Looking for help with installing Windows 7 on brand new system with an ASRock B450M-HDV mobo and Ryzen 3 2200G CPU

[ataghan]

Hello,

I recently put together a basic system for my parents to use at home. I basically built from a build guide on a part picking website, but I swapped out the suggested optical drive and RAM. I decided to use a working optical drive from an older PC (to save some money) and some other RAM that had less memory, but was in the same family as what was suggested. I assembled the parts and as far as I can tell they are all functioning. I even tested each stick of RAM in both slots to try and isolate that as an issue. The system boots to the BIOS and it appears that all components are being properly recognized. My goal was to install Windows 7 on the machine so I could avoid some concerns I have about Windows 10 and the privacy issues that come with it.

Here are the complete system specifications for reference:
Motherboard: ASRock B450M-HDV (BIOS Ver. 1.20)
CPU: Ryzen 3 2200G (3.5 GHz, without overclocking)
RAM: G.Skill, F4-2400-C15D-8GVR (DDR4-2400 4GBx2) CL15-15-15-35 1.20 V
Hard Drive: Western Digital (Model#: WD10EZEXSP) 1TB 7200 RPM
Optical Drive: TSSTcorp DVD +/-RW TLS-H653G (an old, but functional drive from a Dell PC)
Power Supply: Seasonic 450FM Semi-modular Focus Gold 80+

The problem I am having is that I cannot install Windows 7 onto the machine. As soon as I start the process, I get the black screen showing that Windows is loading files, but then almost as soon as the Windows logo appears the system goes to a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) which gives me the following error:

"Stop 0x000000A5 the ACPI BIOS in the system is not fully compliant with the ACPI specification"

I've spent the last 3-4 days researching a way to get the OS to install, but each solution I find seems to fit situations which are slightly different than mine. For example, I am not trying to install the OS using a flash drive, but am instead using a brand new DVD copy of Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit using a wired USB mouse. Also, the mouse that I am using (a USB wired mouse) is responsive, so my issue doesn't appear to be a USB driver issue. In addition, I went ahead and updated the BIOS version to 1.20, which was the newest available on ASRock's website. I've watched some videos on youtube showing a way to use a USB flash device to install Win 7, but it's not clear to me why that would work instead of the DVD and wired mouse.

I've found some references to having to change BIOS settings in order to get the Windows 7 install to work, but I couldn't find anything specific to my motherboard. I tried contacting ASRock a few days ago, but haven't heard back from them yet. I'm beginning to believe that I might either have to just go ahead and use Windows 10 or try a non-windows OS. Unfortunately I do not have another system to test the components in, but as I mentioned earlier they already appear to be working.

When I compiled the parts list, I didn't see anything that suggested a compatibility issue, but since this is my first time building a PC without someone helping me, I realize I could have missed something. I would appreciate any help that someone could provide, because at this point I'm not sure what to do.

 

[jojesa]

Windows 7 is not fully compatible with your new hardware. You might be able to install it if you slipstream it from the DVD into a USB flash drive. Also you could download Windows 7 from Microsoft website (yes is still available) and create a bootable USB installation media.
Either way it won't be as stable as you might think.
The Windows 7 drivers for your motherboard are available >here<.
You will have to download them, unpack them and also copy them to the flash drive.
There are two ways I have used to get Windows 7 to install:
1- Perform an unattended Windows 7 Installation
2- Start the installation from another computer and before Windows starts for the first time move the disk to the Ryzen system.
Networks and audio drivers are the main cause of issues on Windows 7 even when using drivers from the manufacturer.

If you are concerned about Windows 10 privacy issues, you could disable all those features during setup.

 

[drea.drechsler]

Windows 7 is not compatible with any Ryzen system. While it CAN be done, it's very hacker-intense.

If you're OK with Windows 10 (which I'd suggest using anyway...do you really want to leave your parents using a system with an OS that has to have the install hacked to get it in?) you should be able to download an install package and use your Windows 7 CD key to activate it.

 

[ataghan]

Windows 7 is not fully compatible with your new hardware. You might be able to install it if you slipstream it from the DVD into a USB flash drive. Also you could download Windows 7 from Microsoft website (yes is still available) and create a bootable USB installation media.
Either way it won't be as stable as you might think.
The Windows 7 drivers for your motherboard are available >here<.
You will have to download them, unpack them and also copy them to the flash drive.
There are two ways I have used to get Windows 7 to install:
1- Perform an unattended Windows 7 Installation
2- Start the installation from another computer and before Windows starts for the first time move the disk to the Ryzen system.
Networks and audio drivers are the main cause of issues on Windows 7 even when using drivers from the manufacturer.

If you are concerned about Windows 10 privacy issues, you could disable all those features during setup.

Thank you for the help. I really appreciate the concise and quick response.

When I first laid the system out, I was hoping that there would be a reasonable way to get Windows 7 to work with the Ryzen and ASRock board. I usually do my homework when figuring stuff like this out, but in this case I chose to rely on some incomplete information. That was clearly a mistake on my part.

To be honest, I had basically gotten to the point where I was fairly sure I had messed up by trying to continue using Windows 7. I guess I just needed to hear it from someone with more experience with this kind of issue. I was hoping to avoid having to eat the cost of the Win 7 DVD I bought, but based on the other response I received from drea.drechsler below, maybe I can still use the Win 7 key to activate a Win 10 install.

