How do I get keyboard and mouse working after installing Windows 7 Professional on my NUC6CAYH?

[ChrisF]

NUC serial number F44D306ACBIA, bar code details G6AY72800A7J, SA J26843-404

[AlHill]

Wired or Wireless?

Doc

[ChrisF]

I think it has to be wired because there's no apparent way in to set up wireless

[AlHill]

Do your keyboard and mouse both have a wired usb connector?

Do you know for sure that they work?

Do you know what BIOS is installed on your NUC?

Are you using W7 Pro, with SP3, with all 400+ updates installed?

If the mouse and keyboard do not work, how did you get W7 installed?

Doc

[ChrisF]

Thanks for your further reply. My NUC was working normally with Windows 10 Prof. From there I installed Windows 7 Prof in order to install a specific (non-Windows) program that won't run on later versions of Windows. That's when all contact with the NUC was lost so no updates have been installed. I've been told that the keyboard and mouse need a USB2 connection but the NUC has only USB3. Sorry, no idea about the BIOS.

[AlHill]

But... Your same mouse and keyboard worked on Windows 10, using the same USB3 ports. Your nuc's external usb connectors are usb3, and it also has 2 internal connectors that are usb2. However, that does not matter.

Now, this is important - your nuc only supports Windows 10.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005628/mini-pcs.html

And, it only supports UEFI boot, not legacy boot.

A specific non-windows program? If this program has not been updated to support windows 10, abandon it. And, you have only January 2020 for Windows 7 support from Microsoft, so it is time to look to the future (which is Windows 10).

Doc

[ChrisF]

Thanks again, I obviously wasn't aware of the Intel article. The special program I want to install controls a complex geothermal heating and cooling system for our home so I can't abandon it. I guess the supplier has developed a new program for new installations so has stopped updating mine for newer versions of Windows. I have replaced the NUC for use in my office because of serious deficiencies and I intended to replace a very old computer that currently controls my heating system with the NUC. MS support would be unnecessary. That now seems to be impossible. Is there any way I can re-install Windows 10 on the NUC so that it can at least have some future use?

[ChrisF]

I forgot to add that Windows 7 doesn't have a USB3 driver and that's why I lost contact.

[AlHill]

You should have no trouble reinstalling Windows 10. You can use my procedure here:

https://forums.intel.com/s/question/0D50P00004Icw2bSAB/problems-with-microsoft-supplied-windows-10-install-media-use-this-procedure-to-install-windows-10-on-your-nuc?language=en_US

Doc

[AlHill]

You may want to look at this:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000022400/server-products/server-boards.html

Doc

[ChrisF]

Thanks for your help. Maybe someone else, perhaps in Intel, has found a way to use Windows 7 in this NUC?

[Wanner_G_Intel]

Hello CFeat,

Thank you for submitting your question on this Intel® Community.

The information provided by Al.Hill is accurate. Intel® NUC Kit NUC6CAYH only supports Windows* 10. Our recommendation is that you can install Windows* 10 to make sure your unit is going to work as expected.

Wanner G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[ChrisF]

Thanks for your confirmation but that effectively renders my NUC redundant after a very short time (purchased November 2017). As an office PC it was useless with USB connections continually blocking wireless and other USB connections. I got tired of continually unplugging/plugging devices and restarting the NUC and my printer. I thought I had found a use for it but it seems I was wrong. Maybe I can trade it in through yourselves for a NUC model that does support Windows 7, presumably an older one? I'm not looking for refunds, only a reliable computer to run the heating and cooling system in our home, the special program for which will not run on Windows versions later than 7.

[n_scott_pearson]

The general method for getting Windows 7 installed onto platforms that expose only USB 3.0 ports is to build a custom Windows 7 installation image that has the USB 3.0 driver built into it (there are instructions on how to do this in a number of places on the internet). In this particular case, however, having this image is not going to solve all of the issues; there are too many other drivers that are not available. While I have seen reports of people being somewhat successful hacking driver packages to make them work with Windows 7; this is not a path for the faint of heart.

Considerations:

• If it doesn't involve any special device drivers, you could try running this software in Windows 7 Compatibility Mode.
• Have you considered running Windows 7 in a VM on top of Windows 10? Windows 10 Pro provides built-in support for Hyper-V.

Hope this helps,

...S

[ChrisF]

Thanks very much, that might just work with the one single application I plan to use. However, it's too technical for me so I'll get specialist support.