UEFI or Legacy BIOS boot for Clevo laptops?

Hello everyone,

I am going to receive my P650SG soon, but this is something that I am really confused about. Since I have a copy of Windows 7, I plan to install windows 7 first on the P650SG, then upgrade to Windows 10 later. The thing is, should I install it on UEFI, or legacy BIOS? Which one is recommended?

If I do install Windows 7 on UEFI (probably USB install), do I have to do any tweaks on the BIOS first before proceeding with the installation? Thanks.

 

Honestly I would not install 7 in UEFI mode... I have tried a few times with my SM-A and it always had weird issues. Also keep in mind that Windows 7 does not natively support USB 3.0 and from the tech specs, every port on that machine is a 3.0 port. You'd either have to slipstream an ISO with the proper drivers or you would have to burn a DVD.

UEFI has more downsides than upsides. I'm actually going to run my system exclusively in legacy boot when I get it back, I do not like the idea that Windows can directly modify my BIOS settings, especially with the Windows 10 mess that has popped up with bricking of machines.

 

Thanks for the reply. So would you think I should just leave it on Legacy Boot even if I upgrade to Windows 10 later on? Would installing on UEFI mode have a difference comparing to Legacy Boot? Any system compatibility issues, etc?

 

I am sorry but could someone explain to me what UEFI mode and legacy mode is? I think I should know but for some reason I can't remember at all? Thanks

 

I run all of my computers in UEFI mode. I install all my BIOSes (PremaMod) in UEFI mode, I install Windows 10 in UEFI mode, flash my vBIOSes in Windows 10 in UEFI mode, etc. I never really put much thought into it and decided that UEFI mode was newer, and thus better, but perhaps I should think about putting my computers into Legacy mode just to be safe... Then again, maybe Legacy mode isn't actually that much safer if at all safer since I think Windows 10 can still change BIOS settings even with Legacy mode? Who knows...

UEFI mode is a type of mode for your BIOS. It's newer than legacy mode (as legacy mode's name implies) and has better support for newer hardware, much like legacy mode has better support for older hardware. DOS requires Legacy mode, and thus, things like bootable NVFlashes would require Legacy mode.

 

so then whats all this talk and debate about if thats all that UEFI and legacy mode are

 

It's a little bit more complicated than what I said, and apparently Windows 10 can change UEFI BIOS settings and potentially corrupt them which can cause problems, but from what I understand Windows 10 can do the same with Legacy BIOS mode too, I may be wrong about that though...

Perhaps someone here a little bit more knowledgeable may be able to chime in on this and confirm or deny what I have said and give a better answer to you.

 

If you have a real CSM, Windows should not be able to touch low level firmware like it can with UEFI. It should act just like BIOS of the old days where Windows has no low level access.

The only real disadvantages to disabling it are MBR limitations (like a maximum of 2TB drive size for boot drives) and the loss of annoying things like hybrid boot in Windows 8. In exchange, you get full control of your system.

 

What happens if you install Windows with UEFI, then turn CSM on/UEFI off after you have installed Windows? Will everything work properly? Will it be real CSM?

 

UEFI uses GPT partitions. If you turn off UEFI after installation, it will fail to boot.

@Mr. Fox can fill you in more about the nastiness that is UEFI than myself.

 

+1 to All Ethrem wrote.

UEFI has some benefits, but sadly its main advocate uses it to piggyback control mechanisms into the writeable sections in the bios (nvram). But not only MS, also Apple and hardware vendors like it for the same reason; UEFI makes hardware DRM control possible.

Such practices are nullifying any advantages uefi may have had. It's also very much against the purpose of a bios; low-level hardware control and hand-off to the os. The os itself should stay clear from interfering, and vice-versa; bios code should not prevent discriminate software lock-out. With uefi both routes are possible, but with bios only if you'd write it like that from the start, not with day-to-day-out-of-the-blue changes afterwards.

Also, as anyone who had a bad flash can tell you; there's a certain risk associated with writing to the bios. Not just that, it's not even secure (<-- a read-only bios, please!). Not that a bios is safe, but here, are least, it's only the < insert nefarious organisation of choice> doing that, and not the vendor you bought the product from, to boot.

Perfect (bios) security; open source bios written to a true ROM.

TL;DR:
With uefi you have less control and they have more.

 

So there isn't really a benefit of installing windows on UEFI besides the 2TB MBR boot restriction, and faster booting time?

Doesn't seem like installing on UEFI is that worth then.

Sent from my potato running on Android 5.0.1