[GUIDE] UX32VD - How to install Windows 7 on the integrated 32GB SSD

I got "Windows7 Home Prem OA MEA (turkish)" where can I download this ? They do not give me any win7 CD so... I need to download it as .iso file

 

Thanks for the guide, I want to try installing windows 7 on my SSD tonight. But before that, I've one question about the back-up:

With Parted Magic I'm able to save a disk clone image of my HDD. Is that the only thing I've to backup? I really want to keep the feature to go back to factory settings (by pressing f9, i thought)?
Or do I have to back-up my the SSD as well? The guide says, I've to delete the 2 partitions/volumes on the SSD. That's why I'm not sure.

So can someone please tell me, how to make a good and complete back-up of my system, so I can go back to factory settings when needed? I don't want to get in trouble with my warranty or something. Thanks in advance!

 

Ive followed this guide and it works. I am not sure but I have observed that after installing Crystaldiskinfo or disabling the hibernation in windows the led light on my charger is still green even after the machine was several hours closed and connected to charger. Normally the led light on charger is orange after some time. I am a bit worried about this is the machine recharging all the time it should not!???

Anyone else observed this?.. something is wrong? I think its not good for the battery..

 

Windows 7 ISO x86 and x64 Official Direct Download Links (Ultimate, Professional and Home Premium) « My Digital Life

 

Hello All,

Thank you for the amazing posts earlier , I have installed Windows 7 (fresh) on 24GB SSD on ASUS UX32A -3007 , UK Version. A few points to remember though -

- Upgraded to latest BIOS 2.11 before installing.
- Make sure to copy the edriver support folder in your backup from C: , it has all the driver files and versions before hand, it is very handy afterwards.
- The 24 GB SDD is divided into 2 partitions and installed as Disk 1 for me, I deleted them first, then I went ahead and formatted the partition from Windows Disk Manager.
- I simply disabled the Windows Boot Manager in BIOS and it worked like charm
- Used a Pen drive (bootable) with Windows 7 copy along with usb 3 drivers ( you need to provide the folder path during installation).
- Ensure to uncheck "hide incompatable drivers" and then choose the usb3.inf file.
- Used the ABR to install the certificates again in Windows Premium , I had backed up the original installed key.
- Did Windows Hardening (Optional), it also brought my memory consumption to 1.1 GB with AV (Kasp) & FW(comodo) installed.
- Due to low Flash space, I parked the Page file 4 - 6 GB on HDD, and installed MS office and other not so frequently used software on HDD too to save the space , the browser (Chrome) , AV and FW were installed on SDD to ensure normal work does not consume HDD / Battery.
- I had a doubt that putting the page-file on HDD will cause it to continuously spin, but that is not the case, it only happens when I use any program installed on HDD which requires Virtual memory use.
- Sleep and recovery is <2 sec.
- Changed the Temp Folder in environment to C:\Temp , even for windows.
- you can delete the Asus Screen saver, it is about 150 MB+ but I just kept it , it is really classy.

Currently, have about 5 GB left on SDD of 24 GB and of course >400 GB of HDD, average battery life is >6 hours in normal use with music.
All in all,it simply rocked.

 

Hi, can you just help me and expleain-me how to do that 2 steps? i want to install windows on the ssd.

thanks

 

Hi guys, before i take the dive to install the windows on the SSD, may i know if there's any official way to revert back to ssd cache?

Thank you

 

If you have the restore DVD's created you can restore all the partion and the system will return to the factory state, so the ssd will work again as cache.

 

Does that mean i have to make an image of the ssd as well?

Cause the guide shows that it will be changing the format of the ssd.

I do not have the dvd drive.
Used the Asus software "AI" to do the recovery in ISO format.

Any advice on how to run it with out the dvd drive?

Thank you

 

Thank you so much for the guide, it's easy and clearly explained!
Unfortunately I had a strange problem at the very beginning of the operations; I can't delete the smaller partition of my 24gb ssd, the one listed as OEM. I've been trying to manage disks thru the control panel as someone said but I had the same result, the right click on that partition gave me no options (just a question mark).
Did anyone have the same problem?

Thank you in advance!


edit: problem solved using diskpart to delete the OEM ssd partition

 

No need DVD, you can do that with usb pendrives. just use the microsoft app WINDOWS 7 USB TOOL that make the pen works like a DVD.

And if you have made the 5 DVD's with asus recovery thats all you need, because it recovers the ssd too.

 

Hi there,

thank you for the reply.

Yes i do have the 5 dvd buts its in ISO format.
In other words, i can make it bootable like installing windows 7 thru the thumbdrive rite?

