Windows 7 Pro x64 install on VHD, error 0x80300024

[DavUK]

Dear all,

My apologies for starting a new thread on this one, but I have searched both the forum and the internet high and low and cannot find a solution that works for my system.

I just bought my mother a new Toshiba laptop (Satellite C50-A-1DV), however as she has used Windows XP until now, she has (in my opinion somewhat validly) found Windows 8 too much of a culture shock and too user-unfriendly to get along with it. It’s just stressing her out.

Like it or not, Windows 8 does appear to be the direction operating systems will be going in, so ultimately she’d like to be able to access to Windows 8 so she can get used to it over time, however to me the logical answer for her was to install Windows 7 for her to use primarily in the beginning, as it has a very similar user interface to Windows XP (while the differences are generally welcome user-friendly improvements), and which would ease her into the new generation of operating systems, as it also shares many features with Windows 8. I therefore purchased a full DVD copy of Windows 7 Pro 64bit with a view to setting up a dual boot system.

Of course, I hadn’t considered the UEFI issue!

The computer has shipped with Windows 8, and is running a UEFI firmware, with the single Hard Disk Drive initialised to use the GBT format table. The Firmware does have a CSM toggle (and apparently I’m lucky in that regard as many of the satellites with earlier firmware versions did not have a toggle), but it only has 2 settings:

1. Full EUFI (what I understand is called “type 3” UEFI), or
2. EUFI off in full CSM legacy mode.

There is no third “Windows 7 friendly EUFI” mode (which I understand is called “type 2” UEFI), that has UEFI on with CSM on.

The result being, that I have made a 300GB NTFS formatted partition (using full format, not quick format) on the single HDD to install Windows 7, however if I boot up from the Windows 7 install disk (I’m using the DVD format as I understood digital downloads can cause issues with UEFI), with UEFI on, the install hangs at the "starting windows" screen. If I boot up from the Windows 7 install disk with CSM on, the Windows 7 install program begins, but it tells me that I can’t install on any of the partitions of the drive (including the dedicated partition I created) as they are in the GBT format.

It being a laptop, there is annoyingly no option of installing a second physical hard drive initialised with MBR to run Windows 7, although this would be a solution: it would be a slightly clumsy dual boot system as the operating system booted into would be decided by the position of the CSM toggle (OFF and it would use EUFI and automatically boot onto the GBT HDD and load Windows 8; ON and it would use CSM and automatically boot onto the MBR HDD and load Windows 7) and not a regular dual boot “black” selector screen; but it would at least work.

I would like, if at all possible, to avoid having to wipe the entire HDD and initialise it to MBR as this will destroy the recovery partitions and I may have to buy another copy of Windows 8, as I don’t believe my recovery media (even if I pay the extortionate £30 to Toshiba to buy a copy) will do a fresh install of Windows, just recover the computer to an image of how the computer was (drivers and bloatware and all) at the point of shipping.

Then it suddenly occurred to me: Windows 7 will boot off a virtual drive!

I therefore created a 250GB VHD in Windows 8, which was saved to the partition I had made to install Windows on (I did this to leave 50GB space on the partition, as I understand lack of expansion space can cause problems for a Windows 7 install on a VHD). I initialised the VHD to use the MBR partition table, created a 200GB partition (again, leaving 50GB free space on the VHD) and formatted the partition (using a full, not quick format) to NTFS.

I then booted to the Windows 7 install disk in CSM mode, hit Shift+F10, launched diskpart, selected the VHD I had made earlier in Windows 8, and attached it. The attachment was successful and I smiled to myself conceitedly, as I somewhat arrogantly assumed I had outsmarted the computer. I then ran the Windows install program and when it came to selecting disks I now had:

• Disk 0: Main GBT HDD with several partitions (including Windows 8 partition, the newly created Windows 7 partition, recovery partitions and those partitions Windows creates when installing in UEFI).
• Disk 2: The MBR virtual drive with the new partition and 50GB unallocated space.

Somewhat oddly there was no Disk 1 listed.

I selected the new partition on Disk 2, and finally the next button ceased being greyed out (as the drive was MBR and not GBT) and it allowed me to proceed, however I then hit the brick wall I can’t get passed: error 0x80300024.

I can’t understand why I’m getting the error – the computer doesn’t think about it and then bring it up, the error comes up immediately upon pressing next. I have tried deleting the VHD and creating a new one in Diskpart after booting onto the Windows 7 install disk, on the off-chance that Windows 7 installs are not compatible with VHDs created in Windows 8. I have tried installing onto an un-initialised VHD as well as one initialised with MBR. I have tried installing to the unallocated space on the VHD, and I have wiped all the partitions on the VHD, so it’s all unallocated space and tried installing to that. However, each time I get the same error: 0x80300024.

I don’t know what else to do. I know that when others have had this error with physical drives they get success by unplugging the other drives so that the drive being installed onto becomes drive 0. This obviously isn’t an option for me, as everything is on the same solitary drive.

I wondered if there is any other way of cloaking/hiding the other partitions/the main physical drive from the install program, but in such a way that I can access the VHD with diskpart?

I also wondered if there was any way of manually assigning my VHD to be Disk 0 for the purposes of the install program, and whether this would make any difference.

