UEFI Mode - Installing Windows 7

Instead of the usual for many BIOS at the moment, new motherboards for desktop computers and laptops are increasingly equipped with modern UEFI. Installation of Windows 7 for such equipment undergoes a number of changes. This factory software, unfortunately, is implemented slowly enough and now is not ready to replace the BIOS on the bulk of the boards, which entails a number of incompatibilities and problems with downloading in the new mode. More often than not, questions arise for people who want to install Windows 7 instead of the eighth version of the system that comes with the newly purchased laptop.

Should I switch to UEFI

The main reason for switching from BIOS to UEFI is small functionality, which is already lacking for professional desktop computers containing large documents and requiring maximum performance of all components. It is worth noting that when you boot the drive in UEFI BIOS mode, the installation of Windows 7 by default will not be possible on the old partitioned MBR partitions. But there are two ways to solve the problem.

The first is to copy all important data to an external or additional internal drive. The second is more laborious and will require the conversion of partitions using bootable flash drives or disks with utilities like Paragon, but it will save all available data, except for the local disk with the system itself. In order to make a conclusion about the expediency of installing the system under UEFI on your PC, it is necessary to understand what advantages a new type of preinstalled software has in comparison with the previous one.

An old but effective BIOS

You can start the review with the Basic I / O System - BIOS, since this will be a logical sequence with respect to the exit time. The functions for which it answers are generally understood from the title. Basic software did not appear in one day. As the development of computer components has progressed, the BIOS itself has progressed accordingly, thanks to which today people can use its wide functionality. Of course, the basic software itself could not meet all the needs of the equipment. For this reason, parallel development of programs and drivers, already configured directly in the operating system itself, was developed. However, for such operations as the initial identification of equipment and the definition of the device from which it is necessary to boot, it is the BIOS responsible. It is very obvious that UEFI has such functionality, the installation of Windows 7 and its correct operation on which will necessarily require the above options.

Multifunctional UEFI

And what is UEFI? If you decipher the abbreviation and translate it into Russian, the innovation is called the Expandable Interface of Embedded Software. The system was developed by Intel in 2001 and had a highly specialized direction for server hardware. The UEFI was created due to the inoperability of Itanium processors with the old built-in software, since the core of the server computer needed significantly enhanced functionality. Ordinary users saw the novelty only in 2006 on board computers developed by Apple. Later, innovations began to appear in products of other firms, as reported by the first word Unifed in the abbreviation. Among them is present as Microsoft, with its contribution to UEFI, the installation of Windows 7 under which was optimized by the company, and other developers of software and hardware.

Advantages of UEFI when installing systems from Microsoft

Thanks to the innovations, huge sizes of hard disks are now possible to install Windows 7. GPT UEFI BIOS supports by default, and the system will be placed under this partition table. It is worthwhile to clarify that under the words of "huge size" we mean drives that are more than 2Tb in size. The old system supported only such hard drives, the place on which did not exceed this mark. This is because the BIOS used a partitioning of the MBR type to work with the drive, which contained the size of each record of 32 bits. From the calculations, a figure of 4 billion sectors is made, which is the same as 2Tb. To someone and now, such a volume may seem superfluous, but many 3d designers, not to mention employees using server hardware, have long needed this capacity. Thanks to the UEFI BIOS, the installation of Windows 7, 8 and 10 can now be implemented on hard disks with a cloudless volume of up to 8 billion Tb.

Compatibility with various equipment

Modern motherboards are equipped with software that supports both old equipment with MBR, and a new one with GPT markup. Now the user can choose the option most suitable for his computer. This is possible thanks to the support of UEFI dualbios. Installation of Windows 7, 8 and 10 for such equipment will be available in two modes simultaneously, the choice of one of which is made by the user himself when downloading from the drive.

Visual interface

Some developers not only introduced changes in the code, but also completely redesigned the interface design, allowing to speed up interaction with the user. Another plus was the ability to use the computer mouse to control UEFI elements. Installing Windows 7 makes it even easier and more convenient. It is only necessary to get used to a new visual style once, and the desire to return to computers running the BIOS completely disappears. Also in the future, developers promise to create additional utilities for UEFI, up to the point that there will be released applications that provide access to the Internet without installing the operating system. Partially, this task has already been completed, since the update of the pre-installed software takes place via a network protocol.

Additional protection for Windows

Another important thing is the so-called secure installation of Windows 7. GPT UEFI are new standards that will strengthen the protection on the operating system from Microsoft. Utility is able to reduce the chance of loss and leakage of information. This option is enabled by default in the software, but at the user's request it can be easily deactivated in the settings.

Speed and orientation in the UEFI interface

Due to the redesigned basis, UEFI is able to accelerate the loading of Windows several times. Orienting in the new interface has become much easier thanks to the bright and visually understandable content. Each category has found an icon similar to those found in the operating system itself. Also there appeared a section of utilities that was not used until now. There are applications that allow you to view additional computer properties, such as installed equipment, temperature of elements and much more. Of course, a specific set of utilities depends on the manufacturer and the type of motherboard.

Going from MBR to GPT

When switching from a system installed under the BIOS to MBR disk layout, it is worthwhile to think about saving important information. If this is not required, you can immediately proceed with the installation. But in the case when the computer contains valuable data for the user, it will be necessary to perform their archiving or re-partitioning the disk with the help of specialized software.

Preparing USB with Windows 7 for installation on UEFI

Having studied the basics of working with new security and deciding whether it is expedient to work under it on the current equipment, it is necessary to prepare for the process. Installing Windows 7 through UEFI will require certain skills for recording the very distribution of the system. Users who are accustomed to using flash drives will need to be provided with a fresh version of the windows from Microsoft and one of the programs for recording the distribution to USB. For example, one of these programs, called Rufus, will be presented.

After downloading the latest version of the application, you will need to select a flash drive with a minimum of 4Gb. Run Rufus on behalf of the administrator with the confirmation of access rights "UAC". Go to the "Device" section, you will need to click on your flash drive for subsequent recording of the distribution on that device. If you want to install the system with the marking of the MBR or GPT disk, you should mark the corresponding item. It is recommended to leave the file system as default FAT32. In the next step, you will need to select the ISO image itself, which was previously downloaded or purchased in a boxed edition of the system and press the "Start" button. After the end of the process, the USB flash drive under UEFI will be completely ready.

Booting from a drive in UEFI mode on different hardware

Of course, first you need to boot correctly, as this is strictly required by the UEFI installation of Windows 7. Gigabyte develops motherboards with Dual UEFI BIOS. On such equipment, you need to go through the F9 key in the settings before starting the process and select the appropriate mode of operation. Similar actions can be performed on most motherboards of other developers.

Often, fast loading in UEFI mode is also used. To do this, by calling the boot-devices menu, you need to select a flash drive with the tag of the desired mode assigned (Lagacy does not have it).

If the user does not use the new BIOS, the desktop computer has the option of completely deactivating it. It is worth noting that Lagacy Boot in the settings will not turn off, even when the UEFI installation is Windows 7. Acer is one of the developers who on their laptops and completely removed the option to deactivate any of the modes, leading to the need to use only a quick download for selection.

It is very interesting that at first the new built-in security and partly GPT markup when installed in the above mode blocked pirated crack for the operating system from Microsoft. Yet hackers quickly enough to make corrections to their activator Windows 7, UEFI mode in which has already been taken into account in full.

By downloading the user-requested method, the further steps to install the system do not change.

The only thing worth noting is that when you partition the disk into partitions, the windows now create a slightly larger number of additional partitions.