Pls correct me if i am wrong,

I need 5 thumbdrives?
Boot the ISO files in order of the dvd number, by booting via thumbdrive?

Thank you

 

thats it. i have 5 pendrives with the recovery =)

 

Hi guys

I want to install windows7 on the 32gb SSD following this guide for a relative but do you guys think it will be difficult for her to maintain the PC?

She has limited PC knowledge, knows how to youtube and use office but other than that she has to call me alot of the time.......

It took me several hours to try help her install router through the phone and it even failed to help her... so maybe it's not a good idea for me to install windows7 for her on the 32gb ssd?

Edit--> I guess not deleting any partitions on the Hitachi keeps recovery it just gives two windows7 boot options before windows loads right?
Is the "correct" windows chosen automaticaly or does this has to be chosen manually?

Also It's a Dell Inspiron 14z and it might be same harddrives as that is 32gb mSATA +500gb SATA

 

It's a horrible idea. Eventually Windows will run out of space (that WinSxS will keep swelling and swelling), and you'll have to reinstall everything again. That's if she knows enough not to install big apps to C:

 

not true, there are different versions.

 

Hi, thanks so much for this guide, I installed win7 on the SSD and it works simply great. But I have a problem, the screen is randomly black at the startup and often (like one time every one hour) become black when I'm using it and than I can't do anything, I can just shut down and reboot. Did someone have this kind of problem? Do you know how to solve it?

 

On other Ultrabooks I've had my hands on with an HDD and small SSD, the SSD is not really a "cache", it's been configured to store the hibernation file, and that's it. Intel considers this part of Rapid Start Technology (not to be confused with Rapid Storage Technology).

In the non-Ultrabook world, an SSD cache is totally different. The Intel version is called Smart Response Technology, and a competing product from NVELO is called Dataplex. They both work like a traditional cache (ie: the 32MB cache included with modern hard drives), except they're 1000x bigger and the contents survive a power cycle.

So, can someone tell me, how is the UX32VD's SSD specifically configured from the factory?

 

Hi!
I didn't get any further than checking the size of the SSD partition in Device Manager. I don't see it. And when I move on to Disk Management, what I see there does not match the instructions (I see C and D, along with a 200 MB EFI System Partition and a 25 GB Recovery Partition.
The service expresscache.exe is running however, if that makes any difference. I'm wondering if the computer even has an SSD partition.
I have a UX32VD-R4002V.

 

This bit of information put me on the right track. ExpressCache isn't a Sandisk thing, it's software belonging to Condusiv Technologies (formerly Diskeeper). It can be considered a competitor to Intel's Smart Response Technology.

ExpressCache uses a 4-8GB HFS-formatted partition. SRT uses 20-64GB and requires a Z68/H77/Z77 (or mobile equivelant) chipset with the drive controller set to RAID mode. I'm willing to bet SRT is a whole lot faster.

That still leaves the question of what ASUS is doing with the other 24GB. I'm willing to bet it's for the hibernation file, but this should show in Disk Management. Perhaps someone could try "bcdedit /enum all" and post what it says for "Resume Loader Settings".

 

Am I looking at having to send the computer back to ASUS? As I just got it back after five weeks for a simple screen replacement, returning it is not an attractive option.
My plan was to switch to a full SSD in a year or so, or whenever the prices go down. I think I'd rather make the switch early than send the computer back to ASUS. Hopefully one of you guys will have the information I need so I don't have to return it or buy a new disk.

 

This problem I'm having being close to off-topic for this thread, I'm going to start a new one.

 

Yesterday i have updated my BIOS to 212 version.
Today i see a new bios, 202.
Anyone have updated to 202?
Is this 202 better then 212?
Need help, please.

 

I just got a tip on another thread that my problem with the iSSD not being recognized (and not appearing in Device Manager) was likely caused by me updating to BIOS 211.
Anyone else seeing this?

 

Well this certainly supports there being problems with the later BIOS versions.
While you're still with 212, could you check to see if the SSD is listed in Device Manager?

 

My ssd is listed in Device Manager, i see him.
But i have the ssd as MBR with 1 partition 24gb for expresscache and 5gb working as readyboost.
I think the better way to you to see is starting with win7 instalation and see if ssd appears.

 

Just got the word from the local shop that they will be sending my computer back to ASUS, after trying to solve the problem by rolling back the BIOS.

 

I have just posted a query in the 400+ page thread on Zenbooks. However, I've realised that maybe it more suited to this thread, so I am posting here as well. I hope that's okay (I am new here).

