# Installing Windows 7 on Coffee Lake



## Devastator0 (Jun 5, 2018)

Hey all,

So, to spare you all the lengthy explanation of why I need to do it, I'll just ask what I'm trying to accomplish and see if the masterful TPU community can help me out. I've just put together a new Coffee Lake system which I need to install Windows 7 on. I need to perform the installation from a DVD that is loaded into a USB optical drive (an Asus SBW-06D2X-U).

I've done a bit of digging myself to try and see if I can get it done without bothering anyone and what I found https://aureus.pw/topic/1528-how-to-install-windows-7-on-skylake-kaby-lake-coffee-lake/) said that I should disable xHCI handoff in the machine's BIOS (which I did) and change the O/S setting to "Other OS" (which I did). I then tried to boot up the Windows 7 installer and it got to the Language/Keyboard selection screen but neither my mouse or keyboard was responding at that stage. I was wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction or give me some constructive advice that may allow me to try to successfully complete what I'm trying here (I don't mind if there is a bit of faffing around, I just want to see if I can do this)

Mobo in use is an Asus H370-I Gaming in case that is needed. Also, if any other info is needed, please let me know and I'll post it up.

I would welcome any assistance


----------



## Melvis (Jun 5, 2018)

USB Drivers would be your issue here I think, if you have an old PS2 keyboard and if the motherboards supports it you could use that to finish your install? otherwise you have to install the USB drivers into your W7 ISO by memory.


----------



## R-T-B (Jun 5, 2018)

Melvis said:


> USB Drivers would be your issue here I think, if you have an old PS2 keyboard and if the motherboards supports it you could use that to finish your install? otherwise you have to install the USB drivers into your W7 ISO by memory.



Yep.  Hit the nail on the head.

If you have any USB2-only ports, they may work as well.


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 5, 2018)

nope, intel make it (close to) impossible installing win 7 on newer hardware, at least for now


----------



## Devastator0 (Jun 5, 2018)

Damn, that is unfortunate. The mobo doesn't have any USB2 ports either. Ahh well, ok. Can't be done then.


----------



## newtekie1 (Jun 5, 2018)

Devastator0 said:


> Damn, that is unfortunate. The mobo doesn't have any USB2 ports either. Ahh well, ok. Can't be done then.



No, its possible, and I've done it.  The issue you are having is the Windows 7 has not USB 3.0 drivers, and definitely no USB3.1 drivers.  So when the installer boots, none of the USB ports works because the are all USB 3.1.

However, there is a USB2.0 front panel header on your motherboard.  So you just have to use a USB2.0 front panel header, you can pull one out of an old case or something, and plug your keyboard and mouse into that to do the install.

Then once Windows 7 is installed, you can follow one of the guides on getting all the drivers installed.


----------



## Enterprise24 (Jun 5, 2018)

Just simply follow this guide. I install Windows 7 on 8700K several times for benching purpose / play some old games that don't work well with Windows 10. However you will not receive the lastest update from Microsoft and you will be annoy with processor not compatible notification . I suggest download and installing updates as many as you can and once you receive notification then just turn off the update. Good luck.


----------



## RealNeil (Jun 5, 2018)

I did it with a 7700K setup and I remember that Microsoft gimped the mouse and keyboard functionality to protect us from ourselves and Win-7. 
There are workarounds, but the nag-screens were too much after a month of shutting them off. Finally just decided to Win-10 my newer hardware.


----------



## eidairaman1 (Jun 5, 2018)

Nag screens must of been additional updates being installed. I have my own person whitelisted updates for 7, the list is very outdated now though because the rig has been in a box due to living situation for me...

Utilize usb 2.0 only ports on the mobo, or get a ps/2/mouse kb or adapter. Or learn how to slipstream and have usb 3.0/1 drivers and possibly 2.0 drivers install automatically. Enable any Legacy mode for usb ports if available too.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Jun 5, 2018)

eidairaman1 said:


> Enable any Legacy mode for usb ports if available too



Im glad my mobo has legacy options.


----------



## Sasqui (Jun 5, 2018)

I ran into this with a DELL precision 7710.  What I had to do was create an install CD with a folder containing Win7 USB drivers for Skylake.  It took a few tries (no clue why, but eventually loaded the drivers) and off it went installing Win 7.


