Windows Vista not working on Surface Pro 1

[Kharis Kurian]

Hi,



I am trying to install Windows Vista on my Surface Pro 1. I installed it similarly to the way I installed Windows 7 shown here:
How to install Windows 7 on a Surface Pro 1 or any other UEFI-only device
However, I installed it in a VM first with the files on another partition, then force installed Intel HD 4000 Graphics drivers, and USB 3.0 drivers. When I deleted the Windows 7 partition, and booted it on my Surface Pro 1 with the FlashBootPro EFI files, it booted successfully into Vista (it played the startup sound), but it hung at a black screen, and I am unable to see the screen. I have even tried connecting it to an external monitor, and still nothing happened.

 

[Vistaar]

Welcome! I wonder what processor this Surface Pro has? Vista x64 has known issues on Haswell and newer microarchitecture. I also wonder what Intel HD 4000 Graphics driver version you “force installed”? Even back in 2015, Intel wasn’t labeling those drivers as supporting Vista according to the MSFN thread Drivers for Intel HD Graphics 4000/AMD Radeon Graphics 7600M (the final post of which has Wayback Machine links for what should be a promising driver version).

 

[Kharis Kurian]

Welcome! I wonder what processor this Surface Pro has? Vista x64 has known issues on Haswell and newer microarchitecture. I also wonder what Intel HD 4000 Graphics driver version you “force installed”? Even back in 2015, Intel wasn’t labeling those drivers as supporting Vista according to the MSFN thread Drivers for Intel HD Graphics 4000/AMD Radeon Graphics 7600M (the final post of which has Wayback Machine links for what should be a promising driver version).

This Surface Pro has an Ivy Bridge processor.

 

[Vistaar]

This Surface Pro has an Ivy Bridge processor.

Good!

 

[wither 3]

I wonder if disabling EFI in the BIOS would help. Also, if you can get to Safemode, you might try reinstalling the driver.

 

[Kharis Kurian]

I wonder if disabling EFI in the BIOS would help. Also, if you can get to Safemode, you might try reinstalling the driver.

The Surface Pro 1 is a UEFI-only device. Safemode wouldn't work, I don't think it even worked in Windows 7.

 

[wither 3]

I re-read what you said and it looks like it's not getting past the post. What file are you using to install Vista?

 

[Kharis Kurian]

I re-read what you said and it looks like it's not getting past the post. What file are you using to install Vista?

What do you mean? I used install.wim.

 

[wither 3]

it booted successfully into Vista (it played the startup sound), but it hung at a black screen, and I am unable to see the screen

I took the startup sound to mean the memory check at the POST. I guess you're talking about the Windows sound just before it opens the desktop.

Where did you get .wim? In other words, are you using an ISO to do the Vista installation and .wim was in the ISO?

 

[Kharis Kurian]

I took the startup sound to mean the memory check at the POST. I guess you're talking about the Windows sound just before it opens the desktop.

Where did you get .wim? In other words, are you using an ISO to do the Vista installation and .wim was in the ISO?

I meant the startup sound as in this one:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnuTAa8LQiA
.

I am using Windows 10 PE with a Vista wim that was installed with this ISO: Windows Vista with Extended Kernel (Current Version is v26102021), installed Intel HD 4000 Graphics drivers and USB 3.0 drivers, then captured the installation with gimagex. I use the EFI files from FlashBootPro to boot Vista, which I got from the apps folder in the XP2ESD file:XP2ESD_v1.6.2.

 

[wither 3]

When you're booting Vista, do you see and hear the POST and the Windows startup sequence? Are you seeing the Windows Welcome screen or is that when the black screen pops up? I'm not a computer engineer or computer scientist like the experts in here. Why do you need to start using the Flashboot? Perhaps Vistaar, SIW2, Imacri or one of the others will jump in here and save me from looking extremely ignorant.

 

[Kharis Kurian]

When you're booting Vista, do you see and hear the POST and the Windows startup sequence? Are you seeing the Windows Welcome screen or is that when the black screen pops up? I'm not a computer engineer or computer scientist like the experts in here. Why do you need to start using the Flashboot? Perhaps Vistaar, SIW2, Imacri or one of the others will jump in here and save me from looking extremely ignorant.

I hear the Windows startup sequence (there is no POST sound on the Surface Pro). I don't see the Welcome screen, that is when the black screen pops up. I am not using FlashBoot itself, just its EFI files that are used to boot Windows 7 on UEFI-only machines.

 

[wither 3]

Well, I'm sure you know what you should see if you were booting Vista from scratch on a MBR type machine like mine- some BIOS settings, system configuration such as memory, drives etc. and the starting Windows screen. I don't know what it looks like if it's running on a GPT or UEFI system. Perhaps it's similar to Win 7 where the POST isn't shown completely. It's quite possible that the system is blue screening when you get the black screen. If you let it run for a few minutes after you get the black screen, can you start the Task Manager and see it?

 

[Kharis Kurian]

Well, I'm sure you know what you should see if you were booting Vista from scratch on a MBR type machine like mine- some BIOS settings, system configuration such as memory, drives etc. and the starting Windows screen. I don't know what it looks like if it's running on a GPT or UEFI system. Perhaps it's similar to Win 7 where the POST isn't shown completely. It's quite possible that the system is blue screening when you get the black screen. If you let it run for a few minutes after you get the black screen, can you start the Task Manager and see it?

It isn't. I can't see anything on the screen at all. But I am able to interact with it, as I am able to open a command prompt (via the sethc.exe trick) and shut it down with "shutdown -s -t 0", so it works, but there is nothing being displayed.

 

[wither 3]

I have the same problem with a Dell workstation. It came with the onboard graphics chip (it's not on the CPU) and a separate discreet graphics card. The latter had the tendency to overheat and blue screen so, if I didn't need it, I would disable the driver. Did this probably a hundred times or more. Then, last year, I disabled the driver and instantly lost all graphics. I have the disc with all the drivers for the computer but I can't install them or reinstall Win 7 because I don't have any graphics at any time. I don't know how to write a script I could put on a bootable disc to run automatically to renable the driver to see if that would fix it. I'm going to take it to someone to disconnect the graphics card to see if that would help.

I realize that doesn't help you. I guess you can't see the Command Prompt box when you enter the command and you wouldn't be able to see the task manager if you tried to open it. Looks like you need a script like I do. I guess this isn't affecting Win 10. You mentioned you connected another monitor to no avail. Do you know what graphics that monitor is set to? For instance, DVI, HDMI, VGA etc.

 

[Kharis Kurian]

Looks like you need a script like I do.

I wouldn't be able to do that with dism, since this is Vista, and dism refuses to work with anything before 7. But in my case, the drivers are installed, but I am still stuck at a black screen.

Do you know what graphics that monitor is set to? For instance, DVI, HDMI, VGA etc.

Yes. It is set to HDMI. I used a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter to connect it to the monitor because every pre-SP7 model has Mini DisplayPort.

 

[wither 3]

With my work station, I connected a monitor and it, like yours, didn't get a signal. When I used the same monitor on the another Win 7 machine, it worked perfectly. I tried bridging the two Win 7 computers but it doesn't work because the software for the bridging cable has to be installed on both machines and, as said, I can't install on the work station if I can't see to get through the process.

From a little sniffing around I did, it seems that the BIOS for the Surface Pro does have a legacy setting. However, i didn't find anyone who was able to install a suitable graphic driver in Vista for the graphics you have. I suppose this doesn't help but it's interesting-

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUMHHJTNBkM


I'm really out of my league at this point. Usually, the experts here jump all over something like this but obviously they're not going to.

 

[Kharis Kurian]

From a little sniffing around I did, it seems that the BIOS for the Surface Pro does have a legacy setting.

It doesn't have a legacy setting.

 

[Vistaar]

However, i didn't find anyone who was able to install a suitable graphic driver in Vista for the graphics you have.

Intel hasn’t made graphics drivers that supported Vista in approximately a decade, however I provided a link in post #2.

Usually, the experts here jump all over something like this but obviously they're not going to.

I believe Joadix100 is the only active member who uses the “extended kernel,” but fortunately the OP also has a thread at MSFN. Brickedandroid has an agenda to convince win32 to add another Windows 7 file to the extended kernel, but at least one outspoken MSFN member is opposed to that idea. We’ll see what happens.

I’m sure that some hacker will devise an extended kernel for Windows 7 now that browser support is about to end, so the OP might consider forgetting about Vista.

 

[wither 3]

Thought maybe you or one of the other guys might be able to help out on this one.

Brink reported that the Extended Support for Win 7 ended today.