Basically, I got my UX32VD last week and have replaced the HDD with a new SSD and I am trying to do a clean install of Windows 7. I am booting from a USB, I've changed the order of boot devices and I have included the USB 3.0 driver that people have been suggesting. This seems to be working without an issue and I have reached the Windows 7 installation pages and selected the "Custom" install.
My problem comes when choosing where to install Windows. On my list of drives, I have the integrated 30GB SSD (Drive 1), and my new 240GB Crucial SSD (Drive 0). The 240GB SSD is formatted and unallocated. But when I select this drive and press "Next", an error message appears telling me:
"Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition. See the Setup log files for more information."
I have read that it might simply be a case of disabling the integrated 30GB SSD, as apparently it is this causing the problems. However, I don't know how to do this, and even if I did, I am worried that this might cause further issues.

Hopefully someone reads this and feels sorry for me and can help me with a solution. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Dear All,

Can anyone share thoughts on the below-mentioned? Thanks

 

TommyB88, is your SSD set to the MBR mode? Read the first post in this thread

 

It is set to MBR mode. Do you have any ideas?

 

Can you check (on another computer?) if your SSD works? If it does, maybe you can connect your HDD back and see in Computer Management which partition types it is (e.g. boot, page file, crash dump, primary partition) and try to configure your SSD to exactly the same types (using the "diskpart" command), then replace HDD with SDD and try to install the system?

 

I've read through the whole thread now, and I have a couple of things to point out.
In regards to clearing some free space on the SSD after installing the OS on it, it might be a good idea to run the Windows disk cleanup tool, or CCleaner. It gave me ~4 GB, after a couple of months use. Mainly by removing temporary files.
The Wireless Console 3 driver should be added to the list of drivers, as I've seen several in this thread having problems with the fn+f2 command. I too had this problem, but that driver fixed it.

A couple of questions:

1. Where can I find the touchpad_elantech_win7_64_z10590.zip driver? It can't find it on the Asus page. Can I use the scetchy web sites I find when googling the driver? I currently use Asus SmartGesture, but I'm interesting in trying Elantech as someone in this thread felt it was a lot better.

2. Does flashing the BIOS help reagarding the fan noise problem? I see the newest BIOS update came 6 days ago, anyone tried it? Is it easy to flash it with the Windows BIOS Flash Utility on the Asus page?

 

Anyone with UX32VD as flashed the bios 202? i still on 212

 

I acctually just tried flashing 202. It didn't work. I got the following error "The BIOS file version does not match the BIOS ROM version." It said the file was for UX32VDA while I had UX32VD. I tried both with Windows BIOS Flash Utility and ASUS Easy Flash.

I did manage to flash 212, though. Had 206 before. Now I'm curious as to whether that helps with the fan noise problem.

After I flashed the BIOS, I restored the BIOS to default settings. After that, I got BSOD when booting, and I was sure the BIOS update had f***ed up my system.
It turned out I needed to change from AHCI to IDE mode in the BIOS.

Edit: Never mind. I read up on differences between AHCI and IDE, for SATA controllers. As I understand, you have to use AHCI to activate the TRIM feature in SSDs. Therefore I followed this easy guide to change from IDE to ACHI after installing the OS.

 

Is this a way to rollback the entire procedure?
I mean I'm now interested to reactivate original windows installation by Asus,
I'm trying to force booting from recovery partition, does anyone know a solution? (REP+)

 

Someone early in the thread (I think) stated that part of the recovery was on the SSD. If so, you won't be able to recover using the recovery partition. I think you had to make backup images/DVDs before you started the procedure.

 

Thanks a lot for you answer!
I'm sure there wasn't nothing about recovery on the iSSD, actually I've a partition (25GB) and I'm trying to start it...

 

It wasn't much help in my answer. Unfortunately, this thread is pretty dead by now. You should try to read through it though, maybe you can find some advice.

Can I ask why you want to revert it back to the original set-up?

 

If I sell my UX32VD I'll give it with the original configuration,
issd setup is not for home users
I home someone knows a procedure...

 

Flashing the BIOS from 206 to 212 has almost completely fixed the fan noise issue for me. This whole week the fan has sped up only once, even though I have woken the computer up from sleep about 2-3 times each day. Good stuff!

 

Anybody knows why the hdd is spinning sometimes even though it is not used? (index service disabled) Any solutions?

 

Just disable it in your bios and make your Crucial the main drive.. you must be kidding me if you doesn't know how to get into bios..

