UEFI install issues with factory Alienware DVD

Yes, use the real DVD. Image to USB-Flash drive it you have to.

BIOS Settings should be:

AHCI, and SecureBoot=OFF (since it's Win-7)

Switch uEFI to "Legacy" if you have to (shouldn't really be a performance difference).

After Windows installs completely, Intel Chipset drivers should be first driver manually installed.

http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19376654

Samsung 840-PRO is a really nice SSD. That machine is going to be fast when you finish with it.

You're missing the point. I tried using the factory install DVD to set up a UEFI boot for the system because I wanted it in secure boot with Windows 7 and since the install media has the UEFI boot option I decided to try to do the install but it hangs.

The problem comes when I do the reinstall the UEFI boot starts up does the loader and then once the windows 7 colored logo completely has finished appearing on the screen the system will hang and there is no way to break out of it except to power off the machine.

Also since I have the recovery partition from the factory installed drive there shouldn't be a problem with me being able to put that partition back on the primary drive and recover the entire system from a factory install but I can't find a way to get the bootloader to actually recognize the recovery partition and boot.

Can you please read my original post again so that we understand what it is that I'm asking.

I understand fine.

Windows7-64bit doesn't use SecureBoot.

Dell Recovery Partition can not be moved to another HDD. If you had created the Dell Recovery USB Media before while system was original, you MIGHT (like 50%) be able to use that to restore.

Clean install from original DVD, followed by drivers is better anyway because all is current. Also, since you are moving to SSD, clean-install can be better than cloning.

http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19568143

Follow my original post, get Win7 installed, drivers, Activated ... and get back to normal.

Finally, create a Full Image with something non-Dell, and does bare-metal restores. Test it to make sure it works.

What Tesla1856 said..........................................

Again, no you don't understand the issue.

Secure boot does and can work in Windows 7 64bit.

Secondly I'm not a uninformed user.  I'm a UNIX Systems engineer and seeking answers on an issue isn't exactly a problem.

When the Alienware DVD comes with the ability to do a UEFI install and fails at the same point for one person after another there is an issue that needs to be addressed or a work around to allow such a thing.  It isn't running in secure boot when you're doing the INSTALL of the OS fresh.

So again, if you don't have the answer, don't chime in.  You obviously aren't capable of coming forward with an answer that addresses the issue.

I'm very well aware of the speed, how to do the install, and have done so a number of times on a wide number of systems.  I'm also keenly aware of doing the UEFI install on other systems with Windows 7-64bit and have had no issues doing the install.

In order for me to get a straight answer I guess I have to prattle on about the fact that your Rockstar status is nonsense when you're repeating yourself, didn't read the original question, and can't address the UEFI install issue because you're not aware of it, have never tried doing it, and think you know it all.

I have a number of other friends in the IT community that have done UEFI installs of Windows 7.  Care to tell me how they can do it while this Alienware 17-R2 won't?

Here's another question rocket scientist...  How come the Alienware 17-R2 and R1 both won't boot from the built in DVD/BR drive if there is another USB storage device connected even if you manually tell it to do so from the boot options screen?

I've been looking for an answer to that for a while.  It's obviously either a bios or hardware issue that no one has bothered to speak up about or fix.

So how about you either answer questions you understand and have answers to or not at all.

I've got half a dozen AW17, so I'll try secure boot with windows 7 and see if it works.

What BIOS revision do you have, if it's an early one it may not have the needed files?

I just noticed something.

I checked in the bios beforehand to make sure that it could see the DVD media UEFI location and sure enough it did.  I had disabled the legacy boot options and so on..  The installer starts..  Then hangs right after it gets to the point of showing the Windows logo.  It hangs..  No matter what I do it will always hang at that exact same spot..

I thought that the legacy OPRom option is what allows the DVD drive to "talk" to the laptop.

Try it with that option enabled, if you don't want to you may need to use create and use a USB ISO

As I said in my original post, I experienced the exact same thing when I tried to start up the UEFI install from a clean install.  It hangs right after the Windows logo comes up.

I have the latest bios for my laptop and have noticed all the same things that you did which is why I posted this originally because there was no reason that it shouldn't boot up and install UEFI with 7-64bit.

Still waiting for someone from Dell to actually care enough to answer this issue.

Secure boot does and can work in Windows 7 64bit.

Well, I'm no Unix Systems Engineer ... just a common Microsoft Software Developer [:)] .

According to Microsoft, Windows 7 DOES NOT support Secure Boot.

The following versions of Windows support Secure Boot: Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, and Windows RT.

Reference:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/Hh824987.aspx

UEFI and Secure Boot are not the same thing.

You should also know that Dell often previously shipped EFI and uEFI systems in Legacy mode from factory when Win-7 was installed.

No, I do not have an Alienware17-R2. Getting Win-7 re-installed on an AW laptop (or any laptop really) is just not that difficult if you follow the recommended steps.  I only volunteered my time to post a solution to try to help you.

But it does support UEFI BOOT..  

You do not have to SET secure boot to boot UEFI..

Thanks for playing..  Move along..

But it does support UEFI BOOT..     You do not have to SET secure boot to boot UEFI..   Thanks for playing..  Move along..

Great, you finally understand. [:)]