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RAMPAGE Windows 8/7 UEFI Installation Guide

Nodens
Level 16
1. What is the UEFI Mode?
2. What is Secure boot?
3. UEFI mode requirements
4. What is CSM or how UEFI Drivers and Legacy Option ROMs interface with the UEFI.
5. Setting up RAID and preparation for installation
6. Pros and Cons
7. Installing Windows 7/8 on UEFI Mode
8. GPT Tools


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1. What is the UEFI Mode?

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface#Booting wrote:

The UEFI specification defines a "boot manager", a firmware policy engine that is in charge of loading the
OS loader and all necessary drivers. The boot configuration is controlled by a set of global NVRAM variables,
including boot variables that indicate the paths to the loaders.

OS loaders are a class of UEFI applications. As such, they are stored as files on a file system that can be
accessed by the firmware. Supported file systems include FAT32, FAT16 and FAT12. Supported partition table
schemes include MBR and GPT. UEFI does not rely on a boot sector.

Boot loaders can also be auto-detected by firmware, to enable booting on removable devices. Auto-detection
relies on a standardized file path to the OS loader, depending on the actual architecture to boot
(\EFI\BOOT\BOOT[architecture name].EFI, e.g. \EFI\BOOT\BOOTx64.EFI).

It is common for UEFI firmware to include a user interface to the boot manager, to allow the user to select
and load the operating system among the possible options.


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"Windows Boot Manager" is the boot manager that comes with Windows when it is installed in UEFI mode. This Boot Manager is accessible and viewable in the UEFI menu and F8 Boot options.


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2. What is Secure boot?

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface#Secure_boot wrote:

The UEFI 2.2 specification adds a protocol known as Secure boot, which can secure the boot process by
preventing the loading of drivers or OS loaders that are not signed with an acceptable digital signature.
When secure boot is enabled, it is initially placed in "Setup" mode, which allows a public key known as
the "Platform key" (PK) to be written to the firmware. Once the key is written, secure boot enters "User"
mode, where only drivers and loaders signed with the platform key can be loaded by the firmware. Additional
"Key Exchange Keys" (KEK) can be added to a database stored in memory to allow other certificates to be
used, but they must still have a connection to the private portion of the Platform key. Secure boot can
also be placed in "Custom" mode, where additional public keys can be added to the system that do not match
the private key.


Secure boot is only supported/enforced on Windows 8. This feature can be quite problematic as it won't allow you to boot any bootloaders that are not signed. Meaning once you enable it, you can't boot anything else unless you disable it or place it in "Custom" mode and configure public keys. This is beyond the scope of this guide though and for the duration of this guide I will suggest to keep it disabled in order to avoid any issues with dual booting etc. This information is provided though for those who may choose to enable it willingly.

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ASUS UEFI has 2 settings:
a)"Windows UEFI": This setting turns Secure Boot on. This opens a submenu that allows "Custom" mode as described above.
b)"Other OS": This setting turns it off and contrary to what the name suggests this is what you should set if you use or plan to use Windows in UEFI mode and don't want Secure Boot.

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3. UEFI mode requirements

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Windows installation in UEFI mode has 4 basic requirements:
a) A UEFI enabled platform (The Rampage motherboards in this case.)
b) A x64 Operating System that supports it (Windows 8 or 7 in this case.)
c) Installing to GPT partitioned disk or RAID array that includes an "EFI System Partition" or ESP for short.
d) Booting the installation media in UEFI mode:

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(See the the DVD drive in the screenshot has 2 entries, one starting with "UEFI:" and one with "P3:". Both of these are the same drive. The difference is the option with the UEFI prefix "UEFI:" boots in UEFI mode. Which means that it starts a UEFI bootloader. If a UEFI Bootloader is not present on the disk/flash drive, then this option will not be available.)


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4. What is CSM or how UEFI Drivers and Legacy Option ROMs interface with the UEFI.