 

I don't know if you've read the first post, but your issue might be the same / related to the issue dunces describe in the section What's still in testing. Read through it, see if that helps you. I've followed the guide, installed CrystalDiskInfo, and I don't notice any hard drive problems. Can't say I did before I installed it either though.

 

What is the mei driver and do i need it? And where do i find it? I have searched but without any luck.

Edit. I found the driver, but i still wonder what it is for?

 

Did this installation to my ux32vd with 32gb issd. Now however, the fan keeps spinning all the time and it newer stops. This happens in all power plans from battery saving to high performance. It's pretty annoing cause I thought this would be completely silent like u36sd when just browsing the web. Updated the bios from 206 to 212 but the problem still exists.

I don't really know if this problem existed on oem os installation, because I installed a clean windows 7 right after I got this computer. The hwmonitor shows 53-55C temperatures when browsing web.

Is the only solution to send this back to Asus? :/

 

First thing's first...a great guide, so thanks very much!

Just wondering if anyone has tried this with Windows 8 yet?

 

Hi everyone. I'm just wrapping up ...get this... a Win7 GPT installation!!! My only disclaimer is that I'm installing on an SSD, because I've got a 24GB onboard system.

Here's how to replicate my success:

*Don't worry about the disk management stuff in Windows, unless you have to do some messing around to get the disk visible in BIOS. As long as the disk is visible and AHCI is selected for your SATA mode, carry on...
*Create your ISO disc (DVD) of the appropriate Windows installation. If you are unfamiliar with command line functions, or make the occasional "oops," be sure to back up anything you wouldn't want to lose before proceeding.
*When you boot the system, go into the BIOS. On the exit screen, there is an option to force boot to any available option. There were two options for my external optical drive, one of which was UEFI: (x) [where (x) designates the optical drive]
*When in the windows setup (advanced setup option) use the shift+F10 combo at the screen where you can select which drive to install on. This will bring up a command prompt. Type commands (listed after ">") as follows (comments will be in brackets)

>diskpart
>list disk
[look at the list and figure out which one you want to install on]
>select disk x
[where x is the disk number you want off the previous list]
>clean
>convert gpt
>exit
>exit

At this point, you can choose to format the selected drive (is this necessary?). After formatting (or not if it's not necessary), click next. Enjoy the fastest Windows load you've likely ever experienced.

As a side note, I had previously downloaded the drivers for the video (both drivers), sound, and motherboard (incl. networking) onto a USB drive. I installed the chipset first, followed by USB 3, then Intel followed by nVidia video. From there I installed networking. Sound and peripherals were last. Not sure if this is important, but prior experience told me the chipset is of primary importance.

Again, this particular setup was on an SSD I replaced the magnetic drive with, so I cannot attest to the efficacy and success of the process for the onboard SSD, but would imagine it'd be pretty similar. Best of luck to you all. I will try to check in later with more info/details if I have any. If nothing else, I'll check back with some spectacular benchmarking results!

 

These instructions works perfectly with Windows 8 too.

Upgrading Win7 on on-board 32GB SSD was the only hard part. If you have Win8pro upgrade, you need to install it from Win7 desktop to succeed in activation. This is how I did it:

Clean install Win7 on 32GB SSD, don't update anything or install any drivers. Remove all extra features, take compression in use on C:\. Disable hibernation and virtual cache to get more space. I also had to remove fonts and some other "not-wise" stuff to get 20GB free for Win8 installation with "don't save anything" -option. Don't forget to activate Win7! (I had to do it by phone, forgot that on first try and had to start all over ;-))

Then just run Win8Pro upgrade and complete installation. After it's done, undo compression on c:\ and free space by removing Windows.old and other crap. Then do just how you'd install Win7 drivers.

Now I have Win8Pro + Office 2010 + Nero 12 Platinum + All drivers & updates and a bundle of smaller software installed on 32GB SSD and still have 4GB free space!

Too bad I bought new samsung 840 pro 256GB and need to move os on that next. However it's true, you can live with only on-board ssd and use that 500GB hdd on storaging stuff. Win7 or Win8, its up to you... both works!

 

Yes, it works ;-) Check out my last post for details and thread opening for more specific details (installing Win8 drivers is similar to Win7 installation) ...

SUMMARY:

1. In case of Win8Pro Upgrade: Install Win7, activate it, make 20GB free space on SSD, install Win8Pro from Win7 Desktop, Clean crap, install Win8 updates, install Win8 Drivers in order stated on thread opening (from ASUS, Intel and NVidia). Enjoy!

2. In case of Win8 "full" Version: Just clean install Win8 and update Windows, install Win8 Drivers in order stated on thread opening. Enjoy!