HDD not found/detected when Boot in UEFI mode

[AgusMancoe]

i have a HP Sleekbook 15-b035tx which came with a windows 8 OS installed already. due to some reasons, i tried to shift it back to windows 7. After many unsuccessful tries, i finally managed to install windows 7 by changing my boot sequence to Legacy Boot.
later on, due to lack of drivers for win 7, i installed, rather upgraded to win 8 which was running on legacy boot (using MBR if im not wrong). now, i want to install a fresh copy of win 8 with UEFI but the problem is when i change my boot sequence to disable legacy boot, then during installation of win 8, i cannot see my HDD :(... im using a flash drive to install win 8 which is already in UEFI (i used diskpart for that).
also, when i use legacy boot and try to install windows, then the HDD appears and when i format the HDD and create new partitions, it creates 3 partitions (System, MSR, Reserved) and the fourth one for OS. i tried installing the windows like this but after install, when i change the boot sequence to UEFI again, it fails to boot 😞

now, i want to install windows to UEFI... and i really need help with this please :(... i hope i have explained the scenario... if anyone would like to ask anything, please do :(... as i really need to get this away... and also, i'd like to ask that how can i check if my HDD has been changed from MBR to GTP

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

I can't find the product specs for your model -- only these show up.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/pfinder?cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&tool=&query=15-b035

They all have Intel hardware with a nVidia GT 630M graphics adapter.

If yours has the same specs, you can install W7 64 bit on there with little difficulty.

I know where all the drivers are.

If you can't see the HDD normally you need to load the sata drivers.

See if this works in uefi mode...

Download the drivers from this link below (first or second file listed -- 32 or 64 bit as applicable).

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProdId=2101&DwnldID=23060&keyword=Intel+Rapi...

Extract the files onto a usb flash drive.

With the flash drive and W8 installation media plugged into the machine, boot from the W8 installation media.

After you select the install now option, select the Drive Options - Advanced menu, then select the Load Driver option.

You should now see the storage driver files listed.

If you check the box, it will only include the compatible driver.

Follow the prompts and hopefully W8 should install.

If that doesn't work and no one else can help you out, let me know if you want to install W7 x64 back on and I'll walk you through installing the drivers you need.

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

When you boot your PC with the BIOS set to UEFI mode, then be sure to select the W8 boot media in the boot menu designated by EFI. Once you do that then W8 will create the required partitions and the hard drive will be formatted as GPT.

[AgusMancoe]

Hi Paul
This works fine ... thank you very much for the instructions
now I'm surfing the Internet with my W8 again,
if you still want to know about my laptop Specifications you can see it on the link below:

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03617620

[AgusMancoe]

Hi Big_Dave
thank you very much for the instructions ... but before I tried to follow the instructions from you, I have tried to follow the instructions of Paul and it turned out to work ... anyway thanks lah above instructions

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

If you ever decide you want to go back to W7 x64, it would be pretty easy to find all of the drivers you need for your model.

But I think you are better off upgrading to W8.1. It works almost like W7 does anyway.

I got rid of the lock screen, and I have the PC booting right to the desktop after I log in.

Best Regards,

Paul

[Jordz]

Hi Paul,

I have about the same problem and here's my story,

I have a HP Envy 700-229c with Windows 8 preinstalled that comes with the USB flash drive recovery media(Windows 8).

I installed Windows 7 via Legacy and decided to go back to Windows 8 to upgrade 8.1

but when I tried to boot the USB Recovery, I get the a message saying "please boot this system recovery media using the uefi boot source option in the bios boot menu".

now when I go to Boot Device Options(F9 Utility) I can see the USB drive belongs to Legacy and not in UEFI.

How do I get to boot my USB recovery in UEFI?

Thanks in advance... here's a picture of my screen.

[Jimbo_1point0]

 I know Jordz's post is over a year old, but for the sake of anyone else who may happen by having the same issue with an HP Envy....

My computer is the Envy 700-406, and in order to get into the BIOS to change the settings from 'legacy' mode back to UEFI, you just reboot your computer and as the computer powers back on, before any HP logo or anything appears, start pressing the F10 (or maybe it's F9, I forgot) key repeatedly until you're presented with the BIOS menu....Then use your keyboard arrows to navigate to "Security> Secure Boot" and enable it. Next, go to "System Security" and disable Legacy. In that same menu, enable UEFI. Make sure to choose Save Changes And Exit. 

If your HDD isn't "seen" in UEFI mode, that situation has already been answered in other posts here. Drivers for the drive need to be added to a USB and navigated to during the setup process. I have successfully installed Windows 7 in Legacy mode on my computer, along with going back to Windows 8.1 in Legacy, using a retail disc. Rather than bothering with putting the machine back into UEFI mode, I actually prefer Legacy. But if I wind up wanting to say install an SSD or something, I'll likely reset everything in BIOS to UEFI and go through the steps mentioned by Paul and/or Dave.