# Z370 MB, i7 9700k, and Windows 7?



## Liberty (Jul 5, 2019)

I'd like to upgrade my system and continue to use Windows 7 (new fresh install, 64-bit).

I know Windows 7 will install on Z370 motherboards with 8th Gen Intel chips (drivers seem readily available and work with the i7 8700K for instance), but will a Z370 MB running an i7-9700K have any issues running Windows 7? Or should I just stick with what works and use an i7 8700K?


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## Arctucas (Jul 5, 2019)

I have W7 on a Z390 with a 9900K, the only issue I have is that the Intel USB ports do not work, so I use the AsMedia ports with a USB hub.


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## Vario (Jul 5, 2019)

I had no issues running 7 on my 8600K and ASRock Z370 Taichi.  Theres a PS2 simulator option in the bios.  I turn it on, install 7, then install the USB 3.0 drivers off the mobo disk once in Windows, then reboot and turn off the simulator.  For the NVMe drive I just imaged the Win 7 image from SATA onto the NVMe.
Edit: then you want to run the updates.  After it stops updating, you download the WUFUC utility which allows it to continue patching.  Same utility allows for Ryzen on Win 7 as well. https://github.com/zeffy/wufuc

If you have a PS2 keyboard you can install that way.  Or you can try using the Asmedia ports like described above.  Another method is to slipstream the USB3 drivers onto the Win7 installer.  A few of the motherboard manufacturers have utilities for this.


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## TheMadDutchDude (Jul 5, 2019)

I have a Windows 7 ISO with XHCI already embedded in it. I’ll post a link if you’d like it. You’ll still need drivers for the M.2 drive, but that’s not difficult.


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## Liberty (Jul 5, 2019)

Thank you for the information Arctucas and Vario.



Arctucas said:


> I have W7 on a Z390 with a 9900K, the only issue I have is that the Intel USB ports do not work, so I use the AsMedia ports with a USB hub.



Arctucas, do you need to use the USB hub because of the 9900K or because of the Z390 chipset?



Vario said:


> I had no issues running 7 on my 8600K and ASRock Z370 Taichi.  Theres a PS2 simulator option in the bios.  I turn it on, install 7, then install the USB 3.0 drivers off the mobo disk once in Windows, then reboot and turn off the simulator.  For the NVMe drive I just imaged the Win 7 image from SATA onto the NVMe.
> Edit: then you want to run the updates.  After it stops updating, you download the WUFUC utility which allows it to continue patching.  Same utility allows for Ryzen on Win 7 as well. https://github.com/zeffy/wufuc
> 
> If you have a PS2 keyboard you can install that way.  Or you can try using the Asmedia ports like described above.  Another method is to slipstream the USB3 drivers onto the Win7 installer.  A few of the motherboard manufacturers have utilities for this.



I was reading about slipstreaming updates into a Windows 7 installer. I'm going to attempt that. I haven't made a USB installer in years (many years!). I like the re-imaging from SATA to NVMe. I didn't even think of that! *facepalm*



TheMadDutchDude said:


> I have a Windows 7 ISO with XHCI already embedded in it. I’ll post a link if you’d like it. You’ll still need drivers for the M.2 drive, but that’s not difficult.



If it isn't a problem, sure. Thank you!


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## TheMadDutchDude (Jul 5, 2019)

Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1 with XHCI.iso
					






					drive.google.com


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## Vario (Jul 6, 2019)

TheMadDutchDude said:


> Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1 with XHCI.iso
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thats a nice iso, can it downgrade to pro with a pro key or are there any pro ones with XHCI bundled?


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## TheMadDutchDude (Jul 6, 2019)

That’s my own ISO and upload. 

You can edit the file before installing. It’s very easy to do.

Extract to a USB as you normally would (Rufus or otherwise). Go into the drive, sources, and look for ei.cfg, edit with notepad and remove the “edition” part. Leave a blank line. It’ll open the ISO to install anything from starter to ultimate.

Alternatively, delete that file and it’ll allow any version to be installed as well.


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## Vario (Jul 6, 2019)

TheMadDutchDude said:


> That’s my own ISO and upload.
> 
> You can edit the file before installing. It’s very easy to do.
> 
> ...


Cool thank you for the file!


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## Liberty (Jul 6, 2019)

Thank you! This will be very helpful!



TheMadDutchDude said:


> Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1 with XHCI.iso
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Out of curiosity, does this ISO also include the Servicing Stack Update and the Convenience Rollup too?


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## TheMadDutchDude (Jul 6, 2019)

It does not, sorry. It was primarily built for Z170 benchmarking and nothing more.


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## Liberty (Jul 6, 2019)

TheMadDutchDude said:


> It does not, sorry. It was primarily built for Z170 benchmarking and nothing more.



No problem. Thanks again!