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http://wiki.phoenix.com/wiki/index.php/Compatibility_Support_Module wrote:

The CSM provides additional functionality to UEFI. This additional functionality permits the loading of
a traditional OS or the use of a traditional OpROM.
The CSM operates in two distinct environments:

Booting a traditional or non-EFI-aware OS.
Loading a UEFI-aware OS a device that is controlled by a traditional Option ROM.

The first operation, booting a traditional or non-EFI-aware OS, is the traditional environment.
It is expected that traditional OpROMs will be around long after traditional OSs have been replaced
by EFI-aware OSs. The code that is required to load a UEFI-aware OS is a subset of the code that is
required to boot a traditional (non-EFI-aware) OS.


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To make things simple, a device ideally (eg the onboard RAID controller) has a native UEFI driver but for compatibility with an older/non-UEFI aware operating system, the CSM allows the loading of the old style PCI Option ROMs we are all familiar with. You need either one or the other. If you load a UEFI driver, the legacy PCI Option ROM is not used. The CSM also allows you to boot operating systems that have no idea what UEFI is.

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The ASUS UEFI has these options for CSM:
a)"Auto" (Self Explanatory).
b)"Enabled" (This allows you to manually set priorities for different types of devices eg "UEFI first"
means that if both exist, the UEFI driver will be chosen)
c)"Disabled" This disables CSM entirely with all its functions and runs in UEFI-only mode. This option
boots a lot faster because it doesn't load or wait for any legacy components. If your video cards and
expansion cards etc fully support UEFI, you can just turn it off (this is how I set it)-not for Win7.
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5. Setting up RAID and preparation for installation

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Suggested installation UEFI options (for the reasons explained above):
Secure Boot: Other OS
CSM: As shown in the screenshot above.

RAID arrays can be set up either via the normal Matrix utility prior to switching everything to
"UEFI first" or disabling CSM, or they can be set up afterwards from inside the UEFI.

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If you want to have native TRIM under RAID, that means without my patch, then all that is important is that you follow this
guide to install in UEFI mode. It doesn't matter which method you use to create the array or if you have an existing array.

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6. Pros and Cons

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As with everything, there are pros and cons to this method of installation.

Pros:
1) Native UEFI installation offers very fast boot up times and better integration with the hardware.
2) UEFI is the future. It is what will be supported in the long run. BIOS will eventually become entirely phased out.
3) GPT partitions do not have the size limitations of their MBR based counterparts.
4) GPT is also the future.

Cons:
1) Many backup and recovery utilities do not properly support GPT or do not properly support it under RAID configurations. There are working solutions though.


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7. Installing Windows 7/8 on UEFI Mode

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Let's get to the point:) I will be using screenshots from Windows 8 but the important parts shown here are the same for Windows 7 as well.

A) Boot your installation media with the "UEFI:" prefixed option of your drive as described above. The operating system will load and you'll come to this screen:

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Set your locale settings and proceeed as usual until you come to the Partitioting screen:

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At this point if you are using a RAID array you need to click "Load Driver" and provide the F6 Intel RAID RST driver (11.6+) in a FAT32 formatted USB flash drive or a floppy drive if you still have one of those 🙂

B) If your disk or RAID array is new and had no other operating system on it, it will show up as unallocated space, like the screenshot above. If partitions do exist, delete them all until it shows as unallocated space. Now press "New" and select the maximum space (or as much as you like) and hit apply. You will see this window:

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Press Ok. If all is correct then Windows will automatically partition the drive/array to GPT and you will see this structure:

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If it is not as above then something is wrong with the partition table and you should skip to step C (Recovery only on Win8). Otherwise press next and Windows will start installing:

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RAMPAGE Windows 8/7 UEFI Installation Guide - Patched OROM for TRIM in RAID - Patched UEFI GOP Updater Tool - ASUS OEM License Restorer
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Nodens
Level 16
C-- Troubleshooting Step) There are many ways to troubleshoot and do things manually if Windows installer won't make GPT automatically but the easiest, hassle free procedure is this:

Press Shift-F10 and a command prompt window will open:

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Enter these commands as shown in the screenshot:
"diskpart"
"list disk"
Find the drive/array you are installing to. If you only have 1 drive/array then it will always be Disk 0. If you are unsure, STOP, shutdown, disconnect all drives but the one you want to install to and try again. If you select the wrong drive you WILL LOSE EVERYTHING IN IT.

