Hello!
First of all, I’m really happy about this Forum. Its fine quality suggests, that there is a chance to find here someone, that could help with my problem.
I’m struggling with installation of Windows 7 on my new notebook. Kaby Lake platform with 7th gen. Intel processor causes some problems.
I know that only Windows 10 is fully supported on this platform, but still, i just need W7 on it.
I tried to install W7 from .iso file transported to pendrive via Rufus software (GPT for UEFI), but it wont work. My BIOS setup is: UEFI mode, secure boot disabled. When Im trying to boot I get:
“Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause
(…)
File: \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD
Status: 0xc000000d
Info: an error occurred while attempting to read the boot configuration data"
When I try to boot in legacy mode from .iso on DVD via external USB DVD drive, the installation starts, but after language selection, I get: “A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing (…)”.
I have two USB 2.0 ports and one USB 3.0 and I tried 2.0 ports for attempts described above.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Aspir…w.185545.0.html - in this review the author mentions W7 installation on similar hardware and says AHCI Intel drivers integration with W7 .iso image is needed. I have tried integrating Intel SATA AHCI Driver (15.7.0.1014) (from Acer site, this is the version dedicated to my notebook) via NTLite tool, but again, it doesn’t work, 0xc000000d again. Those drivers are for Windows 10, but I’m confused, what are the right ones for my hardware and W7.
Now Im trying to install this OS on the default HDD, but soon Im planning to get M.2 SSD and Im not sure, how will it be different.
Thanks for reading this message.
I would be deeply grateful for any help!
Salamandra
@Salamandra :
Welcome to the Win-RAID Forum!
Although I do not understand, why you want to use an outdated OS with your rather new and obviouly properly running laptop, I will try to help you:
Provided, that there is still Win10 running on your laptop, please open the Device Manager, expand the sections “IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers” and “Storage Controllers” and look for devices with the word “Controller” in their name.
Please tell us
a) the exact names of the Controllers and their HardwareIDs (right click onto it > “Properties” > “Details” > “Property” > “HardwareIDs” nd
b) the driver details (version and date), which are used by the Controllers (right-click onto i > “Properties” > “Driver”.
Maybe >this< video will help you to solve your problem.
Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)
Many thanks for your reply, Dieter!
I don’t have any OS installed on this laptop at the moment, so the video posted by you isn’t helpful in my case.
Shortly after purchase I installed openSUSE 42.3 with no problems at all but now I have only clean HDD with one empty NTFS partition (created by GPARTED).
As I’m unable to share with you information from Device Manager, I’m sending link to data collected with Debian live (GPARTED): https://imgur.com/a/f3UDa
By the way, isn’t Sunrise Point Chipset a nickname for 100 Series Intel for Skylake processors? Strange to be set up with the Kaby Lake 7th gen i5-7200U processor.
@Salamandra :
Everything would be much easier for the later Win7 installation, if you would temporarily install Win10 and look for the details I have asked for.
A Win10 installation will work flawlessly within a few minutes.
All Intel 100-Series Chipsets are named “Sunrise Point”, but their processor can be a SkyLake or KabyLake one.
My apologies for not taking your request seriously enough.
I have installed Win10 again and I am sharing with you the details you asked for:
https://imgur.com/a/NAeLE
@Salamandra :
Thanks for the requested details.
It should be no big problem to get Win7 installed in UEFI mode onto your system.
This is what I recommend to do:
1. Download an Intel AHCI driver, which supports your on-board Intel SATA AHCI Controller, for example the Intel RST(e) driver v15.7.6.1027 WHQL.
2. Create a Win7 UEFI Installer by using the tool Rufus according to >this< guide.
3. Boot off the USB Flash Drive, which contains the desired Win7 image with integrated USB 3.0 support, and install Win7.
4. If the target drive should not be detected by the Win7 Setup, load the prepared Intel AHCI driver.
Good luck!
Thank you for all suggestions, but it doesn’t work. I did exactly the same procedure before i started this thread, but with other drivers. Unfortunately, with those kindly suggested by you there is no difference. Every time, the same situation:
"Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause
(…)
File: \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD
Status: 0xc000000d
Info: an error occurred while attempting to read the boot configuration data"
The .iso file which I use in this procedure works fine on other devices.
Although Windows 7 does support UEFI, its graphics drivers (vga.sys and others) still rely on CSM (Compatibility Support Module) to be enabled in order to boot. I recently had the same error on my board (Z87X-UD3H) while trying for UEFI Windows 7 without CSM. Make sure CSM is enabled but you are still in UEFI mode in the BIOS.
Maybe the bootloader file within your bootable USB Flash Drive is not ok.
Try the following:
1. Open the USB Flash Drive with the Windows Explorer and copy the folder named “boot”, which is within the \efi\microsoft sobfolder, into the folder above, that means into the \efi folder.
2. Open the source Win7 Image (on DVD or as ISO file) by using a tool like 7-zip and expand the file install.wim, which is within the “souces” directory.
3. Navigate to the subfolder “\1\Windows\Boot\EFI” of the source image and copy the file named “bootmgfw.efi”.
4. Paste the copied file named “bootmgfw.efi” (it is the UEFI Bootloader) into the subfolder “\efi\boot” of your bootable USB Flash Drive.
5. Rename the file named “bootmgfw.efi” to “bootx64.efi”.
6. Repeat the Win7 installation procedure by booting off the customized bootable USB Flash Drive.
Good luck!
@MattSwindleTips :
Thank you for help. Unfortunately, I do not have an option to enable CSM boot support in my BIOS settings.
@Fernando :
I have tried this procedure. I had already a file named "bootx64.efi" in "\efi\boot", so I replaced it with "bootmgfw.efi" from "\1\Windows\Boot\EFI" in "install.wim" from Win7 ISO. No changes.
Which options do you have within the BOOT section of your system’s BIOS?
Another question: Does your currently flashed BIOS support NVMe at all?
Did you rename the related file to “bootx64.efi”?
Otherwise it would not work.
Well you can always try this here, this is what I’m working on at the moment to try and get native UEFI on my Windows 7 installation: http://reboot.pro/topic/21108-install-wi…l-gop-hardware/
EDIT: Just so you know, replacing bootmgfw.efi with the one from a Windows 10 installation allowed me to semi-boot the OS without any CSM support, it might work better for you.
@Fernando :
In the BOOT section of BIOS I can change between UEFI/Legacy mode and with the UEFI mode selected I can disable Secure Boot option (which I do).
Except boot priority there is nothing more I can change in this section.
Yes, I renamed this file to "bootx64.efi".
How can I check the NVMe support?
@MattSwindleTips :
Thanks for your advice. I will try to replace this file when I get home.
What do you mean by "semi-boot"?
You can check it by opening the BIOS by using the AMI MMTool or the UEFITool and looking for a DXE Driver module named “nvme”.
I have already tried it, but wasn’t able to extract the real BIOS file from the *.exe file.
Im not sure how can I get the BIOS file.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwgIBjsqBIM - I have managed to extract .bin file from BIOS .exe from Acer site, but it won’t open neither in AMI MMTool nor in the UEFITool.
@Salamandra :
Can you put the extracted BIOS *.fd file into a *.ZIP or *.RAR archive and attach it?
Another question:
Has the Hynix NVMe SSD been part of your original ACER laptop or did you buy and insert it later?
I ask this, because it is not impossible, that your specific NVMe SSD has an on-board NVMe Option ROM and doesn’t need an NVMe EFI module. In this case you would have to install your OS in LEGACY mode.
I don’t have the .fd BIOS file, I have only isflash.bin file extracted from .exe from Acer site by method from the video I have posted before, there were no .fd files in the extracted directory. I do not know if this .bin file is the BIOS image, but if we are still looking for the .fd file I would ask you for advice how to get it.
I do not own any Hynix NVMe SSD 
The only disc in this laptop is Western Digital HDD. It does have SSD M.2 port but it is empty so far.
isflash.rar (4.97 MB)
@MattSwindleTips :
I have replaced bootmgfw.efi from Win10 as \efi\boot\bootx64.efi. No 0xc000000d anymore, but now the installation freezes at the beginning, on "Starting Windows".
@Salamandra :
Thanks for having attached the file named isflash.bin.
Yes, it is an EFI/Insyde BIOS, but it cannot be opened by any usual BIOS tool like AMI’s MMTool or CodeRush’s UEFITool. Nevertheless I was able to extract its content by using the Phoenixtool, but I couldn’t find any hint of an NVMe module.
Ok, I obviously mixed your system with the one of somebody else.
I am sorry about the confusion.
EDIT: It is not easy to understand why you are not able to get Win7 installed onto your ACER notebook. I suspect, that ACER has put something into the BIOS, which prevents the installation of any older Windows Operating System, but why???
Yes, It seems unnecessarly complicated to install Win7 on this laptop. It only makes me more determined to succeed!