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Dell XPS 8920 SSD (Dual Boot)
I am trying to have a dual boot machine where I have the option of pressing F12 and choosing which SSD it boots too. Below are the steps I followed;
Changed Boot list option to Legacy
http://i.imgur.com/8z158Lf.jpg
Changed SATA operation to AHCI
http://i.imgur.com/OMGKhrW.jpg
F12 boot menu works fine, choose USB Dell Windows 7
http://i.imgur.com/gAzSUI6.jpg%C2%A0
Once this Windows 7 language screen appears the mouse and keyboard are dead. I have tried this in the different USB ports on the back with no luck.
http://i.imgur.com/DqMgwOA.jpg
Any suggestions?
Thanks
triclone123
2 Posts
0
April 5th, 2017 22:00
I am EXACTLY in the same boat, same problem. Need help too.
silverbros
3 Posts
0
April 6th, 2017 07:00
There must be a solution to this, even using a DVD or USB stick, the keyboard and mouse are dead.
triclone123
2 Posts
1
April 6th, 2017 13:00
Just found by going to dell.com, support, drivers for the 8920 and OS choice, that the XPS 8920 DOES NOT support Windows 7. Horrible thing to find. If you try to install it with a regular disk or USB, it will disable the USB ports as the normal Windows 7 installation media does not have the USB drivers for that USB chipset. That is why your keyboard and mouse freezes when you try. Dell might have a Windows 7 OEM more recent version for UEFI and that has the drivers, but I doubt they will give access to it since they already labeled the system as incompatible. Sorry for the bad news.
silverbros
3 Posts
0
April 6th, 2017 23:00
I am trying to have a dual boot windows 10 system. Has anyone successfully managed to set one up. I am struggling at installing windows on a new hdd. Do I have disconnect the m,2 from the motherboard?
Cybernet Pinda
1 Message
1
May 17th, 2017 13:00
If anyone needs to install Windows 7 on xps8920 see how I solved it
I put the HD in another 64bit machine I installed windows 7 in it and installed a network card pcie
I installed and configured TeamViewer to start automatically
Then I went back to HD for Dell and also installed the network card
With this, the machine connected and accessed the network with the PCIe card
I accessed through another machine by the teamviewer and installed the USB drivers (DriverEasy)
Ready Keyboard and mouse running
I hope I have helped
Tony7102
1 Message
0
June 7th, 2017 17:00
Buy a PCIe USB 2.0 card and plug all your USB devices into it until you have installed Win 7 and updated the drivers
gloverltd
2 Posts
0
June 7th, 2017 18:00
Cybernet Pinda, how'd you get the network card pcie driver to work in the xps8920?
and can you get us the link to the drivers you installed on (DriverEasy)?
we could possibly slipstream the drivers in the win7 disc.
i make images, so as long as i make one, i can continue to use them.
ky_truong
1 Message
0
June 20th, 2017 12:00
was this on a NVME SSD?
thiagocarlossil
3 Posts
0
July 27th, 2017 16:00
Is there another way?
thiagocarlossil
3 Posts
0
July 27th, 2017 16:00
How did you solve it?
thiagocarlossil
3 Posts
0
July 27th, 2017 16:00
Could you install windows 7 on the XPS 8920? I have the same problem, I did not find any solution, the applications that the CLP controls only runs on windows 7
How did you solve it?
Matrixation
9 Posts
0
December 15th, 2017 01:00
There was something called Deploy back in the day from Microsoft. Deploy was a utility that allowed manufacturers to put one image of an installed OS on many computers. What this did was speed up the amount of time it took to prep the computer for sale because it only takes 2 minutes to put an image on a computer instead of half an hour installing the OS from scratch. So, what this means is that if you can get this utility, all you need to do is install Windows 7 on any computer and then use the Deploy utility on the 8920.
The problem is that MS doesn't do this anymore but Macrium Reflect Home edition has a feature called ReDeploy which does the same thing and it apparently works. I have not actually tried it out but I am trying to lend ideas since I too need to install Windows 7 Pro onto my 8920. Actually, Dell claims this computer IS compatible but when I asked them about the drivers, they said I have to talk to Microsoft.
Anyway, there is another way that doesn't require ReDeploy. That is to inject USB3.0 drivers for the current chipset into the ISO. This is also known as slipstream. Just look up how to slipstream USB3.0 drivers into the Windows 7 Installation disc.
Here's one link to it but there might be a better one somewhere else:
codeabitwiser.com/.../
Good luck guys. I would try to Run Windows 10 instead because you'll have less of a headache dealing with drivers and troubleshooting when something goes awry.
The only other solution which I have yet to try is to run Windows 7 in VirtualBox. Personally, I want to run Windows 7 only because I'm trying to replace a studio computer that I used to have with MOTU equipment for music production. In Windows 10, I don't know if it's the updates but the computer won't run reliably with the MOTU gear even though it ran fine in an Inspiron 620 before. Also, the Start button, Cortana, Edge, and the Settings button on the bottom right don't work or stopped working at some point during the installation or while using the computer. I did a fresh install and Cortana changed to a white color for no apparent reason. So for that matter, I can't stand Windows 10. It's just not a stable operating system whatsoever on a lot of computers.
So, in a nutshell. The options I'm suggesting are ReDeploy and Slipstream USB 3.0 drivers. Other than that...there is NOTHING else you can do other than actually the aforementioned suggestion as posted by another user.
EDIT DEC-2017
Even if you were able to Install W7, there are no drivers for the computer except maybe the USB controller and video card. You'd have a crippled system because you'd have to install the generic drivers for everything else.
Eddie_Walton
12 Posts
0
December 30th, 2017 10:00
I'm adding this info (and fix) to this thread because it's the first thread that pops up in my Google Search for keywords "XPS 8920" and "Windows 7". I hope it helps others who come along with a search regarding the same issues.
I bought an XPS 8920 to install Windows 7 Ultimate for use at home as a Windows Media Center DVR machine and to act as a server for my WMC extenders.
I had forgotten to consider any potential driver issues with Windows 7 on a platform with such new hardware as the XPS 8920 offers. Including the Kaby Lake i7 processor as well as the USB 3.0 chipset which also controls the 2.0 ports using the same driver.
I'm glad to report that I did find an install workaround by using the MSI tool located at the link below.
The install recognizes my keyboard AND my NVMe drive.
If you already have your Windows 7 installation USB thumb drive ready to go, then just run this tool and it'll add the correct USB 3.0 drivers. It also added the NVMe drivers for my PCie SSD Samsung 960.
MSI Smart Tool download link:
http://download.msi.com/uti_exe/Smart_Tool.zip
Here is a third party web-forum thread with a discussion on the tool:
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=261560.0
ejn63
9 Legend
9 Legend
•
87.5K Posts
0
December 30th, 2017 13:00
The issue you're going to face is that while this gets Windows 7 running on the otherwise unsupported hardware, you'll then need to manually install all updates -- since WIndows update is blocked on the Kaby Lake (and Coffee Lake and AMD Ryzen) platforms.
support.microsoft.com/.../the-processor-is-not-supported-together-with-the-windows-version-that
Beyond that, Windows 7 has just 24 months of life left in it before, as with XP, all updates cease.
Eddie_Walton
12 Posts
0
December 30th, 2017 14:00
There are hacks out there to let you do the Windows updates.
Who uses a computer more than a year or two before moving on?
Anyhow, the USB hack I posted above only works until AFTER the operating system is installed.
Then the keyboard stops working AGAIN.
There is a hack out there for that too, but I'm done fighting with it for the day.