----------



## StefanM (Jun 5, 2018)

Here is Microsoft's "not-support page" for this configuration:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...ported-together-with-the-windows-version-that


----------



## Vario (Jun 5, 2018)

I am on Windows 7 and Coffee Lake.  AsRock makes it very easy.  I enable PS2 Emulation mode in the bios.  Install as normal and install the drivers (including the USB drivers) off the install disk.   Then I go into bios and disable the PS2 emulation.  After I reboot, I install all updates until it stops updating.  Then I install WUFUC from github that patches the updater so it continues to install updates.  Works great.  I have never had any problems with this.  The system is super stable.  There are no nagging messages from M$ about updating to Windows 10, there are no problems with the updater, everything works great.  I have the Spectre Meltdown security fixes applied with the security update rollups.  It is a great system.  Feels like Windows 7 was meant to go on here, it is that good.


----------



## eidairaman1 (Jun 5, 2018)

Vario said:


> I am on Windows 7 and Coffee Lake.  AsRock makes it very easy.  I enable PS2 Emulation mode in the bios.  Install as normal and install the drivers (including the USB drivers) off the install disk.   Then I go into bios and disable the PS2 emulation.  After I reboot, I install all updates until it stops updating.  Then I install WUFUC from github that patches the updater so it continues to install updates.  Works great.  I have never had any problems with this.  The system is super stable.  There are no nagging messages from M$ about updating to Windows 10, there are no problems with the updater, everything works great.  I have the Spectre Meltdown security fixes applied with the security update rollups.  It is a great system.  Feels like Windows 7 was meant to go on here, it is that good.



Its fast on my FX even


----------



## Vario (Jun 5, 2018)

eidairaman1 said:


> Its fast on my FX even


Win 7 is faster for me than Win 10.  The boot is drastically faster.  Games run smoother.  There is better compatibility for the older games I frequently play.

here is the WUFUC link:
https://github.com/zeffy/wufuc


----------



## Static~Charge (Jun 5, 2018)

Devastator0 said:


> Damn, that is unfortunate. The mobo doesn't have any USB2 ports either. Ahh well, ok. Can't be done then.


Actually, it _does_ have one USB 2.0 header on the board, just above the PCIe slot.



eidairaman1 said:


> Utilize usb 2.0 only ports on the mobo, or get a ps/2/mouse kb or adapter. Or learn how to slipstream and have usb 3.0/1 drivers and possibly 2.0 drivers install automatically. Enable any Legacy mode for usb ports if available too.


I've run into this issue with some Lenovo machines at work: all of their external USB ports are 3.0. Fortunately, they have a pair of USB 2.0 headers on the motherboard. I bought some USB 2.0 brackets on eBay, plugged one into a header, and mounted it in an expansion slot. This kept the keyboard and mouse working no matter what the installer was doing.


----------



## Caring1 (Jun 5, 2018)

Vario said:


> I am on Windows 7 and Coffee Lake...….. I install WUFUC from *github* that patches the updater so it continues to install updates.


That may not be an option shortly, now that Microsoft has acquired GitHub, I'm sure they will tightly control all third party software.


----------



## Vario (Jun 5, 2018)

Well grab it while you still can I guess.


----------



## Devastator0 (Jun 6, 2018)

newtekie1 said:


> No, its possible, and I've done it.  The issue you are having is the Windows 7 has not USB 3.0 drivers, and definitely no USB3.1 drivers.  So when the installer boots, none of the USB ports works because the are all USB 3.1.
> 
> However, there is a USB2.0 front panel header on your motherboard.  So you just have to use a USB2.0 front panel header, you can pull one out of an old case or something, and plug your keyboard and mouse into that to do the install.
> 
> Then once Windows 7 is installed, you can follow one of the guides on getting all the drivers installed.


Oh yeah, derp, I completely forgot about the mobo usb header. I've ripped out some front panel USB 2.0 heads from a PC at work and I'll be giving this a go when I get home. Will see what happens. Thanks so much mate!

Edit 1: One other question I do have for people that have gotten this to work, have you had to disable anything specific in the BIOS to make it all happen?

