Win7 and Win10 compatible PC

[amorphis]

I know there are some info about using Win7 on official only Win10 compatible systems, but here's my experience if anyone going with Win7 only. Go with z370 boards if you can for 9xxx series CPU support.

- MSI Z370 Pro Gaming Carbon
- Intel 9900K
- CORSAIR CMW32G
- GTX 1080ti
- Samsung 1TB regular SSD

- Installed windows from DVD, no issues, both USB keyboard and mouse worked without an issue during installation (Win7 support enabled in BIOS).

- MSI has official Win7 drivers, installed them and everything works (USB, audio, etc.) without an issue. Tried several USB devices, external drives, no issues.

Only minor issue so far is "ACPI Wake Alarm" driver not installed with chipset drivers, it's shown as an unknown device in Device Manager. There's a driver for it if anyone needs it, but I didn't install (only checked if it's working then uninstalled), no need for me. You can get the driver from below:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebooks ... -p/3836870#


If you have a different Z370 motherboard and if official drivers are problematic or there's no official drivers, then you can try these links:

https://www.overclock.net/forum/6-intel ... -hero.html

https://www.win-raid.com/t834f25-USB-Dr ... odded.html

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads ... -1.398042/


If you gonna buy an MSI Gaming Pro Carbon with a 9900K, know that it's not very suitable for overclocking with 9900K, if you're lucky you may reach 5.0 but MOS overheating will be a big issue. This board can work with a stock 9900K, but even in stock clocks it gets hot (in torture tests MOS reaches 100 celcius easily), so place a fan over the VRMs if you're using water cooling like me. If you're using air cooler for CPU which blowing air on motherboard too, you may be safer.

For me this was the highest Z370 board available in local stores and I was in a hurry. If you can get a higher rank z370 then OCing will not be an issue much with a 9900k.

If you're gonna install Win7 on a NVMe SSD then you need drivers integrated to Windows 7 image. I'll use NVMe for Win10 installation for dual boot later, so didn't bother with it.

Also for Win7 updates you need "wufuc" too:

https://github.com/zeffy/wufuc/releases/tag/v1.0.1.201

[Blacksmith60]

Thanks for your insight, I'm also about to upgrade, but not ready to let Win7 go either !

Did you specificly go after MSI because of the relative compatibility with Win7, or was it just a lucky punch ?
The Carbon model is not available here, do you think that with a little luck something like ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-H GAMING could do the trick also ?

[john105]

The Carbon model is not available here, do you think that with a little luck something like ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-H GAMING could do the trick also ?

Absolutely. Any Z370 and even Z390 board from any manufacturer will work with Windows 7.

It doesn't matter because drivers are not really unique to particular motherboards. You'll need:

1. Intel Chipset driver. It's universal across all boards and all Intel chipsets. It's not even a real driver because it doesn't come with any .sys files. It's mostly to get rid of unknown devices in Device Manager. If you feel lazy, you can safely skip this one.

2. Intel USB driver. I think this is the reason amorphis recommends Z370, because it's the last chipset that Intel provides a Windows 7 (and 8) compatible USB driver for. But you can still go with Z390 and get an unofficial USB driver from https://www.win-raid.com/t4883f52-Solut ... stems.html I tried it and it works well.

3. Some motherboards also have an ASMedia USB controller. ASMedia provides a Windows 7 USB driver.

4. LAN driver. The most common LAN chips found on motherboards are from Intel (such as I219-V for example). MSI and some other manufacturers might use a Killer NIC instead. Windows 7 drivers are available for both of these options.

5. Audio (usually Realtek) driver. No need to even bother to install it as Windows already comes with a standard "High Definition Audio Device" driver that works just fine.

6. Drivers for other unknown devices that show up in Device Manager like ACPI Wake Alarm (listed as Unknown device) or Intel Management Engine Interface (listed as PCI Simple Communications Controller) are not really worth installing in my opinion. If you really want them, I think you can also still find Windows 7 versions.

I downloaded all the above drivers from different sources and can share them if anyone needs it.

There's no problem installing these drivers after Windows installation as usual. The only problem is the cases when a driver is needed during the installation process. As amorphis mentioned, it's better to use a regular SATA SSD because for an NVMe SSD you have no choice but to integrate its driver to the OS image. Another thing that needs drivers integrated is USB for keyboard and mouse to work. However there are 2 ways to avoid it:

1. Use a PS/2 keyboard if you have this port on your motherboard. You can buy a cheap one and only use it temporary. Then switch to your regular USB keyboard as soon as you install USB drivers after the end of Windows installation. You don't really need a mouse, just use the tab key to switch between options during the installation.

2. Most motherboards have PS/2 emulation mode that makes Windows recognize any USB keyboard and mouse as a PS/2 device. Different motherboard manufacturers call this option differently in BIOS. As far as I know, the convention is the following:
ASUS: Advanced > USB Configuration > "USB Keyboard and Mouse Simulator"
ASRock: UEFI SETUP UTILITY > Advanced > USB Configuration > "PS/2 Simulator"
MSI: SETTING > Advanced > Windows OS Configuration > "Windows 7 Installation"
Gigabyte: Peripherals > USB Configuration > "Port 60/64 Emulation"
EVGA: BOOT > "Windows 7 Installation"

I noticed that at least ASUS removed this option from BIOS for their Z390 motherboards. I'm not sure about other manufacturers, but if it's also true for them, it might be another reason to prefer a Z370 board.

[Blacksmith60]

This is very usefull info john105, very much appreciated - THANKS !

Now I'm confident that this the way to go, and I'll buy an early christmas present for myself

[amorphis]

I checked for the available motherboards for me in local stores, checked the websites of the all the brands for official win7 drivers, checked comments of win7 users as much as I can and tried to buy the best and the most officially win7 supported one (but was also leaning towards MSI more, my previous Asus was a little problematic). So that's why I went with an MSI Carbon. My first plan was going with a Z390, but saw some people without luck with win7, so chose to go with the safest bet. But there's also people who's happy with a z390 and win7 as john105 pointed out. Thanks john105 for his detailed infos, very useful indeed.

For usage with 9900k, I was prepared for heating issues and also didn't want to overclock, so bought it knowing all the possible heat and power issues.

It's been a month I build up this system and no serious issues so far. Happy with the gaming performance and all over performance.

If you can buy a higher rank motherboard, go for it. I would buy too if time was no issue. So good luck.