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Need help to install Windows 8 on M18x R2
I have an Alienware m18x R2. It came with windows 8 Pro pre-installed, however I was unable to use Fast boot and Secure Boot as Windows 8 had been pre-installed in Legacy Mode and the OS drive was partitioned MBR and not GPT.
When I installed a new 256GB mSATA M4 Crucial drive I decided to do a clean install of windows 8 x64 with the Alienware DVD that came with the laptop.
I set the BIOS to boot UEFI and disabled Legacy ROM. I've tried with both Fast Boot and Secure Boot enabled, disabled or one or the other enabled or disabled. The result is always the same, the windows 8 setup gets as far as detecting the drives and an error pops up (always the same error) the driver for media cd/dvd/usb etc is missing. locate it and click ok. Regardless of what I do no drivers can be found and no hard drives can be detected.
Windows 8 installs perfectly and detects all hardware (only problem is eject cd key doesn't work but that's another matter) as long as I enable "Legacy ROM" in BIOS (which of course automatically disables Fast Boot and Secure Boot) and partitions the SDD with MBR partitions.
I've seen posts on the net of many people successfully installing windows 8 x64 with Secure Boot/Fast Boot enabled, so it can be done.
The only boot options I get when BIOS set t UEFI and Legacy ROM disabled is my optiarc DVD writer with the w2indows 8 Dvd and Network IPv4, no other options. I've read that I may need to select the "Shell" boot option but I don't have one.
Can someone please walk me through step by step of a clean install of windows 8 x64 using the alienware windows 8 x64 dvd.
Would using a windows 8 Dvd from Microsoft make any difference? (I assume the key on the alienware dvd would work just the same)
cheers
heywheelie
74 Posts
1
March 29th, 2013 03:00
It seems the solution is to download the Intel RST drivers for the M18xR2 win 8 x64 and run on another computer. Select "extract without installing". Check the extracted files, there will be a folder called "F6flpy-x64". Copy this folder to a USB pendrive that is formatted FAT32 (that is important).
Prepare the computer for windows 8 installation. Make sure the intended boot drive is clean (unallocated). Put the windows 8 installation dvd in the dvd burner. Go into BIOS and enable UEFI, make sure Legacy ROM is disabled. Enable Windows 8 Fast Boot (not essential at this stage). I recommend not enabling secure boot until the install has finished. once the changes in bios have been made, save and exit. The system will reboot, press F12 to select the boot device. From the list select UEFI . the windows 8 install will start. after the setup starts you will get an error about missing media drivers and no hard drives found. Plug the USB pendrive into the laptop, click 'browse' (just under the error message) and navigate to the f6flpy-x64 folder and click ok.
The windows 8 install will display a driver, click on it and click ok or next. After the drivers are installed the hard disks will be visible. click on the drive you want to install windows 8. from there the install proceeds as normal.
once the install has finished and all the drivers and software has been installed, reboot and go into BIOS and activate Secure boot and Fast boot. save and exit.
the laptop will now be running UEFI with Secure Boot and Fast boot,.
cheers
dasjive
2 Posts
0
July 17th, 2013 01:00
Wow, thanks! Just resolved the same issue here!