Assuming that the drive is disk 0, type in the rest of the commands:
"select disk 0"
"clean"
Now close the window and reboot to restart the installation. This time your drive/array will show as unallocated and step B will work properly.

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8. GPT Tools

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Backup/Imaging Tools
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Acronis True Image 2013:

GPT disks are supported with the following limitations:
* Operating system on which True Image 2013 is installed must support GPT disks
* Try&Decide cannot be used to protect GPT disks

EaseUS Todo Backup & Partition Master:

Quoting their support representative:

"Our product EaseUS Todo Backup can support GPT and UEFI boot, and EaseUS Partition Master is also compatible with Windows Operating System based on GPT drive and UEFI/EFI boot, especially for Windows 8, but, if you want to resize partition, please resize it under Windows. The full version of our product can support RAID hardware, the demo edition can only make operation plan, and it can't apply the operation."

Paragon Hard Disk Manager & Backup & Recovery:

Paragon forwarded my information request to a sales representative who never replied back so I have no information on what is officially supported or not other than this document: http://download.paragon-software.com/doc/hdm12_consumer_full_features_list.pdf

It looks like most of the features should work with GPT although some require the Pro version.

The above is all commercial software and I was able to test only what was exposed in their trial/demo versions. GPT under RAID support for restoration operations has not been verified in any case.

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Clonezilla && SystemRescueCD:

These can do anything, they're free and open source. BUT they are much harder to use and require some technical aptitude.



Recovery Tools
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R-Studio:

Available for Windows, Linux and Mac. This is one of the two top data recovery suites. It supports GPT pefectly.

GetDataBackNTFS:

And this is the other one. Also available for Linux and supports GPT as well.

TestDisk:

This is available for Windows and Linux and is free. It allows partition recovery among other things. Its sister application (Photorec) supports recovering lost files.

GPT fdisk (consisting of the gdisk, cgdisk, sgdisk, and fixparts programs):

These are console based tools (no GUI) available under linux that allow you to do just about anything with GPT (eg backing up the partition table).



I could be forgetting some but I will add them if they come to mind. Feel free to suggest any software that is not in this list and you know that it works properly with GPT disks and/or GPT under RAID.
RAMPAGE Windows 8/7 UEFI Installation Guide - Patched OROM for TRIM in RAID - Patched UEFI GOP Updater Tool - ASUS OEM License Restorer
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Nodens
Level 16
*Reserved post for future growth*
RAMPAGE Windows 8/7 UEFI Installation Guide - Patched OROM for TRIM in RAID - Patched UEFI GOP Updater Tool - ASUS OEM License Restorer
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DragonClaVV
Level 9
Thank you. Very helpful.

DragonClaVV wrote:
Thank you. Very helpful.


Please use the +rep button if you find it helpful instead of posting thanks. In order to keep the thread clean for any issues etc 🙂
RAMPAGE Windows 8/7 UEFI Installation Guide - Patched OROM for TRIM in RAID - Patched UEFI GOP Updater Tool - ASUS OEM License Restorer
There are 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who don't!

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xwsxethan
Level 7
I'm having an issue getting this to work. I've set everything in bios properly and my bios is updated as of currently. I'm using a usb with the UEFI bootloader present. When I go through the installation WITHOUT loading the drivers, it goes through, restarts, and doesn't ever get to 100% when at the "Getting devices ready" page. I restart after that and it hangs. When I go back and attempt to load the drivers (straight from the ASUS website) (which are on a separate usb device from the windows 8 installer, both of which are recognized), it claims that no signed device drivers are found. I have tried extracting all the .zips and tried leaving them zipped up, both of which fail. How do I get the drivers recognized? Thanks, and the guide for setting things up was really great, just wish it worked for me.

