.

 

[mkos]

Hi, thx for the reply!
Do you mean that I would have to "Convert Windows Installation from Legacy to UEFI" like explained here? Yes?

 

[SIW2]

Hi, thx for the reply!
Do you mean that I would have to "Convert Windows Installation from Legacy to UEFI" like explained here? Yes?

post a disk management screen shot

 

[mkos]

Thank you both for the reply! and
@siliconbeaver : I saw that about the uuid but the problem is that from Clover I can't see the "Windows EFI" but only the Volumes (I think) of my 2 disks!

EDIT:
maybe found the solution...
post soon..

 

[mkos]

I found that the clone made with Macrium is not a perfect one! because it does correctly convert the disk from MBR to GPT but doing this IT DOES NOT CREATE THE UEFI BOOT.... 200mg partition...
I'm reading everything on subject and I think I got it!
Converting the cloned OS from MBR to GPT is not enough! if there is no boot partition with UEFI bootloader... that will be in the middle between the CLOVER boot and my OLD Win7!
Hope I'm right! DO you agree? YES?

If all the above is correct... I've already created a 200mb FAT32 partition on the SSD disk and now I should "only"!!!) try to run bcdboot ... to be able to boot the new disk with CLOVER... do you think is correct?

 

[SIW2]

I dont know if clover will pick up the .efi file from that.

Usually there is a special type of partition called Efi System Partition. It has a special ID

 

[mkos]

I can find the volume ID of the OS in the new disk!
here a screenshot... but will it be enough to put this into the Clover plist???

Thanks for the answer! but instead of making things clear... I have the feeling of getting more confused!
I will try put this VOLUME ID in the Clover boot file and see what happens...
What do u think????

Your ID is for the UEFI partition that has boot files on it!
I have the partition but IS ACTUALLY EMPTY!!!!



E: is the cloned WIN7 volume while H: is the 2000mb fat32 that is actually EMPTY and don't know how to put the boot files on it!

- - - Updated - - -

Finally... how should I populate the FAT32 partition to be able to be the UEFI link btw Clover and my WIN7 OS?
Does it make sense?

- - - Updated - - -

UPDATE: with the help of MiniTool Partition I've managed to create a copy of my WIN7 MBR/Legacy to a WIN7 GPT/UEFI and the Efi System Partition has been automatically created so my disk management now look like that

View attachment 424728

In Clover boot menu I can now see a button that says “Boot Mircosoft EFI Boot from EFI” and another “Boot Windows from CLOVERCD”… and when clicking the first I just got the boot from my OLD OS while the other takes me to a blinking cursor and stays there...

Really so close! but not yet there!
Will putting the "Efi Partition ID" in the config file of Clover solve the situation???

Any suggestion is welcome, thank you so much!!!

 

[SIW2]

cant see your screenshot

 

[mkos]

Not managing to edit the post to replace the attachment...
but here the actual state of my diskSSS!

 

[mkos]

Not managing to edit the post to replace the attachment...
but here the actual state of my diskSSS!

SOLVED!
Finally it was a problem related to Macrium NOT actually creating the EFI Partition + the old SSD still attached to the system was ready and booted but I managed to make a perfect CLONE of WIN7 with Minitool Partition Wizard and the EFI partition is created and after physically removing the SSD from SATA III port, and booting with CLOVER, wow, it simply started!!! Actually not finding it so much faster in normal operations but probably in long term use I will see the benefits and in any case was needing much more space so it is fine!!!