Clean Install of Win 10 on new Asus z97 MB PC

[David Perrin]

Hi
I am having a problem which I hope someone here can help me with. So here goes.

I recently had to rebuild my PC when my MB died on me. At the time of its death I was running the updated Windows 10 Pro on my PC. I rebuilt the PC using amongst other new items a Asus Z97 Pro wifi MB. When I completed the rebuild I inserted a USB onto which I had downloaded the Windows 10 Pro. To my surprise the PC immediately booted into my existing SSD which had the Windows 10 Pro OS installed and everything worked perfectly, except I am unable to activate it, for obvious Microsoft reasons.

I want to install a clean copy of Win 10 and so far as I am aware the download from Microsoft should work, but I have no way of testing to see that it will. My problem ir that
I am having a real pain in the neck problem of booting into the Z97 BIOS and all the usual ways do not always work. On the occasions that I have managed to enter the BIOS I find it next to impossible to change the boot priority so that I can boot from the USB drive added to this the USB is not recognised as a Sandisk USB and there are at least 3 USB devices shown in the boot list. The drop down menus from which you are supposed to select a device to boot to in a changed priority does not show all the options available and certainly will not give me the option to make the USB drives 1st, 2nd and 3rd boot option. Added to which the menus don't all drop down most reveal in a bottom up manner, which means you cannot see all the options available for selection So I seem to be stumped. Clearly I am missing something pretty fundamental which is not clearly spelt out in the MB User Manual, so can anyone help in clear simple terms that my poor brain can understand and absorb? This is my first experience with an UEFI MB and so far it has not been a pleasurable one.

Thanks
David

 

[Digerati]

Part of the problem is, in terms of software licensing, a new motherboard constitutes a new computer. And new computers require "new" Windows licenses. If you had bought Windows 10, you can legally transfer it to new computers over and over again. But since this is an upgrade, it is tied to the original license that was installed to your old motherboard.

Another part of the problem may be how in copied Windows to the USB drive. Did you make it a bootable drive. Just copying the ISO file to it will not work. See http://pcsupport.about.com/od/windows-8/a/install-windows-8-usb.htm

 

[Trouble]

Hi Bill....
Do you know if the "Windows USB/DVD Download tool" recommended in the article you linked to, will create bootable installation media that is compatible with UEFI / GPT installs.
I abandoned using that tool a while back because it didn't seem to work on newer computers with UEFI BIOS.
I wouldn't mind going back to it if you are certain that it'll work now with newer computers, as it's a bit easier to use than Rufus which I have been recommending lately.

 

[Digerati]

It should work, at least after resetting the BIOS. But frankly, I don't know about factory made computers where Windows licensing code is burned into the UEFI BIOS.

That said, recovering from a flash drives and me, in general, don't get along. I don't know if it is because I have a strong distain for the USB interface (I think USB 3.0 should have fixed what USB 2.0 should have fixed!), bad luck, or poor execution of procedures on my part.

For this reason, all my builds still have DVD drives and I use image files on bootable DVDs for backup and recovery. I also buy OEM/System Builder disks and build my own computers, rather than buying factory brands.

So, while I can say it should work, I really am not that experienced enough or qualified to say it will work. Sorry.

 

[David Perrin]

Part of the problem is, in terms of software licensing, a new motherboard constitutes a new computer. And new computers require "new" Windows licenses. If you had bought Windows 10, you can legally transfer it to new computers over and over again. But since this is an upgrade, it is tied to the original license that was installed to your old motherboard.

Another part of the problem may be how in copied Windows to the USB drive. Did you make it a bootable drive. Just copying the ISO file to it will not work. See http://pcsupport.about.com/od/windows-8/a/install-windows-8-usb.htm

