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Z370, 9600KF running windows 7?

MRghost91

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Feb 29, 2020
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Hey everyone, im build new PC but still want windows 7 with windows 10 for new games

i have tried this before on friend pc Aorus H370 with nvme after install, the fist booting BSOD, could't work it out so went with windows 10 but very glitchy with old games

i have seen posts about Z370 motherboard work with windows 7.
Will it matter i use 9600KF instead of 8700k/9700k with Gigabyte Z370 XP SLI ?
Will be using NVMe 1TB

Cheers
 
 
Hey everyone, im build new PC but still want windows 7 with windows 10 for new games

i have tried this before on friend pc Aorus H370 with nvme after install, the fist booting BSOD, could't work it out so went with windows 10 but very glitchy with old games

i have seen posts about Z370 motherboard work with windows 7.
Will it matter i use 9600KF instead of 8700k/9700k with Gigabyte Z370 XP SLI ?
Will be using NVMe 1TB

Cheers
You should be able to run 9600KF and the NVMe, usually what causes problems for people is (1) the USB keyboard and mouse failing to work during the install and (2) the NVMe not being accessible by Windows 7 because Windows 7 does not have the USB 3 and NVMe drivers native to its installer. Lastly, (3) Windows Update...

(1)
You could use an old PS/2 compatible keyboard, the kind that does not have a USB Plug, instead it has the cylindrical PS/2 plug. Once you have Windows 7 loaded you can install the XHCI USB 3.x drivers and plug in your normal USB keyboard and mouse if you were using a PS/2 keyboard or mouse before.
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Or you could try modifying the Windows 7 installer image using the Gigabyte Windows Image Tool. This would allow you to add NVMe and USB drivers into the Windows 7 installer.
If you want to try adding the drivers, you can use this image tool: download.gigabyte.us/FileList/Utility/mb_utility_windowsimagetool_z370.zip and Add USB drivers ...

(2)
The other problem you can run into is Windows 7 not recognizing the NVMe drive if Windows 7 does not already have the NVMe drivers. It is similar to the USB issue and you may be able to remedy it with that Gigabyte image tool by selecting Add NVMe drivers ... after selecting Add USB drivers ...

Otherwise, if you have a spare drive, install first to the spare SATA HDD or SSD with the NVMe drive removed from your computer. Shutdown and physically install the NVMe drive into the M2 slot, reboot and install the necessary Windows 7 NVMe drivers. After that is complete, check that Windows 7 can read and write to the NVMe in your My Computer. Once that works, you could use an imaging software such as Samsung Disk Migration if Samsung or Acronis True Image, Macrium Reflect, etc to image over your NVMe drive with a clone of the C:\ SATA HDD/SSD. Then shut down, remove the C:\ SATA HDD/SSD and boot off the NVMe.

(3)
Windows 7 can be tricky to start updating sometimes in 2020, before running Windows Update, you would install the update rollups:
1) Windows6.1-KB3020369-x64.msu
2) Windows6.1-KB3172605-x64.msu

This will allow Windows 7 to start downloading updates.

Finally you run Windows Update until it stops updating and displays the "Unsupported Processor" Message. Then install WUFUC: https://github.com/zeffy/wufuc
 
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Will it matter i use 9600KF instead of 8700k/9700k with Gigabyte Z370 XP SLI ?
The 9600KF is a great choice. Mine overclocks to 5.0GHz on air and when pushed, a 5.3GHz CPUz validation (and beyond if I had better cooling)

You should be in the same ball park. Just get a decent cooler for it and you shouldn't have any trouble.

You should have no problem playing the latest games, despite what some people say.
 
(3)
Windows 7 can be tricky to start updating sometimes in 2020, before running Windows Update, you would install the update rollups:
1) Windows6.1-KB3020369-x64.msu
2) Windows6.1-KB3172605-x64.msu

KB3020369 is an OBSOLETE update; not needed anymore for 2020! :mad:
install either KB3177467 or KB4490628 update instead which both replace KB3020369.

ALSO

If you want WU to offer and install newer Win7 updates from Aug. 2019 & later (SHA-2 signed only updates) install KB4490628 and KB4474419 updates first.

and a nice alternative to WUFUC is WuaCpuFix from here (recent version of WuaCpuFix works with the newer sha-2 only updates unlike with Wufuc):
https://github.com/p-lider/WuaCpuFix
 
Last edited:
KB3020369 is an OBSOLETE update; not needed anymore for 2020! :mad:
install either KB3177467 or KB4490628 update instead which both replace KB3020369.

ALSO

If you want WU to offer and install newer Win7 updates from Aug. 2019 & later (SHA-2 signed only updates) install KB4490628 and KB4474419 updates first.

and a nice alternative to WUFUC is WuaCpuFix from here (recent version of WuaCpuFix works with the newer sha-2 only updates unlike with Wufuc):
https://github.com/p-lider/WuaCpuFix
Thank you for the info and correction!
 
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