No Mouse

[#1]

I have a brand new bare bones Intel NUC box that I have succeeded in getting to run on Linux Mint.

My SSD is 500gb so I have partitioned it in half - one half for Linux and the other for Win7.

After some faffing about I have a bootable USB with Win7 on it and have changed the start up on the NUC to USB first. So far, so good.

On start up Windows install starts and gets to the first screen (language choice). Then it freezes as I have no mouse to make selections with. I have tried the mouse in various USB ports and even a second mouse but nothing doing.

Any suggestions.

PS I know I already have Win7 running in VirtualBox in Linux but I want a separate install as well.

[#2]

Could it be that because I formatted the partition using Linux that Windows doesn't recognise it even though it's formatted to NTFS. It has no drive letter. The image shows what I'm seeing.

If I'm right do I have to take the SSD out of the NUC and put it in my Windows PC to format the partition and add a drive letter?

Brian

[#3]

Is there a setting in the BIOS to enable USB mouse. It might be described as legacy USB.

[#4]

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@bmc wrote:

After some faffing about I have a bootable USB with Win7 on it and have changed the start up on the NUC to USB first. So far, so good.

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Did the faffing about involve adding support for newer hardware in the Windows 7 installer?

Just wondering if your NUC's hardware isn't well supported by Win7 - might help if you post the specs.

[#5]

@wisty 

Yes, Legacy USB is enabled. No mouse problems when running Linux - just when I try to install Windows.

@TheRoadCrew 

Windows install stops at the first screen so it never sees what the system set up is.

I'm convinced that it's because there is no Windows hard disk for the installer to see it's freezing at that point. I'm going to head over to a Linux Mint forum and ask there.

Thanks

Brian

[#6]

Funny what you find out when you read up on a subject!!!!

Even if I solve the problems with the mouse and the Windows drive I won't be able to install Win7. Apparently you can only have 4 primary partitions and Win7 needs 3. I already have 3 used up with only one spare.

When dual booting from the same hard drive you apparently need to install those o/s programs that need primary partitions first and then Linux.

As I had Linux on a stand alone SSD and cloned it to my current (larger) SSD this wouldn't have worked.

Brian

[#7]

You can cram Linux onto a single partition.

Details are available...😀

[#8]

@VileReynard 

Indeed, that's what would have happened if I'd been doing a fresh install - 3 for Windows and one for Linux.

However, as I cloned across an existing Linux install I didn't have that luxury.

It's moot now, I have an M.2 SSD on order so we'll see what next week brings.

Thanks

Brian

[#9]

My PC is too old for M2 cards - but I've never been bothered by the performance of hard disk speeds.

Bit slow moving 3GB video files between disks - but I don't do that very often.

Can't see the point of M2 SSD's. 😃

[#10]

You learn something new every day.

Today's lesson was that Intel provide Bios Recovery files - thankfully as I'd borked the BIOS and couldn't get anywhere.

After trying every combination I could think of (SSD's in and out left, right and centre!!!) including a Windows formatted SSD with no Linux SSD in residence and still getting nowhere I tried something new. As the windows SSD was in my main machine at one point I cloned my current Win7 install onto it and put it back in the NUC.

Went to BIOS on start and booted into the Win SSD. Same as when I tried the Win7 Install USB - got to the first screen and then froze (in this case a password war required). No keyboard, no password.

Brian

[#11]

Is your keyboard and mouse plugged into the motherboard USB sockets or a hub? Reason I ask is that I've had issues when plugged into a hub but when plugged directly into the motherboard sockets it's all worked as it should. Presumably this is because hubs require a device driver which is used within Windows but not before booting up.

[#12]

Also when it comes to the primary partition issue, you could always try hiding the partitions that aren't available to be used - that might mean the installer succeeds as it can't see them to reject them.

[#13]

@7up 

Indeed my mouse and keyboard are connected via my monitor - a switch allows me to choose which machine to use. I have had problems with the keyboard in the past so I tried all combinations. Main machine switched off. Main machine on but with the monitor screen pointing to the NUC and finally with the mouse and keyboard plugged directly into the NUC.

No difference to the result - Windows freezes at the first screen. The mouse and keyboard work with both the NUC BIOS and the Linux installation.

Partitions are no longer a problem. I'm using a second SSD for Windows.

I have one last thing to try later today. I removed the password from my setup and cloned Win7 to a USB HHD. If Clonezilla allows me to put it on the NUC I'll see how far Windows goes - it should set up but it's whether I'm able to work!!!!

Brian

[#14]

In your first post you mention that you've got windows on USB. Presumably you mean an installer?

It might be worth you trying it from a optical drive instead.

I had problems last year with a mini itx system (well two of them to be precise) in which i couldn't get XP to complete installation for some obscure reason. I can't remember exactly what it was now - i might have ended up slipstreaming a SP2/3 disk to get it working.. 

Anyway for whatever reason, sometimes installation can be a bit quirky as it doesn't support hardware like you'd normally expect it to.

It might also be the case that the usb bus simply isn't fast enough and windows has realised this and crashed.

[#15]

@7up 

Yes, I put an installer on the USB. No optical drive available. The NUC has one M.2 and one SSD drive available. Four USB ports, one HDMI and one Ethernet. It's all of 12cm by 12cm by 5cm.

I was able to clone from my external HDD. Windows started up (after a disk check) and attempted to install drivers. Only one installed as far as I could see (for the M.2 Sata drive). But still no mouse or keyboard - even with the mouse plugged directly into the NUC.

The mouse and keyboard work with both the BIOS and my Linux install (on the other SSD).

Thanks anyway.

Brian