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## Vario (Jul 6, 2019)

One thing to make it easy is I keep an image of Win7 on a $20 Microcenter/Inland 120 GB SSD with the OS built on it and fully updated, I can re-image my 970 Pro in several minutes if I need to rebuild my OS.


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## Liberty (Jul 6, 2019)

Vario said:


> One thing to make it easy is I keep an image of Win7 on a $20 Microcenter/Inland 120 GB SSD with the OS built on it and fully updated, I can re-image my 970 Pro in several minutes if I need to rebuild my OS.



What is the standard/most reliable imaging software these days? Is Acronis still decent? Are there cheaper options?

I'm probably going to reinstall Windows 7 on all of my household PCs/laptops this fall and it would be great to have a working backup of them filed away.


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## Arctucas (Jul 6, 2019)

Liberty said:


> Thank you for the information Arctucas and Vario. Arctucas, do you need to use the USB hub because of the 9900K or because of the Z390 chipset?



My board, eVGA Z390 Dark, has one AsMedia 3.0 and one AsMedia 3.1port. I use the 3.1 port for my external M.2 SSD, and the hub is connected to the 3.0 for mouse/keyboard, printer, UPS, and other USB devices. There are no W7 drivers for the Intel USB ports for the Z390 chipset.









						Windows 7 Image Updater - SkyLake\KabyLake\CoffeLake\Ryzen Threadripper
					

[IMG]  Hello guys! Few months ago I decided to write simple application for those who are having issues trying to install Windows 7 on modern...




					forums.mydigitallife.net


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## TheMadDutchDude (Jul 6, 2019)

I’m sure the Z370 driver will work if you tried that. (Is there a Win 7 driver?)


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## Liberty (Jul 6, 2019)

Arctucas said:


> My board, eVGA Z390 Dark, has one AsMedia 3.0 and one AsMedia 3.1port. I use the 3.1 port for my external M.2 SSD, and the hub is connected to the 3.0 for mouse/keyboard, printer, UPS, and other USB devices. There are no W7 drivers for the Intel USB ports for the Z390 chipset.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I recall seeing that thread earlier this week. I never "signed up," so I couldn't see all the contents. I'll go back and check it out.




TheMadDutchDude said:


> I’m sure the Z370 driver will work if you tried that. (Is there a Win 7 driver?)



I'm in the process of gathering information so I can get the correct parts, so I haven't tried anything yet. I'm trying to avoid that "uh oh" moment when you realize you just spent hundreds of dollars on items that might not be compatible with my vision of a system. The only thing I have purchased so far is a Z370 motherboard and some compatible memory. The Z370 chipset does have Windows 7 drivers. The Z390s do not (as Arctucas mentioned in his post). I almost bought a Z390 MB when I found out Windows 7 would be a problem. And that's when I started to do my research on this.

People have gotten Windows 7 to operate on Z390 MBs after a lot of trouble (it seems). I'd like to avoid those issues and use what works to avoid pulling out what is left of my hair. 

I know the 9th Generation i7 chips will work on Z370 boards with a BIOS update, but my concern was that Windows 7 would not easily run with those chips.


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## TheMadDutchDude (Jul 6, 2019)

It will run just fine. You just need to get some patchers so that Windows doesn’t deny your updates because of the whole “no support for your product” BS.


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## Vario (Jul 7, 2019)

Liberty said:


> What is the standard/most reliable imaging software these days? Is Acronis still decent? Are there cheaper options?
> 
> I'm probably going to reinstall Windows 7 on all of my household PCs/laptops this fall and it would be great to have a working backup of them filed away.


Not sure to be honest, I just use the Samsung Disk Migration software.



TheMadDutchDude said:


> It will run just fine. You just need to get some patchers so that Windows doesn’t deny your updates because of the whole “no support for your product” BS.


Win 7 runs flawless on this Z370 Taichi + i5 8600K.  Its 100% stable, no issues with compatibility besides the initial "no support" message that I got rid of with WUFUC.  7 is blazing fast with modern hardware.  Its great.


Arctucas said:


> My board, eVGA Z390 Dark, has one AsMedia 3.0 and one AsMedia 3.1port. I use the 3.1 port for my external M.2 SSD, and the hub is connected to the 3.0 for mouse/keyboard, printer, UPS, and other USB devices. There are no W7 drivers for the Intel USB ports for the Z390 chipset.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Can you install Intel USB drivers for it instead of what EVGA provides?  The one my Asrock Z370 driver disk has is called Intel USB 5.0.0.32.  Would that type of driver work on your board?
Doing a google search I found this one https://station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=353&func=fileinfo&id=2430&lang=en


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## Liberty (Jul 7, 2019)

TheMadDutchDude said:


> It will run just fine. You just need to get some patchers so that Windows doesn’t deny your updates because of the whole “no support for your product” BS.



Thanks! I'd prefer to get the newer i7 9700K chip and from what I'm seeing and your comments, it should be fine with Windows 7 on a Z370 board.

And thanks to everyone else that helped me. I appreciate you taking your time to answer my concerns!


