Issue I talking Windows 7 on new PC

kuroneko808 · 16 Sep 2015 at 19:46

Issue Installing Windows 7 on new PC

I'm having an issue installing Windows 7 64 bit (OEM) on my new PC.

I'm trying to instal it via a USB external DVD drive (a Samsung Se218) and I keep getting the following error message. "A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing".

Googling the problem, the most common solution seems to be to swap the USB port being used. However I've had no success with this.

Any suggestions?

(Sorry for the title, I hadn't spotted the accursed autocorrect amendments!!!)

CaptainCrash · 17 Sep 2015 at 08:11

If it's a new Skylake motherboard without legacy EHCI support, you have a problem, as Windows 7 doesn't have the code to support installation via USB.

If you don't want to upgrade to Win8/10, you could try temporarily attaching an internal DVD drive, but you'll also need a PS/2 mouse and keyboard during the setup process, assuming your mobo has the necessary connector(s) - if it just has the one combined port, you'd have to keep swapping between mouse and keyboard as and when required.

kuroneko808 · 17 Sep 2015 at 13:20

After doing quite a bit of googling I came to the same conclusion as to the cause of the problem. One possible solution seems to be to use a USB Windows Installation Tool that I found on Gigabytes website. I've just used it to create an installation USB drive (complete with the mobo drivers that Windows 7 is missing). I'm going to try it out tonight when I get home and hopefully it will work.

bledd · 17 Sep 2015 at 13:35

Get a Windows 7 ISO file.

Use Rufus to 'write' this to a USB stick. (it will remove all other data on the stick)

CaptainCrash · 17 Sep 2015 at 14:53

bledd. said:
Get a Windows 7 ISO file.

Use Rufus to 'write' this to a USB stick. (it will remove all other data on the stick)

A vanilla Win7 ISO simply won't work bledd, it doesn't have out-of-the-box xHCI support which would enable the USB ports on a Skylake motherboard. You'd have to slipstream the drivers, and unless the manufacturer provides a tool to simplify the process, it's probably less of a headache to connect up an internal DVD drive to do the install.

kuroneko808 said:
One possible solution seems to be to use a USB Windows Installation Tool that I found on Gigabytes website. I've just used it to create an installation USB drive (complete with the mobo drivers that Windows 7 is missing). I'm going to try it out tonight when I get home and hopefully it will work.

Good find, let us know how you get on.