- Apr 3, 2009
- 3
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- 18,520
I recently purchased the Asus Zenbook UX31A which came pre-loaded with Windows 8. Later I installed Linux Mint over the original Windows installation (not partitioned along side Windows). After messing around with Linux, I've decided I want Windows again, but after much effort I have yet to be able to install Windows back onto this Asus laptop. So far this is what I've tried:
1. Created a bootable USB flash drive with Windows XP, hoping to simply upgrade my way to Windows 8 after the install. BIOS did not recognize the flash drive as a bootable option. Linux Mint however could see the mounted drive and I could access it just fine when I was booted into the OS.
2. Created a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 7. BIOS could see the flash drive as a bootable option, which I set as the first boot option. But when it booted, it ignored the flash drive and booted directly into Linux.
3. Used an external DVD drive, but BIOS did not recognize it as a bootable device.
4. Created a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8, but once again, BIOS does not see it as a bootable option.
In my BIOS settings I've tried disabling Legacy Support. I've disabled/enabled Secure Boot and Fast Boot. I know booting from USB works because I have successfully loaded Linux Ubuntu and Linux Mint from flash drives onto this laptop, and BIOS did recognize the flash drive as a bootable option when I had Windows 7 loaded onto it.
I've used various programs to create these bootable flash drives, all which do work and are well known throughout technical communities. For the Windows 8 bootable flash drive I used a program called WinUSB for Linux.
So I'm out of ideas. I don't know what else to do. Microsoft and their partnered hardware vendors locked down their shit so tight you can't even get their product back on the thing.
UPDATE: external DVD drive is no longer an option. Only USB flash drive (or other methods). Any ideas/solutions would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
1. Created a bootable USB flash drive with Windows XP, hoping to simply upgrade my way to Windows 8 after the install. BIOS did not recognize the flash drive as a bootable option. Linux Mint however could see the mounted drive and I could access it just fine when I was booted into the OS.
2. Created a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 7. BIOS could see the flash drive as a bootable option, which I set as the first boot option. But when it booted, it ignored the flash drive and booted directly into Linux.
3. Used an external DVD drive, but BIOS did not recognize it as a bootable device.
4. Created a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8, but once again, BIOS does not see it as a bootable option.
In my BIOS settings I've tried disabling Legacy Support. I've disabled/enabled Secure Boot and Fast Boot. I know booting from USB works because I have successfully loaded Linux Ubuntu and Linux Mint from flash drives onto this laptop, and BIOS did recognize the flash drive as a bootable option when I had Windows 7 loaded onto it.
I've used various programs to create these bootable flash drives, all which do work and are well known throughout technical communities. For the Windows 8 bootable flash drive I used a program called WinUSB for Linux.
So I'm out of ideas. I don't know what else to do. Microsoft and their partnered hardware vendors locked down their shit so tight you can't even get their product back on the thing.
UPDATE: external DVD drive is no longer an option. Only USB flash drive (or other methods). Any ideas/solutions would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
/forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/32302-How-to-install-Windows-7-from-a-USB-3-0-Thumb-Drive-(FAST-installation!)
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