I am not sure whether the problem I have is that I cannot seem to change the BIOS Boot Priority on my Z97 UEI MB, so that the USB is the first choice or whether the issue is with the USB saved Windows 10 that I downloaded and saved onto a USB 3.0 drive, from the Microsoft website when I originally upgraded to Win 10 pro. I have been trying to contact Microsoft support in the UK using the Contact Support app. This seems to be quite helpful as it allows you to select a time roughly when Support will contact you. However despite numerous attempts using this facility I am yet to receive a call back. At the moment I have the Activate Windows watermark on the lower right of my screen but all the links in Settings-Activation are greyed out, despite this I still receive updates.
Realistically I think my first port of call should be with Microsoft Support to see if they will reactivate my Windows 10 Pro, then re download an updated version of the windows 10 media and try a reinstall from that, assuming my MB will cooperate. Frankly I am quite willing to pay for a new product key as the problem with the failure of my original MB was not Microsofts fault. Failing any of these I guess I will have to fork out for a retail copy of Windows 10 Pro, but the only delivery methods that I have seen so far are either a direct download or a USB , neither of which particularly thrill me, I much prefer the old DVD form which has so far never failed me.

Thanks
David

 

[Trouble]

At the time of its death I was running the updated Windows 10 Pro on my PC

So, let's revisit how you upgraded to Windows 10 Pro.
Presumably a previous qualifying version of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 was installed on the computer.
Perhaps you might consider starting with that and then performing the upgrade from there again.
It might be worth a try assuming you have the product key available for that Windows install.
Even if was an OEM...... You might have better luck explaining to Microsoft what's going on during the "activation" process phone call that you'll need to make, regardless of which version of Windows you decide to install.

I don't have an ASUS board but everything I can find suggests that tapping the Delete key during POST (Power On Self Test) should produce the BIOS System Setup Utility.
Likewise tapping the F8 key is suppose to produce the boot menu screen. On my Gigabyte boards it's F12.

 

[David Perrin]

Update

Well my immediate problem regarding activation of Win 10 Pro has been resolved. Finally managed to contact Microsoft Support via chat and they have activated Win 10 for me, so the immediate problem has been fixed. However I am still not happy with the way in which my Asus Z97 MB is behaving vis a vis changing the boot priority sequence. The User guide is totally silent on the issue with no walk through for this process, bad mark Asus.

I have tried tapping the Delete key on POST and I have tried pressing the F2 key. Sometimes it responds by entering the BIOS but most often it does not with repeated attempts. I have also tried the alternatave methods suggested by Asus and that some times does work and some times not. All this is very frustrating as initially I was able to enter the BIOS with no problem whatsoever. I probably need to pay a visit to the Asus Z97 Forum to find help.

 

[Trouble]

I probably need to pay a visit to the Asus Z97 Forum to find help.

That would probably be a good idea.
I assume you are running the most up to date BIOS available for that specific board and Rev.#

Anyway, very glad to hear that you've made progress on the activation front.
Now would be a good time to create a disk image of your hard disk(s). to keep all your critical data, programs, drivers and such safely backed up on external storage.
https://www.windows10forums.com/threads/please-for-your-own-peace-of-mind.794/

 

[Digerati]

The User guide is totally silent on the issue with no walk through for this process, bad mark Asus.

Oh? I am looking at page 3-3 of your manual now and setting Boot Device Priority (right side, center) seems pretty clear. Page 3-57 has more information and 3-65 addresses flash drives.

 

[David Perrin]

That would probably be a good idea.
I assume you are running the most up to date BIOS available for that specific board and Rev.#

Anyway, very glad to hear that you've made progress on the activation front.
Now would be a good time to create a disk image of your hard disk(s). to keep all your critical data, programs, drivers and such safely backed up on external storage.
https://www.windows10forums.com/threads/please-for-your-own-peace-of-mind.794/

Very good advice re creating a disk image, which is why I do it regularly once a week
I am not sure which BIOS my MB is running but I suspect it needs updating as it is the version installed by the factory. I am not sure whether I am at a stage in my understanding as to how UEFI boards operate to try an update at this point in time. I may defer that until I feel more comfortable with the UEFI technology, unless that is that it is the BIOS which is suddenly creating the problem regarding changing Boot priority sequence. Hopefully a visit to the Z97 Forum will point me the right direction. So for now I will mark this thread as resolved and thanks to all who offered me support.
Thanks
David

Oh? I am looking at page 3-3 of your manual now and setting Boot Device Priority (right side, center) seems pretty clear. Page 3-57 has more information and 3-65 addresses flash drives.