Edit 2: Ok, so, I got home, plugged in the front panel thing I got into the USB2 header on the mobo. I then plugged in only my keyboard to the first of the 2 ports, then my installation media into the 2nd (I've migrated the installer to a USB stick and have used this Gigabyte software to inject USB3 drivers & nVMe drivers into it (getting that done seemed to work fine) but I'm still having the issue of when I boot up the Windows 7 installer, the keyboard isn't responding. I tried a logitech wireless media keyboard with a trackpad and that doesn't work either. I feel I'm not doing something here that I should be. I pretty much did what the video that @Enterprise24 linked said but I can't select language etc or click next in the Windows 7 installer. Thoughts?


----------



## eidairaman1 (Jun 6, 2018)

Devastator0 said:


> Oh yeah, derp, I completely forgot about the mobo usb header. I've ripped out some front panel USB 2.0 heads from a PC at work and I'll be giving this a go when I get home. Will see what happens. Thanks so much mate!
> 
> Edit 1: One other question I do have for people that have gotten this to work, have you had to disable anything specific in the BIOS to make it all happen?
> 
> Edit 2: Ok, so, I got home, plugged in the front panel thing I got into the USB2 header on the mobo. I then plugged in only my keyboard to the first of the 2 ports, then my installation media into the 2nd (I've migrated the installer to a USB stick and have used this Gigabyte software to inject USB3 drivers & nVMe drivers into it (getting that done seemed to work fine) but I'm still having the issue of when I boot up the Windows 7 installer, the keyboard isn't responding. I tried a logitech wireless media keyboard with a trackpad and that doesn't work either. I feel I'm not doing something here that I should be. I pretty much did what the video that @Enterprise24 linked said but I can't select language etc or click next in the Windows 7 installer. Thoughts?



Check the mobo bios and find legacy mode for usb ports.


----------



## Devastator0 (Jun 7, 2018)

eidairaman1 said:


> Check the mobo bios and find legacy mode for usb ports.


Yeah, I already did do that. Legacy mode is 100% enabled on the board. I also tried with xHCI handoff enabled and disabled but that didn't make a difference.


----------



## eidairaman1 (Jun 7, 2018)

Try another kb or mouse


----------



## Mussels (Jun 7, 2018)

Devastator0 said:


> Hey all,
> 
> So, to spare you all the lengthy explanation of why I need to do it, I'll just ask what I'm trying to accomplish and see if the masterful TPU community can help me out. I've just put together a new Coffee Lake system which I need to install Windows 7 on. I need to perform the installation from a DVD that is loaded into a USB optical drive (an Asus SBW-06D2X-U).
> 
> ...



other people have succeeded in using a USB 3.0 to 2.0 adaptor from the motherboard (usually to the front case ports) and had some luck there

This is why windows 7 isnt supported, things dont work well.


----------



## zozaino (Nov 4, 2018)

I am honestly a bit disgusted by the  fact Microsoft will NOT make Windows 7/(8/8.1) compatible with Kaby Lake/Coffee Lake/Ryzen processors. 










Ccleaner Happy Wheels VLC


----------



## eidairaman1 (Nov 4, 2018)

zozaino said:


> I am honestly a bit disgusted by the  fact Microsoft will NOT make Windows 7/(8/8.1) compatible with Kaby Lake/Coffee Lake/Ryzen processors.



You can Run Win 7 on Ryzen


----------



## theFOoL (Nov 4, 2018)

Is this a update thing or a Kernel thing? "Most likely a update thing" then just look up the update that'll prevent them and just ignore the update


----------



## jboydgolfer (Nov 4, 2018)

The simplest answers to this problem are

PS/2 KB
CD drive

Several of my motherboards have had legacy usb driver options during boot for (i assume) this exact reason,


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 4, 2018)

I think you should google any MSi mobo, click on it's support and download MSi Smart Tool. Then use it to add usb3, nvme and raid drivers onto your windows 7 image. It works very fast and doesn't inject drivers into boot.wim and install.wim. To do that, I'd use Dism++, but it will take a very long time to do it. For a more complicated, but proper solution, you can use Microsoft AIK toolkit. Another tool you can use is MSMGT Toolkit. A paid solution would be nvlite.


----------



## GoldenX (Nov 4, 2018)

Just use a PS2 keyboard and a SATA DVD.
Also, you don't get IGP drivers for 7.


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 4, 2018)

GoldenX said:


> Just use a PS2 keyboard and a SATA DVD.
> Also, you don't get IGP drivers for 7.



