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    Time to reinstall Win7 on the T530. Need advice on UEFI.

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by chevy05, Oct 24, 2014.

  1. chevy05

    chevy05 Notebook Consultant

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    Notebook will not boot into normal Windows mode most of the time. Freezes after entering the password. Have gone into safe mode and rolled it back a couple of times but I am getting tired of it. I created a Lenovo Rescue and a True Image copy when I first got the notebook, but I hate the Lenovo bloatware and am tempted to start from scratch and reformat the 500GB SATA drive and install the latest Lenovo drivers, etc., and leave the Lenovo apps off of it. I have never fooled with a new computer with UEFI type BIOS. Is there anything I need to do with UEFI such as drivers on the hard drive during Win7 install? I don't think so but want this to be a slam dunk so I can get the notebook up and running when I do this. XP required drivers during the install for my old Promise interface cards when building desktops years ago. I did not know this motherboard used UEFI until I saw the firmware on Lenovo's site.
     
    chevy05, Oct 24, 2014
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  2. livebriand

    livebriand Notebook Consultant

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    I think Windows 7 can do UEFI, but not by default. At any rate, what I tend to do is set the system to Legacy BIOS-only, and then install. The existing Lenovo install was probably built for legacy BIOS/MBR anyway (it was on my x120e).

    From there, it's just a matter of installing the drivers as usual once you get the base install done.
     
    livebriand, Oct 24, 2014
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  3. Prostar Computer

    Prostar Computer Company Representative

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    If the default configuration is UEFI and Windows 7, then you go for the full reinstall if you would prefer to. A tip before you make the leap: download the necessary drivers before you perform a full install and save them to a disc or external storage drive, then run the installers for the drivers from that after the Windows install.

    I believe Windows 7 uses MBR, so I'm thinking that livebriand may be correct about 7 + UEFI. The BIOS may need to be set for Legacy/CSM (UEFI disabled). The only way to know for certain is to test the Windows 7 install under UEFI; if it tells you it cannot proceed, you know that you'll have to do without UEFI and use an MBR type disk.
     
    Prostar Computer, Oct 29, 2014
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  4. livebriand

    livebriand Notebook Consultant

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    Yes - downloading the drivers beforehand is always a good idea. There's a decent chance you'll need them to get on the network to begin with, not to mention that it saves time after the reinstall.

    I seem to recall that Windows 7's install tried to install under UEFI (the x120e was set to both/UEFI default out of the box), but kept glitching or something. I don't remember exactly what. Although once I made legacy BIOS the default (or only option), it worked with MBR just fine.
     
    livebriand, Oct 30, 2014
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