Hi

3-3 shows the "Home" page of the EZ Mode and you are right, in the botton right hand corner it shows the current boot priority, but it is only for three devices and in my case the first is the optical drive and the second and third or HDD's. You can drag and drop any of these three into any order you prefer. Unfortunately I have 8 different SSD,HDD and USB all connected to SATA connectors and all showing in the Advanced > BOOT section of 3-57. To change the order of the 3 "primary" devices you need to access the boot priority in the BOOT section of Advanced. There all the various devices are listed and you click on a drive and a drop down menu appears listing all the other drives. Unfortunately not all show a drop down menu some are bottom up which means I cannot view all the options available as there is insufficient room on the screen to show all available devices. If they were all drop down menus the problem probably would not exist. You can then change the sequence as it affects the drive that you clicked on. So if I select the first drive in the list and click on it the drop down menu appears and I can select USB as the first boot device.
I have 3 USB drives listed in my devices all shown as various types of Generic USB. The problem here is that it does not identify the USB drive as say "Sandisk Cruzer Edge 32gbs" therefore it is difficult for me to identify the correct USB to place in the first choice boot drive. If you can point me to anything which can show me this I will be delighted. The other problem is that after selecting a new first boot device and I go back to the EZ Moe home page the boot sequence in the boot right hand corner has not changed. So I select save changes and exit, reboot and eventually after several tries I enter the BIOS and find that the boot sequence still has not changes to that selected in the Advanced Boot section.

As for secton 3-65, I thought that just related to how to use a USB to update the BIOS.

All this is very frustrating and probably mostly due to my inexperience with UEFI motherboards, so I very much appreciate your help in trying to steer me onto the right course. I will get there eventually, it is just that the learning curve it a bit steeper than I expected.

Thanks
David

 

[Saltgrass]

My Z99 board works pretty well. I normally just use Delete to get into the Bios and then use the Boot menu (F8) from there. Trying to use F5 or F8 is very hard. There also my be an F2 option which was added in a bios update.

One trick is to start tapping the key before you even think it is time. Also, I turn off the Fast Start option.

I can get into the bios from Windows 10 through the Recovery and advanced options.

I tell folks the biggest problem with UEFI is first knowing you have it and then being able to boot into the correct configuration. If you install a system, it will be configured depending on how you booted the install media.

 

[David Perrin]

My Z99 board works pretty well. I normally just use Delete to get into the Bios and then use the Boot menu (F8) from there. Trying to use F5 or F8 is very hard. There also my be an F2 option which was added in a bios update.

One trick is to start tapping the key before you even think it is time. Also, I turn off the Fast Start option.

I can get into the bios from Windows 10 through the Recovery and advanced options.

I tell folks the biggest problem with UEFI is first knowing you have it and then being able to boot into the correct configuration. If you install a system, it will be configured depending on how you booted the install media.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will give them a try. Now that you mention it I do recall reading somewhere that Fast Boot should be deactivated to facilitate installing Windows 10, is this still the case?
The thing I find difficult to comprehend is that initially I had no problem booting into the BIOS, but for some reason, that I have yet to figure out, this became progressively more difficult. When the problem was first encountered I though that there may have been an issue with my wi fi linked keyboard being unable to connect in time to trigger the BIOS entry sequence. However on trying two other keyboards they each have the same problem, I am now wondering if I need to remove the CMOS battery to clear things out and try again. If that is the only solution I understand that it can be a pain due to the CMOS location, which might require removing certain items from the MB to gain access.

Thanks
David

 

[Digerati]

F5 is to boot into Windows Safe Mode. F8 is to boot into the Boot Menu, which then lets you access Safe Mode. Typically you tap during boot to access these, but sometime just holding the key down works. Note those are OS options.

Booting into the BIOS Setup Menu is a motherboard/BIOS option and is done BEFORE the boot disk is even touched. And the key to do is determined by the BIOS and is published in your manual. The Del key is often used, but many motherboards require you press an F key instead.

Now that you mention it I do recall reading somewhere that Fast Boot should be deactivated to facilitate installing Windows 10,

I have never seen that mentioned anywhere. I have upgraded many many computers to W10 and never had to do that.