How to Clean Install windows on UEFI

[Abstract3000]

Need Serious help, I have posted in a few forums but I'm getting the idea people no longer install clean versions of Windows as I cannot find a tutorial and nobody has been able to give me a legitimate response, only ones that show they clearly did not read my post.

So this is what I am trying to do, i have windows 10, I do NOT want Windows 10. I want to Format my drive, and install a clean version of windows 8.1 (that used to be easy, but apparently nearly impossible anymore)

the Laptop is a Dell Inspiron 15 7559 with 128GB SSD Windows 10 UEFI

I have a Windows 8.1 (ISO) & RUFUS 2.6
I have Formatted a 16GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive with the Following Options:
GPT Partition Scheme for UEFI
FAT32 8192&4096 Tried
(x)Quick Format (x)Create a bootable disc using (x)create extended label and Icon Files

So After Creating I go into the Bios and I have what they label as a UEFI Boot Manager
It has 2 Options
- File Browser Add boot Option
- File Browser Del boot Option

Secured Boot
Legacy Boot

If I try and use the UEFI File browser and select my USB drive and Select the bootmgr.efi, seteup.exe, autorun I either get nothing and it continues on, or I get some invalid signature error related to the secured boot option.

when secured boot option is disabled then I get Advanced windows Recovery menu.

When I go to Boot Options in F12 and select "Boot USB" under Legacy, I get Operating System Not found Error.

So Question is, Step by step what do I do with this 128GB SSD to delete all the garbage and partitions on the drive to have a single partition, from there install windows 8.1 letting it create all new UEFI partitions and jive with Secured boot? Is this possible anymore?

 

[redzo]

Are you sure about installing windows 8.1? I can't find drivers for 8.1 on dell's website. It seems like only 7 64bit and 10 64bit are supported by dell.

 

[Bubbaleone]

I'd suggest comparing all your steps against the correct procedure for installing 8/8.1 in UEFI, as detailed in this definitive tut from EightForums website:

How to Install Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 using the "Unified Extensible Firmware Interface" (UEFI)

Be sure to follow the links in that post regarding RUFUS and UEFI because it doesn't sound like the formatting procedure you used actually created a UEFI-bootable USB flash drive. If it doesn't boot, with the BIOS settings otherwise correctly configured and the secure boot feature disabled, you've missed a step somewhere.

.

 

[tcsenter]

Looks like he posted to another forum and has it figured out (apparently it was the USB thumb drive that didn't like UEFI booting).

 

[Puffnstuff]

When I went to 8.1 on my alienware I used the dell 7 drivers and they worked plus I'm using the same drivers on 10.

 

[Ketchup]

Looks like he posted to another forum and has it figured out (apparently it was the USB thumb drive that didn't like UEFI booting).

Thanks for the find tcsenter.

It was in fact the USB stick, 3rd one was a charm. The other 2 are USB 3.0 16&32 LEXAR's used an older PNY and that did it. Wonder whats up with the others? Anyways 8.1 installed and everything working a million times better than it did in Windows 10! The way 8.1 handles the 4K Resolution is far superior as well. Thanks!

http://www.tenforums.com/installation-setup/41827-how-install-uefi-dell-inspiron-15-7559-a-2.html?