Desperate - Gigabyte Z170 HD3, can't get to BIOS

[Ashleyr0se]

Please read in its entirety - I'm aware this has been asked, I've been searching for hours, I can't find anyone with this exact problem.

I just purchased and put it together last night with the following components:

GA Intel express z170 hd3
Intel i7 6700 4.0GH CPU
Radeon RX480 GPU
Some 650W PSU
Samsung 250GB SSD
4x 4GB HyperX RAM
Some network adapter

I'm installing Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit) from a DVD (yes, Windows 7, and yes, from a DVD) and when I boot up and begin install, it gives me the common message about the CD/DVD drive device driver being missing.

The Gigabyte manual says that in such a case, I have to load the IRST-x64 folder from the installation disk that came with the board onto a USB flash drive, begin the install, insert the USB drive upon receiving the error message, then select it and load the drivers from it. I tried this, and can't detect the USB. I have put it into different ports, restarted, booted with/without it, booted with/without the SSD in, and probably a few other things. This thing is not showing up.

So, the solution is to go into BIOS and check the settings for USB recognition, right? Except I can't get to BIOS. The three things I've alternated plugging in and unplugging in between boots are the SSD, DVD drive, and USB flash drive. Ive tried from all three being in to all three being out and everywhere in between, and the closest I can get to BIOS is a black screen where I can move the mouse cursor around freely. I've booted up countless times and pressed DEL, END, F12, or F9 each time. Even if I press F12 and get the boot options menu, then click "setup", I get the lonely cursor in a dark room.


If you know how to solve any of these problems, please help me out.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiTV3hJAn5s"][/video]

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

https://gigabytedaily.blogspot.com/2015/09/having-trouble-installing-windows-7-by.html
Also here

 

[getochkn]

Do you have access to another PC? If so, you can use the https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/windows-usb-dvd-download-tool Windows USB tool to make a bootable USB that might fix your problems.

Could also trying change the mode the DVD drive is connect from ACHI to IDE or vice versa to get it to see it.

the problem is newer and newer motherboards ports, controllers, etc, aren't seen by older and older OS's.


"
One example of Microsoft holding back support is the xHCI USB controller in sixth-generation Skylake and seventh-generation Kaby Lake: Windows 7 doesn't support that USB hardware, so installing the operating system from a USB stick using those chips is tricky. Intel provides xHCI drivers for Windows 7 once it's up and running."


but my idea might not work either. Newer chips are not supports by windows 7 and won't be.

 

[Ashleyr0se]

Thank you both for the help, I'm currently working on those suggestions and will update soon.

I am hoping I can get an answer on getting to BIOS, too. When I plug in the flash drive in, even though it will be bootable and will have the correct drivers to install Windows, I fear I will have to mess with something in BIOS to get it up and running - And even if I don't have to, not being able to access BIOS is a problem and I don't want to sweep that under the rug.

 

[Sarscarix041]

p.s. I meant to first watch the "Best Solution" YouTube video posted by SR-71 Blackbird; I forgot in the end; the following is not invalidated by it, but it is probably better. (I thought getting a bootable USB with custom drivers required a week of training and much loss of hair!)
__________

The following is how to use the Gigabyte installation CD (or DVD?) directly, instead of having to copy drivers onto a USB stick. Conversely, *maybe*, you could copy the drivers onto a USB stick, and use the following instructions to install the USB driver(s).

I am pretty sure that this works only if you have a PS2 mouse (that's with the round plug at the top of the motherboard I/O sockets, on my MB). [I have heard that… on more recent machines, a USB2 mouse should work.]

Sorry; I can not remember properly the details of this; it has been too long. My notes say as below (except that the first step is from memory).

Note that you need to know where on the CD the drivers are (or be prepared to look for them). *From memory*, there are two different places that look likely, and you choose the one that is labelled as the collection of drivers, in a sub-folder (as opposed to being categorised by type); the actual driver files are about three folders down — maybe under "sys32" or some such computer thing. Note also that they all have somewhat useless names (except, from memory, USB2 vs USB3 is clear); that said, I do recall working out what they all were, possibly from information in the manual about brands of components.

Conversely to the above, it does not really matter if you install extra drivers; it is just tedious. Also, when you try to install a driver, it will tell you, if you do not have the pertinent hardware (and this is reliable).

Note that… from memory… for USB (2), I had to install about three drivers — maybe a base USB enabler and also the drivers for my particular hardware. (Also, USB2 and USB3 are separate drivers.)

Okay…

• Do the usual for doing a setup of Windows. At the appropriate point below, you eject the Windows CD and insert the Gigabyte one. From memory: you have to be careful to click refresh each time; odd behaviour can result otherwise. Also see the "important point" below.

"
• Click Ok/next on keyboard and language screen.
• Click Install Now.
• Click Custom.
• Load Drivers (eject, W7, refresh)
"

Important point (from memory): There is a particular point at which you have to re-insert the Windows CD, when you have finished with the Gigabyte CD, **and click Refresh or something** ; try to do this *as early as possible*… or a step will fall over you will get a very misleading error message.

Again, apologies for the vagueness; at the time, I did not hand-write illustrations on what was on the screen (and I did not even attempt to do any sort of screen dump)! The main points are • that this [i.e. installing drivers on the fly] is possible, and that • the error messages Windows produces are *worse than* useless.

Good luck (and sympathy for the tediousness of the process)!