[Guide] NVMe-boot for systems with legacy BIOS and UEFI board (DUET-REFIND)

Go down the page a bit, it has direct download links to 10 iso and its directly from Microsoft.

https://www.itechtics.com/windows-10-180…nd_Installation

Thanks. i got the Downies.

I do something 1 way and I get too used to it.

I’m pretty sure you are trying to install OS for GPT, on MBR formatted boot drive (check diskpart for more info).
Also @1xstealthx1 SM951 doesn’t have legacy oprom (I own both AHCI and NVMe versions).
HOWEVER if you own AHCI version of that drive, Windows 7 will work on it with no updates needed (assuming boot is configured correctly).
Did you disabled or disconnected any other hard drives/SSDs before installing Windows ?

PS. PM951 is NOT equall to SM951.
From what I read, PM951 MZ-FLV2560 has 1000/280 (MB/s) transfer speeds.

PS2. @noInk Is it possible to install DUET on hard drive, while utilising SATA “Hot Plug” function ?

@agentx007

Supposedly you can but it’s better to allocate the MBR of DUET on it’s own.


No, he hasn’t gotten this far yet, because the installer is crapping out on him far before he even makes it to the boot drive selection screen, its not even leaving the initial circle animation. So that can’t be his issue. I suspect it is the created usb installer, in fact I pretty much guarantee it. His symptom is identical to what I get when I have accidentally not created the usb correctly.

At this point I would create the USB correctly using rufus, then clean the nvme ssd somehow or boot up pmagic and do a nand wipe and then try duet again. If that don’t work then something hardware wise is possibly broken. I can’t imagine that not working for me on that same board.

Well, he said they both work without DUET.

So they must be "legacy boot" type (or have option for both EFI and Legacy).
Point is, IF he wants to avoid DUET usb booting, he can make "EFI" partition manually and copy files from other GPT boot drive (you only have to enable "show system/hidden files" and make EFI partition visible to OS [it’s hidden by default] if you want to copy files from it).
With that partition (and copied files on it), he should be able to copy installer files (without DUET), and proceed with installation after reboot (because now DUET should detect EFI files on M.2 "EFI" partion).
I don’t know if non-modified copied EFI files from one drive will work for installation on another (didn’t tested it).
It’s more complicated method, but it should work if pendrive files are ok and booting is at fault.

@1xstealthx1

DUET doesn’t detect the USB with the Windows 7 installer because there a 100% chance your WINDOWS 7 MEDIA INSTALLATION is imaged on some NTFS drive and also miss the required bootx64 EFI for UEFI!

Again, if Windows 10 BUG out, I would check on that too:

DOWNLOAD from Microsoft the MEDIA CREATION TOOL and follow it’s self-explanatory instruction to make the USB directly from it.

IF this fail: we can see further were the issue lies.

@agentx007

Yeah of course his Windows 7 works when he removes the DUET UEFI bootloader, because since when has windows 7 not been designed for legacy systems? Windows 7 was designed for his system. So when he loads DUET his installer is expecting a legacy board that it was designed for. So it fails. When he removes the UEFI duet it then succeeds to work because it’s back to a legacy system.

He needs to create a usb installer that has EFI drivers such as bootx64.efi, which is what we have been trying to get him to do.

With the NVME adapter @1xstealthx1 linked few post back, I’ll take us forward and bring us to the discussion that he might not be able to fully shutdown the system from the OS in UEFI.
Might not happen, perhaps it’s vendor vs specific device, but… we’ll see once he is done setting this up and got it running…

It’s just a dumb x4 adapter like everyone else is using. Only difference is this one has a built in heat spreader for the nand chips. I have two of those type of x4 adapters and they work perfectly when shutting down my x58 and every other legacy system I have tried it on. I have been using those adapters on my x58 since 2016.

@SkOrPn

I’ve made the README.htm within the .zip more clear to read, dunno if it make more easily to follow.

Thanks folks. Still no time, now you understand why I was really trying to get it going at that time.
I have limited window time frame, and i do what I can. I didn’t have time to do media creation.

I’ll be back when I find time.

@1xstealthx1

No issue for me, if there something you don’t understand - just ask: it’s should take less than all the talk once you got the requirement in place.

I followed SkOrPn’s video and created a thanks by the way, and created a Duet-Refined usb disc and also created a Windows 10 installation USB disk.