Nodens
Level 16
The problem is that you are using the drivers from the ASUS website and not the ones described in the guide (11.6+). When you are installing in this mode, the UEFI Driver exports a different device ID to the operating system for which the 3.x line of drivers will not load (there are no entries for this device in the driver .inf).

Even if those drivers loaded correctly, you'd still want to use 11.6+ instead because these drivers enable TRIM under RAID as well. Download the drivers directly from Intel.
RAMPAGE Windows 8/7 UEFI Installation Guide - Patched OROM for TRIM in RAID - Patched UEFI GOP Updater Tool - ASUS OEM License Restorer
There are 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who don't!

RealBench Developer.

DragonClaVV
Level 9
You say 11.6+ but the driver on asus website is 11.7 . That should be no problem?

Hi
I installed Windows 8 with CSM disabled in the bios when I installed Windows 8.
When the CSM on the disabled then there until Intel Rapid Storage Technology inside the UEFI instead where you can create RAID 0.

This I did not know till you wrote about it.
Now boot data in to Windows at any second.

But I have a question for you about Windows 7 that I use as well.
I did not manage to install Windows 7.
I manage to get Installation disc, it loads the files and then it will just like before when it will come up Windows setup language settings.
So Windows setup language settings will not play.
It stops before and are just there, nothing happens.
What's wrong I'm doing?
Then if I enabled CSM and did some setting but can not remember what but I manage to get in to Partitioting screen.

There I read the new drivers and find the driver but it said it could not install.
I consider the new Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver software V11.7.0.1030 for Windows 7/8 I used to Windows 8 installation where it worked.
Then I hear them from intel, Intel ® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel ® RST) RAID Driver 11.7.0.1013.
But it is not gonna work at all.
I try the old Intel ® rste 3.6.0.1093 and work with them.
But them I assume use.
Windows 7 will work well with V11.7.0.1030 vs. V11.7.0.1013?
This is what the CSM that I do not get, I think.

Bring Windows 8 I had installed with UEFI setup and CSM Enabled.
When I found out that if you disabled CSM starts data faster.
Here I could not disabled CSM because then I came not get into Windows at all.
Just a lot of reboots.

Then when I enabled CSM so I came on to Windows as hiking thoroughly.
So I reinstall Windows 8 with CSM disabled from the start.
Then there was a thing that was new to me when you are running a Windows 8 Windows Image Backup as I usually do.
Now that I have installed with CSM disabled on this Windows 8 and will run Windows Image.
When you come in to where it searches WindowsImageBackup so find it Image.
I was dying.

Testing some settings on the CSM.
Here I had to enabled CSM if I sat HDD where Image is the X79.
You can put HDD where Image is the Marvell SATA and then find the HDD with CSM disabled.
But the big problem when you have CSM disabled and you have found the Windows Image will then kick off Image backup and you will find it is not the two ssd that I have created in Raid 0

So I check in on the UEFI Boot Option you will see no Raid there.
The only thing is there is UEFI: Sandisk I have Windows 8 installation files on.
So I had enabled CSM and then found the RAID 0 disk when running running Windows Image.
So I sat right at the restart when Windows Image ready so I went into the UEFI and change back to the CSM Disabled.

Dare not start with CSM enabled.
This was difficult to do this hmm ...
My question? must be enabled CSM for it to find Raid disk or is it me who was wrong?
CPU: Intel Core i7 3930K
Motherboard: Asus Rampage IV Extreme X79
Memory: Corsair Dominator CMP16GX3M4X1866C9
Graphics Card: 2x ASUS GeForce GTX680
SSD Drive: 2x Corsair SSD Force Series GT 90GB Raid 0
Power Supply: Corsair AX 1200W PSU
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos II Ultra Tower
Cooling: Water cooling GPU/CPU/SYD
OS: Windows 8 64 Bit
Monitor: Samsung 27 LED SyncMaster S27A950
Speaker: Logitech Z-906 5.1 THX, DTS
Sound Card: Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional