Clean Windows 7 install problems

I'm having a problem with my computer and installing a clean copy of Windows 7. Let me begin with laptop specs.

Toshiba Satellite L875D-S7332
Default Windows 8
AMD Dual-Core Processor

I have a brand new hard drive, a clean downloaded Windows 7 ISO that I've used for hundreds of repairs before, burned to a brand new DVD. I have the BIOS set to CSM, Secure Boot disabled, everything necessary to boot Windows 7. I successfully have installed it, but when I boot in, sometimes the setup comes up, sometimes it doesn't. If it does, I might get to the desktop, even if I do, it'll eventually psuedo-freeze there. And by psuedo-freeze, I mean that I can still move the mouse, but nothing is clickable, CTRL-ALT-DELETE does nothing, Windows Key-L does nothing, it just sits like Windows Explorer has frozen and can't do anything. If I reboot, it does the same thing. If I boot safe mode, it does the same thing. If I reinstall, it does the same thing. If I use a different Windows 7 ISO, it does the same thing. I have tried everything I could think of and I can't get it to do anything. It doesn't even give me enough time to install one Wi-Fi driver to start Windows Update. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

Have you observed anything unusual with the hard drive access LED like it's staying on and bright instead of flickering?

 

No, nothing of the sort. Also if Windows 8 is on the hard drive and the BIOS is set accordingly, Windows 8 works.

 

I'm not familiar with Toshiba computers but two statements you have made about the BIOS are puzzling me -

BIOS set to CSM? CSM is the operating mode for IDE drives, standing for Cable, Slave and Master, and is set by jumpers on the drive itself, not by the BIOS. CSM is a concept that AFAIK does not apply to the SATA drives of the Toshiba Satellite L875D-S7332 though I could be wrong about that I guess :confused

Other than possibly Secure Boot why would you need to change anything in the BIOS simply because the installed OS has been changed between 7 and 8?

Might help if you can throw a bit more light on these two statements.

 

According to everything I know, Windows 7 cannot run if the BIOS is set in UEFI. Therefore, it has to run in whatever isn't UEFI, which in my laptops BIOS is CSM. There is two settings for CSM, which is AHCI and Compatibility.

Literally it's
Boot Mode: UEFI or CSM Boot
UEFI: Secure Boot on or off
CSM: Set SATA to AHCI or Set SATA to IDE. I knew it wasn't IDE so I just left it on AHCI.

Should I attempt to boot Windows 7 in UEFI mode with Secure Boot off and ignore the guides that tell me to switch off UEFI?

 

Thanks for that. My dual boot Win 7/8 Lenovo laptop's BIOS is laid out differently but it looks to me as if what is called Legacy in mine is called CSM in yours, and SATA set to AHCI is the same. So given those choices for running Win 7 I would have chosen exactly as you have done. Like you, my understanding is that installing 7 in UEFI mode is, at the very least, problematic.

I'm sorry not to be of more help.