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I have a very old Laptop. It was running Windows 8 but got corrupted. I have been trying to do a clean Windows 7 install. Toshiba x870-f746.  (InsydeH2O - UEFI-Bios) I've tried multiple combinations of GPT - MBR and nothing is installing on this laptop. I can't even get it to see the Windows 7 USB installation. I previously managed to install Windows 10, but the system is too slow, and many USB drivers are not recognised.

I have even tried doing a full Windows 7 install by installing Windows 7 using my other laptop. When I put the disk back into the old Toshiba, it just says: No bootable device.    I've disabled secure boot, changed Boot mode to UEFI boot, and back to CSM boot. I've tried using an MBR boot USB (created with Rufus). I've tried different Windows 7 versions. (Home, Pro, Ultimate, 32-bit, 64-bit.  I've installed Windows 7 on my other laptop as a dual-boot. I've created a recovery USB and tried to boot from that USB — nothing.

When UEFI boot is selected, it starts by checking media and then Non-Bootable. When CSM — it goes directly to Not bootable media.  

I just can't figure out why it will install Windows 10 created from the Windows Media creation tool but not Windows 7 (ISO) converted to USB with Rufus.

Any pointers, help, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I might just be missing a small detail.

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    Windows 7 should never be installed on any equipment as it's been EOL for years and hasn't received security updates for years (usually whenever a security patch for Windows is released, it shows how to exploit the vulnerability if the patch wasn't implemented - e.g. data will never be secure on a Windows 7 OS and it offers a path to exploit other LAN connected devices - it's a bad idea all around). If the old machine lacks decent specs to run Windows without performance lag, it would be much happier with a Linux distro (Ubuntu offers a fairly Windows-like experience)
    – JW0914
    Commented Aug 14, 2023 at 13:40
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    CSM Mode should never be enabled, as it's sole use case was for Linux distros circa <2017 that lacked EFI boot (Windows has supported EFI boot since Win7 and all distros have supported EFI boot since 2017; CSM Mode emulates 16bit BIOS motherboard firmware within a 32bit environment - UEFI is 64bit). Secure Boot should never be disabled unless there's an actual reason for doing so, as it prevents rootkits from being injected into the bootloader process. CSM Mode and UEFI require different boot partition tables, MBR for CSM, GPT for UEFI.
    – JW0914
    Commented Aug 14, 2023 at 13:45
  • Case in point: I've an older, 32-bit computer than yours, an Acer netbook. As you state, Windows OS runs too slowly to be useful on that device, but Ubuntu 18.04 works well enough for casual use. BTW, to install 18.04 32-bit, one must first install 16.04 and then upgrade... but that whole process can be done in under one hour. With your laptop's high specs, Ubuntu should fly.
    – DrMoishe Pippik
    Commented Aug 14, 2023 at 13:45
  • Windows 7 is a poor choice as noted. However if you want it, Microsoft does not appear to be offering a download, so maybe purchase a legitimate Windows 7 license from a 3rd party source.
    – anon
    Commented Aug 14, 2023 at 13:49
  • Are you using a HDD or a SSD? I was running windows 10 on an XP era core 2 duo which barely met system specs with an SSD upgrade. HDDs are... for some reason... too slow on contemporary OSes in my experience
    – Journeyman Geek ♦
    Commented Aug 17, 2023 at 6:54

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