Answer by Chris:
I also had the same problems to the extent that I had AI Suite III from the installation disk along with AI Suite 3 from download. The latter would not uninstall and messed up my system to the point i needed to use the system image I had created. I also found several drivers that simply ran quickly but seemed to do nothing. I contacted ASUS about the matter and was offered no help really. While customer service really tried to help, it was over their collective heads and I was sent up to a service tech. Imagine my surprise when I got no help there either. Another issue I ran into was with the UEFI BIOS. I had never heard of an EFI formatted drive and there was really no information on this. When i installed my 10,000 rpm WD Raptor HD and ran windows 7 installation, it simply did the partitioning and formatting for me, which was normal. Later I accidently shut off EFI on the motherboard through going to one of the preloaded options, I was presented with the blue screen of death. After that, I was given basically the same error message at each point, until I finally understood the initial one. I had used an EFI repair disk and was told the image was incorrect for my system. What? I made it from my system. At that point I loaded Win 7 again but formatted my hard drive first. I then tried the EFI repair disk and was told the repair disk was wrong for my system image. I still had no clue. I then tried my EFI repair disk which i then noticed went further than the non EFI repair disk had gone and, just before wanting to give my new computer flying lessons out my window, realized that it was because I had formatted my hard drive, which made it non EFI. I then deleted the partition and created a new one and then I tried using the repair disk with the system image (both EFI) and with those along with a non formatted partition on my hard drive, formatted the hard drive as an EFI disk and put the image back on the hard drive and all worked well.
I think it would be nice to have, in the instructions, that if you have an EFI formatted hard drive and make a system image, and system repair disk, both the image and the repair disks are going to be EFI. If, on the other hand, you first format your hard drive, the installation will be non EFI and the system image and the repair disk will be non EFI. The only real advantage of going with EFI is to be able to use hard drives over 30 TB (in my lifetime?). I did finally read that later btw. I wish i had known before installation of windows 7 and the creation of the system image. I am now stuck with EFI formatted hard drives unless I want to start all over with a clean install of Windows 7, which I have no desire to do.
I do wonder if having an EFI formatted hard drive could be the cause of any other problems I've had such as, downloading and installing updated drivers from the ASUS web site.
The main thing with using an EFI system image to recreate your hard drive is that all 3 must be EFI. The repair disk, the system image and the hard drive. The inverse is also true, If you have a non EFI system image, you must have a non EFI repair CD which will create a non EFI hard drive. You can also simply create a drive partition and format it prior to installing windows to get a non EFI installation. It seems to be the best way to me, non EFI. I doubt I will ever use a hard drive over 30 TB. I am working with my first 1 TB hard drive currently and have that split into several drives. If having over 30 TB hard drives is the only purpose for EFI, then there is no need for it.
DON'T GET SUCKERED INTO CREATING EFI HARD DRIVES, CD'S AND SYSTEM IMAGES. Make sure to choose which one you will use prior to installing the operating system.
I came here trying to find out if there is really a good SSD to go with the Z87-PRO motherboard and ran into this thing about downloaded drivers doing nothing. I felt the need to add my 2 cents worth in along with information on EFI. I have been a computer tech since graduating from college with a 2 year degree in Business Computer Systems in 1995. I started with dBase programming in 1986 so I have a very extensive knowledge of x86 personal computers and this has thrown me. I have built many computers and networked many of those for businesses. I never suspected anything like this EFI thing to come out and bite me and there is very little information on many of the things on this motherboard. The wireless adapter worked great right off but trying to create another wireless network was much harder to get working in a limited capacity. It worked fine to set up a network using bluetooth. I can not find any information on this but suspect that if I had the modem hardwired to my computer and then tried to use the wifi device to create a hotspot (wireless router), it may work better. It seems that to use it both as a wifi adapter and a hotspot is too much for it. Again, too little information out there and this includes ASUS customer service and technicians.
This motherboard is loaded with features but we have to be pioneers and live in covered wagons while we try to learn how to use them. It seems that ASUS created these but no one ever learned how to use them and so cannot help those who bought it.
If anyone has experience with SSD's with this mobo, please respond to me at clyman@wamail.net and put ASUS Z87-PRO in the subject line so I will notice it.
Thank yoyu
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