But when I run fs1:\EFI\Boot\Bootx64.efi from the UEFI Shell the Windows USB just loops on the windows load screen. What’s strange is a pink line forms across the top of the screen, see attached photo.

I know the boot disk works because without the duet-refined usb plugged in the windows install usb disk works fine.

01281625-5B52-48FB-9911-218080DAED77.jpeg

5D2ADF02-B088-4BA9-B4B5-22AE7CCAE4F9.jpeg

@Fish1717

Without any info about your setup…
that line might something about the graphics card or the monitor resolution.
At that point the function to clear the screen is on the hand of windows.
Usually something like that will be displayed once there a change in the GOP mode.

The default GOP mode in REFIND is 1024 x 768

Since you are running the OS from the EFI shell, does the same issue happen from the REFIND graphical menu?

About the bootloop…
if the OS is correctly installed window should enter in safe mode after 3 failed attempt, or at least give you something contextual to work on the issue.

@noInk

I apologize should have been more clear, the screen I referenced is when I’m trying to install windows so it’s not a boot loop as I don’t have windows installed.

I entered the following into the shell prompt
fs1:\EFI\Boot\Bootx64.efi

Is that the right command? After I run the above it just shows the screen I attached previously. Perhaps it’s he wrong command?

What should I run to install windows from the UFIE from the Windows 10 installation USB disk?

How would u run the windows 10 installation via the REFIND graphical menu? I don’t see the windows option in the menu just a icon of 3 different colored circles.

So for some reason REFIND is not finding the Windows Installer. Any ideas?

My setup is a Asus X58 board P6X58D-E, i7-920, latest bios.

I’m thinking there’s a setting wrong in my bios can’t figure it out.

I changed my SATA bios setting to ahci. Do I need to configure the drive prior? I’ve tried formatting it to ntfs. Do I need to convert it to gpt?

@Fish1717

The image with the 3 dot might actually be the USB with your Windows installer.
There are no particular setting to be changed, or anything.
If your board is unstable or you are not sure about its setting, restore the default config before installing the OS.

As far it goes for the command;
If the app has been built to auto-chain whatever it take and all dependency are accessible on the registered path, your “fs1:\EFI\Boot\bootx64.efi” from the shell should suffice.

Anything else is unattended.
Describe the issue, expectation, plus full hardware.

This x64 BUILD is made to work on ->2005 hardware ( AND IT WILL unless proprietary stuff are in place ).
There might be issue on AMD since some code is purposely “left” out for in memory size operation.

Hi,

My motherboard is ASUA P8Z68 Pro/Gen3 with i7-2600K. I have installed a PCIe X2 card with Samsung 960 Pro M.2 NVMe SSD and want to start the machine with DUET created USB drive to install Win 10 to the 960 Pro. I follow the procedure to create the USB boot successfully, and copy the .efi files "NvmExpressDxe-64.efi", "Xhci???.efi" and "Bootx64.efi" to the flash drive.

However, after successful boot from the flash driver, and key in the load command for the NVMe efi, the cursor move to the next line and the screen freeze there, no response to any keyboard input. The system seems hang as there is no change of LED status when toggling NUM lock or CAPS lock. I have checked the .efi files size comparing to the downloaded ones, they are of the same size.

Do you think the .efi driver is too old, or any of you have come across similar situation, Kindly advise.

Appreciate to your great help in advance.
Steve

@steve

If your board has UEFI capability you must use the motherboard in UEFI and follow the line Booting the NVME drive from older-UEFI capable board - REFIND mass-storage without DUET - with USBSetup:


1) Connect a USB flash drive and start the USBSetup application

2) Select the USB flash drive letter from the drop-down combo box

    Warning.
    The following step will completely remove all information and partitions on the selected USB flash drive

3) Remove all information and partitions from the drive by clicking on: CLEAN

4) Optional format the selected drive by clicking on: FORMAT

5) Copy the graphical boot manager REFIND by clicking on: REFIND

6) Once done remove the USB flash drive.

7) Connect the USB on the target system and set Boot from USB as the first option in your system BIOS Boot order




If you consume the timeout and detach the keyboard after hitting any key in REFIND you might need to manually reboot, also, there no need to copy over any additional driver with USBSetup.

I apologise if this have been answered before somewhere on the forum. I’m trying to find a way to automatically boot Duet+Refind from hdd since I’ve lost already two USB drives (got MBR corruption)? I did find agentx007 forum reply but that is a semi-automatic method. Hope someone can help me.