Perhaps you have to reinstall your Windows 8(.1)
I think your legacy system does not know how to start from GPT partitioned disks. This depends on the MBR starting sequence on the disk.

It would be easier to remove all partition information from the target disk and to resinstall everything from the scratch.

> your legacy system does not know how to start from GPT partitioned disks.

Didn't look up OP's mobo but that's likely it. I don't think you'll be able to convert your existing installation. Reinstall either on this machine, or another one already in legacy mode - otherwise Win will just make a GPT again.

Ok, I was able to actually take the SSD, format it and completely convert it to MBR with the command prompt supplied by the Windows 10 installer disk. It's installing now in fact! Pretty awesome. It's a 2010 mobo with a 2006 chipset.

BTW on another note - I wasn't able to get the PC to post for a while, turns out the problem was the GPU. It's a GTX 750 Ti, which came out in 2014. Think with some drivers I'll be able to get it to run? I'm not after optimal results, no bottlenecking etc, just so it runs and outputs video.

Spiffles wrote on 2024-02-28, 16:31:

BTW on another note - I wasn't able to get the PC to post for a while, turns out the problem was the GPU. It's a GTX 750 Ti, which came out in 2014. Think with some drivers I'll be able to get it to run? I'm not after optimal results, no bottlenecking etc, just so it runs and outputs video.

Do you mean a firmware update (executed on the card while installed in a different machine)? Drivers can't be installed if the machine doesn't POST.

Yeah but it does POST when the card is taken out. Meaning I could install whatever I need "in absentia", and then pop the card back in. Unless it doesn't work that way.

If it worked with the card in at least sometimes then there'd be a chance to get it fixed, but even then you'd need to take a closer look at the hardware - you can't repair hardware faults with software (well, with some exceptions - none of which apply here). As is, I don't see you getting this to work.

Spiffles wrote on 2024-02-28, 18:01:

Yeah but it does POST when the card is taken out. Meaning I could install whatever I need "in absentia", and then pop the card back in. Unless it doesn't work that way.

It does not work that way. Drivers don't/won't/CAN'T start loading until after the POST is complete.

Isn't this Via chipset affected by the non Sata 1.5Gbps bug?

AlaricD wrote on 2024-02-28, 20:45:

It does not work that way. Drivers don't/won't/CAN'T start loading until after the POST is complete.

Yea but I was thinking of installing the Nvidia driver while the GPU is taken out and then putting it back in. You know, using integrated graphics.

Turns out the Geforce installer must first detect Nvidia hardware in order to proceed with the installation. Unless there is a way to manually put the drivers in. But these would take hold after posting anyway, so maybe the GPU is just completely incompatible? I wonder what could be done, I do have another PC of course that I could try popping this card in, but not sure what to do after that..

Spiffles wrote on 2024-02-28, 21:57:

I was thinking of installing the Nvidia driver while the GPU is taken out and then putting it back in

Sure, you could do that. Then you have the same situation as before, a PC that doesn't POST, only this time with some additional files on the HDD that it doesn'taccess until after it ducking POSTs.

Spiffles wrote on 2024-02-28, 15:53:

Hello,

I've got a Biostar p4m900-m7 se motherboard, a curious one that supports all the way from dual floppies (including 5,25'') to SATA. It appears to have that old, DOS-interface BIOS which doesn't really let you select boot mode. I've got Windows 8 on one SSD drive, installed and ready to rumble, but for some reason the PC will not recognize the SSD as a bootable drive at all. I heard one needs first to convert such an SSD to "MBR" mode and then select "legacy" boot mode in the BIOS, but for me there are no such options even selectable. Is booting from an SSD, or any SATA drive for that matter, therefore possible? Any advice would be welcome!

I've booted some pretty old PC's from a Sata SSD using a PATA SATA bridge and XTIDE Universal BIOS. So it seems like booting from a SATA SSD should be pretty straight forward as long as your BIOS is new enough to understand LBA48, which should be most stuff after 2004 and the latest BIOS for your board is way newer than that.

Now booting from a PCI Express NVME SSD is a different matter and that would likely be more challenging if your BIOS doesn't know about those.

I figured that part myself, though it wouldn't even let me install the driver anyhow.

I've heard somewhere else that this GPU might require an UEFI boot to work, but ppl on Tom's Hardware say that's not the case.

douglar wrote on 2024-02-28, 22:11:

I've booted some pretty old PC's from a Sata SSD using a PATA SATA bridge and XTIDE Universal BIOS. So it seems like booting from a SATA SSD should be pretty straight forward as long as your BIOS is new enough to understand LBA48, which should be most stuff after 2004 and the latest BIOS for your board is way newer than that.

Now booting from a PCI Express NVME SSD is a different matter and that would likely be more challenging if your BIOS doesn't know about those.

No worries, I've already cleaned the drive, converted it to MBR mode and successfully installed Win 10 on it. Works great, recognizes both floppy drives 'n all that, I was also able to install the unsigned SCSI adapter drivers + ones for the soundcard, the system took them no problem. The only problem left to solve right now seems to be the graphics card, having it slotted into PCI-E prevents the system from posting, regardless of the priority for video output. So I'm looking for ways to fix that issue

Update: I was able to successfully plug the 750Ti into my new PC, was recognized without issues and didn't stop the PC from posting at all. I updated both cards' firmware using NVidia's tool, although that targets Display Port issues specifically, so not sure it'll do any good.

What SCSI controller do you use with that unsigned drivers?

Disruptor wrote on 2024-02-28, 23:12:

What SCSI controller do you use with that unsigned drivers?

Adaptec aha-2940. But that thing hasn't caused any problems yet. Says it has no BIOS, but it's recognized by the system and once I pick up that MO drive it's meant for, there shouldn't be any trouble.

Spiffles wrote on 2024-02-28, 21:57:

AlaricD wrote on 2024-02-28, 20:45:

It does not work that way. Drivers don't/won't/CAN'T start loading until after the POST is complete.

Yea but I was thinking of installing the Nvidia driver while the GPU is taken out and then putting it back in. You know, using integrated graphics.

And, you know, the system won't finish the POST when the card is installed. Drivers don't/won't/CAN'T start loading until after the POST is complete. Driver loading is pretty far down in the boot sequence, even in MS-DOS where they load in CONFIG.SYS and/or AUTOEXEC.BAT. The system must start reading from the boot device but won't start reading it if the POST never completes.