Windows 10: Will I be able to continue Windows 10 updates into the future without UEFI boot?

I just solved a problem the other day in here regarding not being able to upgrade one of my two laptops to Window 10, build 1809 due to Avira anti-virus problems. But I have one desktop and two laptops that I was specifically upgrading to 1809 in preparation for build 1903 later on. This was just a step to get all three ready.

However one of my laptops gave me the message that it was indeed ready for the 1903 update, while my other two PCs give me messages that they are not quite ready for it yet. So of course I decided to go ahead and try to to install it on the one that said it was ready. But after a while the upgrade failed, saying "Windows can't be installed because this PC has an unsupported disk layout for UEFI firmware." So I have studied up on that problem and by typing in some commands, I find that none of the three PCs have motherboards that support UEFI because they are a little old. They are all great PCs that run Windows 10 until now just fabulously. So with with only legacy BIOS and no UEFI chip on any of the motherboards, does this mean that these PCs days are over and I have to replace all of them with newer machines? I have spent hundreds of dollars over the past years spiffing them up with newer SSDs ( got rid of all the HDDs ) and other upgrades and improvements and all of them are great machines that I'm satisfied with.


But is the UEFI problem spelling a dead end for slightly older ( but otherwise fine ) PCs? Is Microsoft going to force a lot of people into expensive PC replacements? Those are my questions!!

:)

 

Microsoft Botches Up UEFI Support for Windows 7 on ASUS Motherboards



Microsoft suggests updating to Windows 10 to patch Windows 7

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• Chris Merriman
• 
  @ChrisTheDJ
• 05 May 2016

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MICROSOFT HAS confirmed a potentially lappy-borking problem that it won't be fixing, because Windows 7.

Woody Leonhard, the respected Windows columnist, points to a problem involving Asus motherboards, which also appear rebadged in a variety of other manufacturers' machines, and the activation of UEFI Secure Boot for Windows 7 in a patch KB3133977.

Short version: install update, welcome to Borksville, population you.

Both Asus and Microsoft acknowledged the problem. Microsoft entitled the article "BitLocker can't encrypt drives because of service crashes in svchost.exe process in Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2", but we prefer to just call it "Trevor for brevity."

The firm's advice was that it's an optional update, leave well alone, you'll be fine, or alternatively turn secure boot off.

Then Microsoft did a silly, silly thing.

It moved the update from 'optional' to 'recommended' and anyone who reads this site regularly will know what happens when Microsoft does this. That's right boys and girls - it makes it automatically install, unless you've specifically told your machine not to.

So now, if you have one of the affected motherboard and you keep your security updates automatic like wot Microsoft recommends, then your machine will stop working properly.

We should add it's not permanently bricked, but it will take some mucking about in the BIOS to fix and that's a pain even for an experienced computer user.

Microsoft has, by offering a workaround, suggested heavily that it won't be fixing the problem, though we have asked the question, so expect a response in about a fortnight.

But the real kicker is this piece of advice: "Note The Secure Boot feature is supported in Windows 10. To learn more about the security advantages of this feature and about the upgrade path from Windows 7 to Windows 10, go to the following Windows website"

Holy toledo, this company really knows how to rub people up the wrong way.

After all - if the advice is to manually avoid the update or move to a version of the operating system where there's virtually no control over updates, then Microsoft is dealing in massive contradictions.

A more cynical site would suggest that it's yet another example of Microsoft running Windows 7 into the ground and adding built in obsolescence to encourage quicker updates. But we're not that sort of site.

Its the patching to force secure boot that is the problem win 7 does not support secure boot
hence it borks systems and well microsofts answer is Cactus >your Asshole > insert

from the inquirer

 

UEFI Forum Releases UEFI 2.3.1 Specification Update

The UEFI Forum has ratified an update to the UEFI 2.3.1 Specification that adds important firmware considerations and addresses numerous engineering change requests. The updated Specification will be referred to as “UEFI 2.3.1C”.

• UEFI 2.3.1C adds: An OS Indications Variable - OS/FW feature & capability communication – when implemented, allows end-users to make an OS menu request to enter BIOS setup after next reboot.
• UEFI 2.3.1C adds: A mechanism which, when implemented, facilitates Open Source Operating System installations and OS- agnostic end-user configurations of retaining the factory default keys while in Setup Mode (see Specification for full technical detail of Setup Mode).
• UEFI 2.3.1C removes: Runtime driver requirement on Network UNDI drivers - this allows UNDI drivers to be delivered in EFI Byte Code (EBC) Virtual Machine format supporting systems based on different processor architectures.

Complete details on UEFI 2.3.1C are available here.

The UEFI Forum’s UTWG (UEFI Test Working Group) is currently working on updating the SCT (Self-Certification Tests) to align with the latest spec changes. Please see www.uefi.org for more updates.

UEFI Summer Summit Interoperability & Education Event:
Specification Update Benefits Windows 8 & Open Source OS Implementations Microsoft to Host UEFI Summer Summit, July 16-20, 2012 in Redmond, WA

The UEFI Testing Work Group (UTWG) and the UEFI Industry Communications Work Group (ICWG) from the Unified EFI (UEFI) Forum invite you to register for the upcoming UEFI Summer Summit: An Interoperability and Education Workshop being held this July at the Microsoft Campus in Redmond, WA.

• Hosted by Microsoft, the event is sponsored by AMD, AMI, HP, Insyde, Intel, Microsoft & Phoenix.
• Online registration for the UEFI Summer Summit can be found at here and here. Please note registration is scheduled to close on July 9th.

The organizers specifically wish to encourage add-in card vendors to attend the Summit. This is the last planned Forum-sponsored opportunity to test Secure Boot functionality and the interoperability of cards with UEFI-compliant systems for 2012. With the serious industry interest in Secure Boot functionality, this Summit is an excellent opportunity to test interoperability, as well as discuss the technology with other industry members.

 

Trouble installing windows 7 on RAID in UEFI

As the title says, I'm trying to install Windows on a RAID array in uefi on my Maximus V Formula. When using legacy ROM I can install just fine but I go into CSM and change settings to UEFI only, I can build the array in the UEFI Raid driver (IRST tab in "BIOS") but the array does not show up in the boot menu and when I try to install windows (boot from UEFI DVD drive), The drive does not show up in the Windows install. The next thing I tried was to enable UEFI and legacy oprom in CSM, boot from UEFI DVD drive and install to the RAID array (probably detected by legacy oprom) and it will install. After first reboot, Windows Boot manager will show up as an option in the BIOS boot menu so I set that as first boot device and reboot. I will get to the starting windows screen and then BSOD (too quick to get codes) The last thing I tried was Changing to legacy mode and installing windows to a different drive. once installed, I initialized the Raid array as GPT and rebooted, changed csm back to UEFI only but they RAID array still doesn't show in the boot device list so I repeated the earlier process hoping that It might work because I had initialized as GPT but it still BSODs on starting windows screen. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated