NUC12i7 no way to boot from USB even for repair disc

[Anonymous]

I cannot find a way to get my new NUC12i7WSK to boot fro USB (neither DVD ROM device nor simple stick.) It boots happily into Windows 10 Pro from the m.2 SSD but it is set up as dual boot and the alternative Windows 7 Ultimate OS needs repair, i.e. attempt to boot from m.2 SSD results in a failed to start message and recommendation to "repair" with disc or USB stick.

However despite trying many different alternatives in visual bios nothing changes.

I have disabled Secure Boot, UEFI boot enabled/disabled makes no difference. I cannot see any "Legacy Boot" option which I expected. Have downloaded and installed latest firmware. Have tried newly created iso as well as old recovery DVD and USB stick.

The DVD and USB stick both boot when plugged into a NUC5 so they are not the problem.

On power on the DVD disc can be heard being accessed but it is not recognized as a boot option. The LED of the USB stick similarly shows it being accessed.

I have tried both front and rear USB sockets - no difference.

[Alberto_R_Intel]

PRC, Thank you for posting in the Intel® Communities Support.

In reference to this scenario, it is important to note that the model of the Intel® NUC you provided is not showing on our official website:

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark.html

According to the details you described, it seems that you are following the proper steps to boot from USB. Most of the time this issue is related to the .ISO image, but as you mentioned, the fact that it is working on a NUC 5 suggests the problem is related to a different source. 

Based on that, we will do further research on this matter, as soon as I get any updates, I will post all the details on this thread. In the meantime, in the link below you will find "No Boot Device Found," or "A bootable device has not been detected" Message on an Intel® NUC Product", which provides some suggestions that might be useful for you:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000087822/intel-nuc.html 

Any questions, please let me know.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Anonymous]

Albert,

Thanks for taking an interest in this.

First, the full model number is NUC12i7WSK or NUC12WSKi7 (not sure which.) I used the shortened "NUC12i7" in the hope of broadening the search.

Secondly, I have since accidentally discovered that powering on with the USB stick already inserted (rear USB port - some references indicate that this matters but I can't say) causes it to be shown as a boot option in Visual BIOS (with F2 key.) This then results in the previously reported situation where the NUC does try to boot from it BUT then does not recognize it as a bootable source, i.e. this confirms that the problem is not failure to try to boot from USB.

Thirdly, subsequent to my initial query, I  have spoken to Intel Product Support (Case No. 05629035). No help was forthcoming but the statement that Windows 7 had not been verified for the NUC12i7 gave me further ideas for search for a solution.

I found multiple references to the problem of Win 7 failing to boot on later versions of NUC's (post NUC 6 I think.) If some of the better ones are correct then my problem stems from the fact that the later NUC's have only USB 3 and no USB 2 whereas WIN 7 installation media has no drivers for USB 3. There are reports of the same problem with non-Intel machines having only USB 3 ports.

Several workarounds have been suggested, principally revolving around downloading

      <Intel eXtensible USB 3.0 Host drivers Win 7>

I wasted hours going around in circles (literally being directed back to where I began) on the Intel web site trying to find this until I accidentally stumbled on the statement that this has been "discontinued".  (Why, oh why, would you "discontinue" - delete? - a software product instead of archiving it?)

I have now downloaded an iso <windows-7-ultimate-x-64-sp-1-fully-loaded.iso> from

          [https://archive.org/details/windows-7-ultimate-x-64-sp-1-fully-loaded].

I am about to try it - the author claims that he has loaded the USB 3 drivers into it so that Win 7 will install on machines with only USB 3 ports. I will report back but it may be a couple of days before I can. (If anyone reading this is looking for an x86 solution he has provided a similar x86 iso on the same web page.)

I will also consult the links you have kindly provided.

Thanks again.

[n_scott_pearson]

@Anonymous is talking about the NUC12WSKi7.

