Windows won't boot unless I use a different drive

[VanFinale]

It's up to you. You an wait for the replacement EFI mobo and try to replace everything exactly as it was, or you can try to make the HD bootable now to use on this system.

If I made it bootable now would I still be able to boot it with the new mobo?

 

[gregrocker]

I cannot say for sure, but I doubt it.

The fact that EFI partition is present indicates it must have been installed using EFI boot drive set first in BIOS Boot order which means that it will probably need to have that set first again to boot, from what I've seen with EFI BIOS.

I doubt that would work if you recover the System boot files into Win7 partition or convert the 100mb to System partition. However if you do this then later setting the HD first to boot might work. You'd also need to do that now to mark Active and run Repairs to recover System boot files into Win7 partition, or delete and recreate the 100mb as Active System partition.

It would be experimental, but at worst you'd have to reinstall Win7 and then could look at options to avoid EFI in the future - normally by choosing the HD to boot first in BIOS and not EFI Boot drive. Some BIOS have other settings to change this.

 

[VanFinale]

Alright then I'll just wait for my replacement I should be getting it by the end of the week so hopefully everything works out.

 

[gregrocker]

Let us know how it goes, also what settings you find for EFI in BIOS setup and whether merely setting EFI Boot drive first in BIOS boot order is sufficient. I'd also choose the port you used last time on that mobo.

Whatever you can report back will be helpful as EFI BIOS are starting to come into the mainstream and need to be better understood and translated for consumer use here.

 

[VanFinale]

Let us know how it goes, also what settings you find for EFI in BIOS setup and whether merely setting EFI Boot drive first in BIOS boot order is sufficient. I'd also choose the port you used last time on that mobo.

Whatever you can report back will be helpful as EFI BIOS are starting to come into the mainstream and need to be better understood and translated for consumer use here.

Alright got my mobo back today switched it in and put everything back together. Plugged my HD into the first sata port set my mobo to boot from that drive and it booted without any hassle. And my old HD is sitting on my desk not even plugged in, guess it was just the EFI partition that wouldn't let it boot on my other mobo. Thanks for all the help though, otherwise I probably would have screwed something up and ended up re-installing windows a bunch of times.

 

[gregrocker]

Is EFI Boot Drive set first to boot in BIOS setup? If not, which is? Supposedly this is how EFI is installed and remains engaged.

If not do you see other settings in your BIOS related to EFI you could report to help others?

Thanks for reporting back !

 

[VanFinale]

It is set to first to boot in my BIOS, however I did not find any EFI settings in my BIOS settings I just plugged it in, set it to first in the boot order and it worked. I found one setting that mentioned EFI but it was about booting from a CD/DVD.

 

[gregrocker]

Is the setting named EFI Boot Drive and appears under BIOS Boot Order?

Is it set first to boot now?

Do not change it - I am only asking.

 

[VanFinale]

No that isn't what the setting was, there is no setting like that. All it shows is the name of the drive with the EFI partition and it is set to first.

 

[gregrocker]

So what was the setting you said "mentioned EFI but it was about booting from a CD/DVD?"

We are hungry for EFI info here.

 

[VanFinale]

Um it let me set whether to boot from an EFI or Non-EFI CD/DVD.