I bet Snappy Driver Installer Tool would find them...somewhere


----------



## GoldenX (Nov 4, 2018)

Gorstak said:


> I bet Snappy Driver Installer Tool would find them...somewhere


It wont, Intel didn't make them since Kaby Lake (Skylake being the last one). Only thing you can do is force a stub driver lurking somewhere on the web.
Best option is to turn off the IGP.


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 4, 2018)

GoldenX said:


> It wont, Intel didn't make them since Kaby Lake (Skylake being the last one). Only thing you can do is force a stub driver lurking somewhere on the web.
> Best option is to turn off the IGP.



Intel didn't make drivers for my hd 610 either...snappy tool solved the issue and I'm having better performance with it then on 64 bit windows for which original drivers exist.


----------



## GoldenX (Nov 4, 2018)

Gorstak said:


> Intel didn't make drivers for my hd 610 either...snappy tool solved the issue and I'm having better performance with it then on 64 bit windows for which original drivers exist.


Can you post the device manager's info on that driver? I'd like to see what version did it use.


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 4, 2018)

I'm currently on x86 windows 8, also Snappy drivers (downloaded whole pack for hd 610)


----------



## GoldenX (Nov 4, 2018)

Gorstak said:


> View attachment 109866
> 
> I'm currently on x86 windows 8, also Snappy drivers (downloaded whole pack for hd 610)


That's 8, not 7.


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 4, 2018)

GoldenX said:


> That's 8, not 7.



well, it had drivers for 7 aswell...I'd need to install them to show you...


----------



## GoldenX (Nov 4, 2018)

Gorstak said:


> well, it had drivers for 7 aswell...I'd need to install them to show you...


Ah, ok, please if/when you can, show me a pic of the hardware version.


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 4, 2018)

Anyway, Intel doesn't make drivers for windows 8 either...you can perhaps install snappy and use it?

It's an issue for me to install anything but this 8. All windows 7, 8.1 and 10 versions I can find, including torrents, have been...modified.

This is the only OS I can find for which GMER doesn't have a single complaint.


----------



## GoldenX (Nov 4, 2018)

Gorstak said:


> Anyway, Intel doesn't make drivers for windows 8 either...you can perhaps install snappy and use it?
> 
> It's an issue for me to install anything but this 8. All windows 7, 8.1 and 10 versions I can find, including torrents, have been...modified.


If you can, try the latest Windows 10 LTSC, you should get the best driver support and the lowest resource usage. It's an Enterprise version of W10 without Store, Cortana, Edge, "features updates" (only security ones) and you can even turn off the telemetry from gpedit.msc like on normal Enterprise versions. In short, It's what Windows 10 should be.
The Game Bar (for video recording with the Intel IGP, it uses the integrated encoder, so you get almost no performance loses, if you need to record a clip or something), and the Store can be added if needed.


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 4, 2018)

Thank you, but I'm done with windows 10. As soon as I see modified csrss.exe in GMER, I uninstall it. I'd install it if I could find a reliable source and a clean version, but it seems that is impossible task.


----------



## GoldenX (Nov 4, 2018)

Gorstak said:


> Thank you, but I'm done with windows 10. As soon as I see modified csrss.exe in GMER, I uninstall it.


Me too, but newer hardware will be harder to get to work on 7. To me it's better to learn how to "tame" Windows 10, than suffer the normal edition.

Once I get Vulkan on the games I play (it's scheduled), bye bye Windows.


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 4, 2018)

GoldenX said:


> Me too, but newer hardware will be harder to get to work on 7. To me it's better to learn how to "tame" Windows 10, than suffer the normal edition.
> 
> Once I get Vulkan on the games I play (it's scheduled), bye bye Windows.



I've tried it and failed. Google wbem and wmi. Once it comes modifed, you turn yourself upside down, it wont help you.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 4, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> PS/2 KB


There are no PS2 ports on that MB. His only option is to slipstream the USB 3.0 drivers into a Windows 7 ISO and install from there.


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 4, 2018)

GoldenX said:


> Once I get Vulkan on the games I play (it's scheduled), bye bye Windows.



windows isn't the issue...google wbem


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 4, 2018)

Gorstak said:


> windows isn't the issue...google wbem


What does this have to do with Windows 7?


----------



## GoldenX (Nov 4, 2018)

Gorstak said:


> windows isn't the issue...google wbem


Fedora and Ubuntu are out. Arch Linux it is then.


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 4, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> What does this have to do with Windows 7?



nothing, sorry for being off topic


----------

