ASRock Z68 Extreme 4 with Windows 8 - Can no longer access UEFI

[AdrianW]

When booting I see the ASRock boot screen (with "Press F2 or Del, Press F9... etc) for a few seconds - but even if I frantically press on F2 (or Del) my machine will always boot all the way into Windows 8, so I can no longer get to the UEFI!

I'm currently on UEFI version 2.20, but this does not seem to support the Windows 8 Troubleshooting mode as seen in the second image on this page: Designing for PCs that boot faster than ever before.

I was expecting to see the "UEFI Firmware Settings" option, but it is missing.

How can I boot to the UEFI now that I have Windows 8 installed?

This ASRock page: Windows 8 MB Compatible does not list any Z68 boards. Will any future UEFI updates make any Z68 boards fully Windows 8 compatible?

System
ASRock Z68Extreme4
Core i7 2600K
2 x 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-12800CL7D-8GBXH DDR3
Crucial M4 256GB SSD
Samsung F3 1TB HD103SJ
Samsung F4 2TB HD204UI

[parsec]

I've heard about this issue before recently, but I'm not sure what the fix was (big help, right?)

Do you have a wireless keyboard? If so, they can be slow to "wake up", so your board never receives the Del/F2 input. Try a wired keyboard.

Does your board have an external CMOS/BIOS reset button? If so, try this: Press it, which will clear all the values in the the UEFI, but forces you to enter the UEFI to at least select default values. Once in the UEFI, try to find settings that will slow the boot down. My ASR Z77 board has a Fast Boot option, which you may have set to Super Fast. Set it to the slowest value, and see how it goes, and adjust from there if necessary. It sounds like you have only one or two drives, and the OS is on a SSD, correct? More devices slow down POST time, and give you a chance to get into the UEFI.

Actually, no system specs entered, forum rules, the end for now.

[AdrianW]

I tried twice just now to add my system specs to my profile and both times it says it updated, and then refreshes the screen with all of the details I entered missing.
(I've added the main details to my post above instead).

[AdrianW]

Using a wired keyboard did it, thanks for the tip.

My wireless keyboard used to be quick enough, but maybe it's because I now have an SSD for boot which is quite a bit quicker.

[profJim]

I tried twice just now to add my system specs to my profile and both times it says it updated, and then refreshes the screen with all of the details I entered missing.

Correct, as of right now you can't save data in the System Specs area.
I've contacted the forum support people to fix this, but it might take a couple of days or longer.

It's best if you use your forum signature to list your hardware information
http://forums.tweaktown.com/profile....=editsignature
so that we can quickly see your detailed hardware list.
Be sure to include brand names and model numbers.

[parsec]

Using a wired keyboard did it, thanks for the tip.

My wireless keyboard used to be quick enough, but maybe it's because I now have an SSD for boot which is quite a bit quicker.

Great, I figured that is what it was. Wireless keyboards can act very weird, it seems they are not up during POST, then they wake up, then on a login screen they don't respond again for several seconds. Keyboard, make up your mind!!