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## TheMadDutchDude (Jul 7, 2019)

You’ll be absolutely fine.


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## Liberty (Jul 7, 2019)

TheMadDutchDude said:


> You’ll be absolutely fine.



Thanks again. You guys really helped to allay some of my fears. If I do run into some snags, I may be back (that would be weeks from now though). Take care.


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## Vario (Jul 7, 2019)

Liberty said:


> Thanks! I'd prefer to get the newer i7 9700K chip and from what I'm seeing and your comments, it should be fine with Windows 7 on a Z370 board.
> 
> And thanks to everyone else that helped me. I appreciate you taking your time to answer my concerns!


Hopefully the Z370 board supports the 9th gen without a bios update, that's the only issue I see.  Otherwise you might need a celeron or something cheap to boot it for an update.  Some Asus boards will also update without a CPU.  Or you can run a 8700K.
Which Z370 board are you thinking of getting?


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## Liberty (Jul 7, 2019)

The Asus ROG Hero X (without WiFi).


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## Vario (Jul 7, 2019)

Liberty said:


> The Asus ROG Hero X (without WiFi).


That model should have the USB Bios Flashback so you can update without a CPU.
https://rog.asus.com/technology/republic-of-gamers-motherboard-innovations/usb-bios-flashback/
Hopefully you have no problems with the Win 7 with XHCI.
The ASRock Z370 Extreme4, Killer SLI / AC, Taichi, Z370 Fatal1ty Z370 Professional Gaming i7 are quite simple as it has PS/2 ports and a PS/2 simulator.  However you'd need an 8th gen CPU to update the bios.


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## Liberty (Jul 7, 2019)

From what I have researched, Windows 7 should run on the board without any problems. There are Windows 7 dedicated driver files on the ASUS website that include something called ASUS EZinstaller that I think will help with XHCI functionality. If you follow the link and select Windows 7 and then select "See All Downloads," the bottom version lists help with USB 3.0 for Windows 7.

I also downloaded this file (USB 3.0 Driver) from Intel the other day and I hope it will take care of any USB issues if the ASUS program doesn't.

Do those look adequate? Since these files say USB 3.0, one of my concerns will be that I can't use a USB 3.1 Gen 2 port connection on the board for the front panel of a case (the connection slot is included on the motherboard).

I never used ASRock before. Their BIOS looks very organized. I went with ASUS since that is what I am familiar with. Maybe not the best reason, but too late now.


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## Vario (Jul 8, 2019)

Liberty said:


> From what I have researched, Windows 7 should run on the board without any problems. There are Windows 7 dedicated driver files on the ASUS website that include something called ASUS EZinstaller that I think will help with XHCI functionality. If you follow the link and select Windows 7 and then select "See All Downloads," the bottom version lists help with USB 3.0 for Windows 7.
> 
> I also downloaded this file (USB 3.0 Driver) from Intel the other day and I hope it will take care of any USB issues if the ASUS program doesn't.
> 
> ...



I think that Intel USB 3.0 driver is the same as the one I got from my ASRock disk.  You should be fine with that Asus.  I see the mention of the EZinstaller you linked here.  https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1038870/ I don't think it matters 3.1 or 3.0 it should work. The main problem with installing 7 on these boards is if the board lacks non-3.0/3.1 non-intel ports you can't get a mouse to work in the install to click through the menus. Once you are in Windows and you have the 3.0 drivers installed so you have a baseline functionality and can click on menus, you can probably grab whatever intel driver you need to get those 3.1 working. I used the USB 3.0 driver simply because it was on my Z370 Taichi's disk. As an aside, most of my ports are 3.1 but they work fine with the 3.0 driver.


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## Liberty (Jul 8, 2019)

Vario said:


> I think that Intel USB 3.0 driver is the same as the one I got from my ASRock disk.  You should be fine with that Asus.  I see the mention of the EZinstaller you linked here.  https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1038870/ I don't think it matters 3.1 or 3.0 it should work. The main problem with installing 7 on these boards is if the board lacks non-3.0/3.1 non-intel ports you can't get a mouse to work in the install to click through the menus. Once you are in Windows and you have the 3.0 drivers installed so you have a baseline functionality and can click on menus, you can probably grab whatever intel driver you need to get those 3.1 working. I used the USB 3.0 driver simply because it was on my Z370 Taichi's disk. As an aside, most of my ports are 3.1 but they work fine with the 3.0 driver.



Wow. Thanks for that link. I haven't seen that yet, nor have I have seen it referenced on other online threads.


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## kitokitic (Jul 8, 2019)

guys just for info.
win-raid dot com
this is a great web for usb/chipset drivers for people that need new hardware but want win7.
it helped me alot.

I built z270+7600k, z370+8600k and currently finishing asus x370 prime pro + R5-2600, all with win7 (using wufuc, WUMT and blocking/deleting all those win10 nag updates).


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