Samsung Series 7 NP700Z5C Win 7 install issues

Hello,
I'm attempting to do a clean install of Windows 7 onto my son's machine.
I found the thread on doing a clean install and followed the steps. It stops after expanding files and displays an error indicating that it cannot find the installation files. I reset the bios to default and only changed boot priority to CD drive first.
Now it infinitely hangs after loading the Windows files from my Win 7 disk at the following 'Starting Windows' screen (the four colored orbs that spin around freeze and the laptop is unresponsive).
Subsequent reboots all go the same way regardless of the different things I've tried.
I'm a bit lost at this point and would appreciate some advice from anyone with any expertise on the matter.
Thanks in advance,
Christopher

 

Hi Charles,

Welcome to NBR, sorry to hear about your problems with the installation.

Two questions first:

1) The clean install guide you used, was it the one in the following link? http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...8-via-usb-on-np700z.697841/page-4#post9191509

2) Do you know if you are installing in UEFI mode or legacy BIOS mode? The NP700Z5C came in two variants: One with Win7 pre-installed (using legacy BIOS mode, HDD is MBR style) and one with Win8 pre-installed (using UEFI mode, HDD is GPT style). This is important, as it determines the required steps before clean installing Win7.

If your laptop came with Win7, is in BIOS mode, and your HDD is already using MBR style, you should be good to go. If you are essentially downgrading from Win8/8.1/10 to Win7, then you need to perform the steps described at the end of that guide I linked to convert your HDD and change from UEFI to CSM mode. Do note the risks described there.

It sounds like you installed from CD, which is good! That's what you want on models with ExpressCache to avoid Windows Setup getting confused by the small iSSD used for caching. But if you selected CD as your primary boot device (in BIOS) you will have to now set it back to HDD as primary boot device in order to boot the install files that were copied to your HDD.

If this alone doesn't make Windows Setup proceed with the installation, I suggest you try again, using the guide I linked, this time leaving the HDD as primary boot device, but use F10 immediately after power on to temporarily select the CD as boot device. Make sure to format the Windows partition again when you get to the Partition screen in Windows Setup.

Let us know how this goes. Just be patient when waiting for response, as I don't get here as often as I used to (and as I would like).

 

I remember doing the same when I got this rig in 2016... it had windows 10 and I choose to downgrade to windows7.

remember if your using SSD skip the express cache install- it'll become its own drive you can use. also UFEI boot cause legecy boot won't work

thought of getting a new rig cause today's laptops are smaller stronger and lighter But I'm still using it today