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[GUIDE] [DISCUSSION] [LIST] Windows Vista on modern hardware with UEFI.

Posted: 08 Oct 2021, 14:16
by Moline
You do not need to disable UEFI mode, only secure boot. Here's how to get Windows Vista working on Sandy Bridge UEFI or later.
► Show Spoiler
List of hardware that supports Windows Vista UEFI boot:
► Show Spoiler
Unsure/Needs Testing
► Show Spoiler
Credit to K4sum1 on the UEFI and Extended Kernel tutorial as well as the Vista ISO. You can also use this thread to discuss as well. Since I don't have every single piece of post-Ivy Bridge hardware (except for one Desktop Haswell and one laptop Celeron N3050 Cherry Trail), it is impossible for me to test it on UEFI for those hardware. If you have any modern hardware with UEFI and would like to test, please do try it out and report back. Any info regarding success/unsuccessful installations will be compiled into a list.

[GUIDE] [DISCUSSION] Windows Vista on modern hardware with UEFI.

Posted: 10 Oct 2021, 00:50
by Moline
Alright, so I tried this trick on the Acer Aspire A315-21 with AMD Radeon R4 Graphics and AMD Dual-Core A6-9220e, and it froze up after loading the Windows files (the bar was filled and still shown, but frozen). I do not think this is a USB 3 issue as there are two USB 2 ports and MBR formatted and booted Vista media boots and installs just fine plugged into one of those two ports (USB 3 works after the OS has booted). Not sure what is different between this laptop and the Dell Latitude E6530 as both have UEFI/Legacy. The one thing I do know is different is one is Ivy Bridge, which has Vista support, and the other is AMD Radeon R4, which as far as I know has no Vista support (correct me if there is, whether official or unofficial). Maybe that is the issue? Who knows. If anyone has any solutions, please do let me know! Gonna try 7 in this manner and see what happens. My results will be posted in the Windows 7 equivalent to this topic in the 7 forum.

[GUIDE] [DISCUSSION] [LIST] Windows Vista on modern hardware with UEFI.

Posted: 10 Oct 2021, 06:04
by K4sum1
Moline wrote: 08 Oct 2021, 14:161. Grab a Vista ISO (one with all the updates to 2017 EOL recommended).
https://board.eclipse.cx/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=333

[GUIDE] [DISCUSSION] [LIST] Windows Vista on modern hardware with UEFI.

Posted: 12 Oct 2021, 15:24
by Moline
K4sum1 wrote: 10 Oct 2021, 06:04
Moline wrote: 08 Oct 2021, 14:161. Grab a Vista ISO (one with all the updates to 2017 EOL recommended).
https://board.eclipse.cx/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=333
I tried the ISO linked in your thread with UEFI7 and UEFI mode on the Acer Aspire A315-21 with AMD Radeon R4, but it still froze. Not sure what else to do other than Legacy mode, which does not allow more than 4 partitions.

[GUIDE] [DISCUSSION] [LIST] Windows Vista on modern hardware with UEFI.

Posted: 15 Jan 2022, 08:41
by ruslanshchur
Isn't it possible to enable CSM but boot in UEFI? (unless UEFI-only)

[GUIDE] [DISCUSSION] [LIST] Windows Vista on modern hardware with UEFI.

Posted: 12 Feb 2022, 02:26
by Moline
ruslanshchur wrote: 15 Jan 2022, 08:41 Isn't it possible to enable CSM but boot in UEFI? (unless UEFI-only)
Only in the early UEFI-laptops (such as Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge) and even then it depends on the manufacturer. For instance, my Dell Latitude E6530 with Ivy Bridge has this feature and is what I needed to make it work, but my Acer Aspire E1-531 with Sandy Bridge did not.

Also, Windows Vista will not install on Intel 11th Generation Tiger Lake/Intel Core i5/Intel Iris Xe graphics. While I didn't even try to install it, given the fact 11th Gen has no USB2 ports will make it not work. Even with putting the drive in another laptop, installing, and then moving it back will likely not work due to a likely non-ACPI compliant BIOS 0x0A5 BSOD. You might be able to get it to work if you patch acpi.sys and setup an unattended setup (if Vista supports that feature still), but it's iffy (and unattended setup is necessary as your USB ports would not work and you will most likely not have PS/2 ports unless you can find a PS/2 adapter that works with a port that does not need drivers (which is unlikely).

[GUIDE] [DISCUSSION] [LIST] Windows Vista on modern hardware with UEFI.

Posted: 13 Feb 2022, 11:59
by ruslanshchur
Moline wrote: 12 Feb 2022, 02:26
ruslanshchur wrote: 15 Jan 2022, 08:41 Isn't it possible to enable CSM but boot in UEFI? (unless UEFI-only)
Only in the early UEFI-laptops (such as Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge) and even then it depends on the manufacturer. For instance, my Dell Latitude E6530 with Ivy Bridge has this feature and is what I needed to make it work, but my Acer Aspire E1-531 with Sandy Bridge did not.

Also, Windows Vista will not install on Intel 11th Generation Tiger Lake/Intel Core i5/Intel Iris Xe graphics. While I didn't even try to install it, given the fact 11th Gen has no USB2 ports will make it not work. Even with putting the drive in another laptop, installing, and then moving it back will likely not work due to a likely non-ACPI compliant BIOS 0x0A5 BSOD. You might be able to get it to work if you patch acpi.sys and setup an unattended setup (if Vista supports that feature still), but it's iffy (and unattended setup is necessary as your USB ports would not work and you will most likely not have PS/2 ports unless you can find a PS/2 adapter that works with a port that does not need drivers (which is unlikely).
George King wrote: ACPI A5 Patch same as we have for Windows 7

acpi.sys 6.0.6002.24312 (vistasp2_ldr_escrow.180308-1636)



x86

From

84 C0 75 13
To

84 C0 90 90
From

C0 59 59 7D
To

C0 59 90 90


x64

From

84 C0 75 1F
To

84 C0 90 90
From

85 C0 78 2E
To

85 C0 90 90
USB 3.0 drivers (you need to install KB2864202 before installing USB 3.0 driver, otherwise, it will not work):
GenericXHCIDriver-x64.zip
(494.52 KiB) Downloaded 128 times
GenericXHCIDriver-x86.zip
(430.31 KiB) Downloaded 108 times