My question is: what is the OP trying to boot? AFAIK, there is no support in this platform for Legacy Boot. Only UEFI boot is supported. Bottom line, if he is attempting to boot a Legacy OS, it simply isn't going to work. If it is a Linux distro, then you need to build media for booting Linux in UEFI mode.

...S

[Anonymous]

Scott,

Thanks to you also for taking an interest, especially from a voluntary standpoint.

You are absolutely correct that there is no "Legacy Boot" option - spent hours trying to find it. However, I have some hope that there could be a workaround based on adding USB 3 drivers to the Win 7 installation iso. Please see my detailed reply to Albert.

In case you are wondering, there is a good and amusing explanation of why I want to have Win 7 as a dual boot (as well as detail of another person stating that the problem is lack of USB 3 drivers in the install iso) at

https://davespagnol.wordpress.com/2018/08/17/how-not-to-install-windows-7-on-a-usb3-computer/

Thanks again.

[itsme]

win10 and win11 do already have USB3 support  out of the box.  The USB3 fix for win7 install media was only needed for devices that lacked  any old USB2 ports. Win7 install media do not support USB3 host controllers out of the box.

But this is not your issue here, because it's a UEFI FW thing.  If you try to boot an older image that uses legacy boot then it's not going to work. PERIOD. 

If you have a spare USB flash drive or USB hdd available that can be erased, then try to create a bootable drive with ventoy, and copy any supported bootable ISO on the drive and see if it boots.  Of course you need to install ventoy with UEFI support.

Or you download the WIn11 media creation tool from MS  and let it create a bootable WIN11 install image for you.  Both should work.

EDIT: Ah missed the part with the  Win7(!!?)  second OS .  Not sure how well this works on a 12th core system. If you have some strange old application then consider to use a Win7 VM instead. Works much better and more reliable than a dual boot system. As a plus you can use both OS at the same time when needed.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your comments. The problem with VM is that I need to use now and then some applications that somehow have their licencing tied into some hidden setting that I can't find in VM. Might be a mixture of various things even - 32-bit vs 64-bit could be involved. On my NUC5 (now suffering mechanical problems with power switch) it was easier to install dual boot. Still works wonderfully well on the NUC5 Win 7 boot but I don't dare switch the NUC 5 off and a power outage might mean I can't restart it until I get the switch fixed and I don't want to be without Win 7 until switch is fixed assuming it even can be.

[Alberto_R_Intel]

Hello PRC, I just wanted to check if the information posted previously by the peers on this thread was useful for you and if you need further assistance on this matter?

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Anonymous]

Albert,

Thanks for continuing to take an interest in this one.

No final resolution yet but Intel Support is continuing to investigate - I must say I am impressed that they are doing so rather than just writing it off on the grounds that Windows 7 is not a validated operating system for the NUC12i7WSK.

My current understanding is that any Windows 7 ISO supplied without tweaks/modifications from original form cannot install via a USB3 port because the ISO does not come with drivers for USB3,  only with drivers for USB2. The NUC12i7WSK has only USB3 ports/drivers so in principle should not even begin to install Windows 7 - but, intriguingly, it gets as far as the Windows generic startup install screen before hanging.

There are offers on several web sites (e.g. https://archive.org/details/windows-7-ultimate-x-64-sp-1-fully-loaded - see attached screen shot) of modified Windows 7 ISO versions with USB3 drivers inserted and claims that this allows installation of Windows 7 on NUCs with only USB3 ports. I tried the archive.org version in the example quoted (rear USB port) but it got no further than a standard ISO before hanging in the same way.

I have asked Intel Support if they can advise whether there are more legacy issues than just USB2 vs. USB3 before I spend a lot of effort on the USB issue only to find it was to no avail. I am grateful that they have said they will investigate.

Please see Intel Customer Support - Case #: 05629035 for email exchanges.

[Alberto_R_Intel]

Hello PRC, You are very welcome, thank you very much for letting us know those details.

Perfect, it is great to know that you already have a case number created and assigned to this topic and that we are currently investigating on this matter. Please keep checking that case because all the updates about this scenario will be provided there.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician