Windows 7 and 8th Gen Processors

[BGM]

Last week I upgraded my computer to an MSI 7370 with an Intel i5-8600k. I am running Windows 7 x64. I swapped out the motherboard and processor and kept the same HDD running my OS without having to reinstall anything.

However, I *do* have a problem. The on-board graphics requires a driver, and I keep reading that there are no drivers for Windows 7 for 8th gen processors. Here is another thread about it.
I want to cry!

Is there *any* driver out there that will work for me? I love my Windows 7 and don't want to upgrade to Windows 10 for any reason. I'll put a second graphics card in my box before I upgrade to Win10.

Any advice? I can get Windows 7 drivers for a 6th gen processor; maybe I should downgrade? Or is it better to use another graphics card?

[setiyo]

please, you can try driverpack 17.7 or 16

[goontron]

Win7 isn't supported on skylake or newer, BTW.

[BGM]

What's the best Intel processor I can use for Windows 7 x64 and an MSI 7370 motherboard?

[diif]

There doesn't seem to be any chipset drivers for Windows 7 either or have you managed to get some on ?

[BGM]

Yeah, I just installed the chipset drivers that came with the install disk.

With a Windows hotfix, I enabled NVME support and it works, too.


All I am missing is the video driver, and something else that I don't know what it is (screenshot attached of my Device Manager).

I really want to use my motherboard graphics. If I downgrade the processor, would that work? What processor should I get then, with my new motherboard that will work with Windows 7?

[diif]

No, you can't downgrade the processor. The drivers are for the motherboard not CPU.
You should be able to use a graphics card though.
Do you have any external hard drives on USB plugged in ?

[BGM]

All of my USB hard drives work. All the USB ports work.

[BGM]

I found this video which shows you how to make a 7th gen graphics driver able to be installed.

However, it doesn't seem like I can do that with an 8th gen driver. The inf file is different.

[jiroy]

Hi BGM ;Are you sure it's MSI 7370 ? , It should be MSI Z370 ...And if so , please give its full name .

[BGM]

OH, SORRY! You are right! MSI Z370 PC Pro
I bought it from B&H:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...c_pro_atx.html

[jiroy]

It's okay BGM, This board support as best CPU right now the I7 8700K , Don't buy it anyway now , because around the year end there will be a drop in DDR4 (IN GENERAL ) technology .
Windows 7 isn't supported for this board , but don't despair , later , some third parties will make compatible drivers , the usual always ..
Notice your board support only AMD Crossfire and not Nvidia .

[jiroy]

Originally Posted by setiyo

please, you can try driverpack 17.7 or 16

Good choice . But not right now , maybe a year later ..

[BGM]

jiroy - actually, I already bought and installed this board, and am running an i5-8600k. I had to upgrade from my old Asus Z77 so I could try to salvage some data from an M.2 chip from a failed laptop. (this was the only reason I upgraded, actually; although I'm not disappointed to have done it!)

Now, I can't use the onboard graphics at all, so I disabled it in Device Manager to keep it from always looking for a driver that it will never discover.
So I have to rely on graphics cards. I have three monitors (so I have to buy a second card). But right now I am running with a Zotac GeForce GT 440 - an Nvidia card that I purchased when I originally got my Z77. So, I'm not sure about what you said that this board won't support nVidia.

[jiroy]

Originally Posted by BGM

jiroy - actually, I already bought and installed this board, and am running an i5-8600k. I had to upgrade from my old Asus Z77 so I could try to salvage some data from an M.2 chip from a failed laptop. (this was the only reason I upgraded, actually; although I'm not disappointed to have done it!)

Now, I can't use the onboard graphics at all, so I disabled it in Device Manager to keep it from always looking for a driver that it will never discover.
So I have to rely on graphics cards. I have three monitors (so I have to buy a second card). But right now I am running with a Zotac GeForce GT 440 - an Nvidia card that I purchased when I originally got my Z77. So, I'm not sure about what you said that this board won't support nVidia.

Yes , I understand BGM , Data can be critical sometimes and I5 8600K isn't bad at all , I was just answering your query about CPUs supported for your board .

About Nvidia , I meant Nvidia Sli isn't supported , meaning you cannot add another Nvidia VGA Card .

[diif]

You can add another Nvidia card, you just can't link them to combine the power and have a single output.

[BGM]

Ah - thanks for the clarifications. I want to add a second nVidia card, but don't care about linking them. I only want to use three monitors; I am not playing games.
I am thinking of getting this:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._2gd5h_lp.html
or this:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._graphics.html

B&H's prices are at least equal but most often better than Amazon; plus you don't have to deal with strange sellers and you always get good phone support.

[Snayperskaya]

50 bucks for VGAs on the lowest tier (that pales in comparison to IGP) is a bit crazy. I'd go for a pre-owned GTX x50 (750 and up) or a 1030.

EDIT: I saw now you already have a GPU. Why are going for another, more video-out ports?

[BGM]

I want to run three monitors, that's all. I'm not playing games. I just like to multitask. The second graphics card will "replace" the onboard graphics that I can't use.

I actually spent $60 on an MSI Geforece GT 710 - 2GB DDR5. A DDR3 version would have been $10 cheaper, but I figured I could get away with the extra $10, even though I only had permission for "about $50". That will suit me well enough for quite awhile, I think. I only get one chance at this (as I have to ask permission for everything), so I had to do something whilst the time was right.

Then, someday, when I am forced to upgrade to Win10, I can switch one of my cards to the onboard graphics.

I have a fear of buying a used graphics card. Used RAM is usually no problem, but graphics cards are ususually punished.

I appreciate y'all's comments though. I love to discuss these things, and value the feedback. This is a great forum, and aside from Stack Exchange, it's one of the very few I ever post on.

[BGM]

Okay, so I've got my new graphics card and my three monitors work.

One thing still that doesn't work that I'd like to fix.
I have a 2.5" SSD drive that I want to install internally, but it never shows in Disk Manager, nor in Explorer, and Intel Rapid Storage says the disk is "incompatible". I've tried different SATA ports on the motherboard but keep getting the same error. However, if I take the SSD drive and plug it into my USB SATA disk enclosure, the drive shows up just fine.

You see, I was using this same drive before for acceleration on my Asus Z77 motherboard. I disable the acceleration before swapping the motherboard. Then I reformatted the SSD drive. When I put in the new motherboard, it won't recognize the SSD drive. BIOS is set to AHCI mode, and I'm not using any RAID configuration.

The SSD is a Samsung EVO 850. I installed Samsung Magician, but it doesn't detect the SSD drive, either.
The only thing that detects the SSD drive is Intel Rapid Storage which reports the device as "incompatible".

I might try to change from AHCI to RAID mode, but I don't want to reinstall my OS. Should I be afraid of that? I think I need to be in RAID mode to enable the acceleration anyway, but still, shouldn't the SSD be picked up as a normal storage drive?

What do I do? I can't figure this out.