I’m tearing my hair out here! All I was attempting was to do a nice thing for my mother!! Why would the semi-conductor universe be so cruel to me?!?

If anybody can come up with a solution I would be massively grateful.

Thank you so much to everyone in advance for your time (if only for taking the time to read this lengthy post) – I also apologise for the size of this initial post: I wanted to provide as much detail as possible so that nobody wasted their time with a dead-end solution.

Many thanks again,

Kind regards,


Dav

 

[DavUK]

Cummon guys!

Two and a half days, over 200 views and a forum filled with the world's foremost experts on Windows 7; and yet not even one suggestion (or for that matter, a welcome to the
forums ).

Surely at least one of you is smarter than me and can either figure this out or definitively tell me what I'm trying to do can't be done and why....

I'm tearing my hair out in desperation! Help me sevenforums.com - you're my only hope!

Please?.....

Kind regards,

Dav

 

[gregrocker]

I wouldn't install Win7 virtually for the reasons you suggest so I didn't answer, however since you are insisting I'll tell you why:

You are incorrect that you cannot reinstall Win8 that came with the PC. It's license is coded in the BIOS and will auto-activate when you're ready to Clean Install - Windows 8. In that very tutorial or by starting a thread at Eight Forums they can walk you through this, even tell you how to derive your Product Key so you feel you have something more tangible.

So you could do what many end up doing to Bypass UEFI to Install WIn7 by wiping the drive during booted Clean Install Windows 7, even Dual Boot by installing Win8 afterwards in its own partition space.

But first I'd triple check that you cannot enable some level of CSM. Perhaps its called Legacy BIOS, or has a different setting we sometimes see like "UEFI First" for Boot. Is there any chance you're missing sub-settings that only show up when you disable one or the other? This catches out many trying to turn off Secure Boot. They never see CSM settings of any sort because they don't show up until Secure Boot is disabled.

Check for firmware Updates for UEFI on your model. These are changing all the time and especially anticipated when settings don't suffice as in your case.

Be sure to read your Manual on the mobo or PC's SUpport Downloads webpage, do a thorough Google search asking the question to get maximum germane results, query Toshiba Tech Support enough times until you find someone who knows their stuff or can find it.

I don't see Theog here any more but I believe he's Active at Eight Forums, was one of the pioneers in UEFI adaptation here and there, and is intimately familiar with Toshiba. So you might ask him at 8F.

Hope this helps. Keep us posted as you go so we can learn, too. So much of UEFI is different with each mobo or PC model, and complicates greatly the repair and install regimens and troubleshooting which were largely pioneered here. So we are still climbing the learning curve.

 

[Ztruker]

Dav, instead of installing Windows 7, leave Windows 8 and install a program like Classic Shell or Stardock's Start8. They will give you a normal Start button similar to XP and Windows 7. With either you can disable the hot corners so the only way to get to the Modern Windows 8 Desktop would be by pressing Windows key + C.

This is how I have mine setup.

I use Quick Launch, Gadgets and boot directly to the Desktop so I never see the Modern Desktop unless I want to.

My Desktop looks like this:

 

[Golden]

^ Excellent advice! +1

 

[DavUK]

Hey guys - I just wanted to thank you for your kind advice. I'm going to try Ztrucker's rather elegant solution first.

Ztrucker - do you mind if I ask? Which did you opt for? Classic Shell or Start8?

gregrocker - thank you for your detailed clarification. With regards to Windows 8 activation keys, does that mean that windows 8.1 will reactivate from my firmware-linked code if I can obtain any Windows 8.1 install DVD (say a surplus OEM one from ebay without an activation key)? I did not get any recovery media with the laptop, however I can pay Toshiba £30 for them to send me a recovery disc. I'm not sure that this is a true windows setup disc though - I suspect it's a disc that wipes the HDD and inserts the image of the HDD from the point of shipping (windows pre-installed on a GBT disc, with recovery partitions set up, and drivers and the usual Toshiba bloatware and trialware installed). If my code is valid regardless of where I get the install files from that takes quite a bit of pressure off!

To confirm I have flashed to firmware to the latest version and checked the options thoroughly for additional bits that pop up in CSM mode and UEFI mode. I've also tested anything I wasn't sure of just in case - there is no legacy support in UEFI mode - it looks like someone assumed laptop users with Windows 8 pre-installed wouldn't need such an option.

Looks like if the shells don't work out I will have to do it the old fashioned way and wipe the HDD and start again with Windows 7 first. I guess I could then at least install Windows 8 in CSM mode so that the dual boot will work properly.

Thanks again to all!



PS - from the point of view of solving the problem it does madden me that I still can't work out why I'm getting the 0x80300024, even if I am conceding there are better solutions than an install on a VHD! )

 

[Golden]

Not sure whay Ztrucker uses, but I use Start8. Its excellent and costs next to nothing. See link in my signature for more useful W8 tips.

 

[Ztruker]

I use Start8 at home. For $4.99 it's a bargain.

At work and any Win 8/8.1 systems I load, I use Classic Shell.

Both are excellent though I prefer Start8.

If you are interested in Gadgets, see here: 8GadgetPack - Gadgets for Windows 8 / 8.1

 

[DavUK]

Thanks Golden, thanks Ztruker. You're both very kind for getting back to me (and so quickly) on that. I'll try out start8 then.

Cheers,