I've seen someone else mention the disk swap method you pointed out, but I would like to avoid any system instability. I'll just be moving to the Windows 10 install, followed by disabling the OS features I'm concerned about.

Thanks again!

 

[ataghan]

Windows 7 is not compatible with any Ryzen system. While it CAN be done, it's very hacker-intense.

If you're OK with Windows 10 (which I'd suggest using anyway...do you really want to leave your parents using a system with an OS that has to have the install hacked to get it in?) you should be able to download an install package and use your Windows 7 CD key to activate it.

Thank you for the response. Along the lines of what I posted to jojesa, I would like to avoid having to "hack" the install. I don't want the system to be unstable. I'm going to go ahead with Windows 10, but I'm definitely going to look into your advice and see if I can use the Win 7 key to activate it.

Thanks again

 

[drea.drechsler]

Thank you for the response. Along the lines of what I posted to jojesa, I would like to avoid having to "hack" the install. I don't want the system to be unstable. I'm going to go ahead with Windows 10, but I'm definitely going to look into your advice and see if I can use the Win 7 key to activate it.

Thanks again

In full disclosure: I've not seen where Windows 7 is at all unstable on Ryzen after a 'hacked' install. BUT: Microsoft is chomping at the bit to 'de-support' Windows 7 entirely (as they have WindowsXP) which means none but critical security updates in the future and why would they provide Ryzen-processor specific security updates for it at all?.

Your parents will be entirely dependent on you to get help with the system if it has any problems: Microsoft phone support won't help (assuming it's a retail license) and most any computer shop will push it right back saying "we have to install Windows10 or we won't touch it". The people who want Win 7 usually have peculiar needs to justify their efforts and are fully competent at maintaining an OS without MS support. Or don't care if it grows unstable with their un-ending hacks

There's no guarantees but I'm pretty sure MS still allows 'free' upgrades to Win10 from Win7, they just won't do it with a 'push' update anymore. You have to go get the install package using Media Creation Tool. I just did this a couple weeks ago with my sons system. Be sure to get/install a version consistent with the licensee you have: Win10Home, Pro or Enterprise.

 

[jojesa]

You could use the Windows 7 key to activate the Windows 10 installation. Just don't enter the key and try to activated during setup.
If you see an 'Activate Windows' screen, skip it by clicking on 'I don't have a product key' link. Click the Next button and setup will continue.
After Windows is installed and you are connected to the internet then you could activate Windows 10 at any time.

 

[ataghan]

Thank you for the response. Along the lines of what I posted to jojesa, I would like to avoid having to "hack" the install. I don't want the system to be unstable. I'm going to go ahead with Windows 10, but I'm definitely going to look into your advice and see if I can use the Win 7 key to activate it.

Thanks again

In full disclosure: I've not seen where Windows 7 is at all unstable on Ryzen after a 'hacked' install. BUT: Microsoft is chomping at the bit to 'de-support' Windows 7 entirely (as they have WindowsXP) which means none but critical security updates in the future and why would they provide Ryzen-processor specific security updates for it at all?.

Your parents will be entirely dependent on you to get help with the system if it has any problems: Microsoft phone support won't help (assuming it's a retail license) and most any computer shop will push it right back saying "we have to install Windows10 or we won't touch it". The people who want Win 7 usually have peculiar needs to justify their efforts and are fully competent at maintaining an OS without MS support. Or don't care if it grows unstable with their un-ending hacks

There's no guarantees but I'm pretty sure MS still allows 'free' upgrades to Win10 from Win7, they just won't do it with a 'push' update anymore. You have to go get the install package using Media Creation Tool. I just did this a couple weeks ago with my sons system. Be sure to get/install a version consistent with the licensee you have: Win10Home, Pro or Enterprise.

Yeah based on what I've seen Microsoft is very intent on dropping Win 7. I'm a little disappointed that it won't work on the newer hardware, but I guess I don't have a choice really. Although I have experience with computers, I'm not experienced enough to be able to maintain an OS past its expiration date. Even if an improvised install of Windows 7 was stable, I wouldn't want to take the chance in regards to the updates.
I've been using Windows systems for years and only just have an issue with Win 10 because of the telemetry stuff. I had some of my information stolen from my employer a few years ago and am currently using a monitoring service to keep an eye on things. It's made me more cautious and I just wanted to limit my risk as much as possible moving forward.

Thanks again for the assistance.

 

[ataghan]

You could use the Windows 7 key to activate the Windows 10 installation. Just don't enter the key and try to activated during setup.
If you see an 'Activate Windows' screen, skip it by clicking on 'I don't have a product key' link. Click the Next button and setup will continue.
After Windows is installed and you are connected to the internet then you could activate Windows 10 at any time.

I just went out and bought a USB flash large enough for the install and plan on working on this later today. I'll do some more research to make sure I have the process down. Thanks again.

 

[USAFRet]

I just went out and bought a USB flash large enough for the install and plan on working on this later today. I'll do some more research to make sure I have the process down. Thanks again.

For the OS install, read through this a couple of times. Get familiar with the process.
How to do a CLEAN installation of Windows 10