Install of Windows 7 hits dead end

The situation:

I want to run both OSX and Windows 7 from my SSD. However, Boot Camp hangs or becomes unresponsive. (Most times during the partitioning phase–although once I made it all the way to the point where I was asked to install my Windows disk, and upon rebooting I was greeted with the Apple logo, the No Entry logo, and the Question Mark Folder logo flashing at me in rapid succession upon the grey boot screen. That was scary.)

I have installed Windows 7 via Parallels and that works just fine, but I would like to not have to rely on a VM if at all possible.

Other interesting bit of information: If I boot from the OSX DVD, I can't see my SSD in Disk Utility.

My rig:

MacBook Pro 6,2
OSX 10.6.8
OCW SSD in the HD bay
Original HDD in optical bay
Optical drive in external enclosure
8 gigs o' RAM

Thanks in advance.

So, I finally got Boot Camp Assistant to "successfully" partition my SDD. However, when my machine reboots to begin the Windows install, I get that flashing Apple Logo/No Entry/Question Folder dealie.

Is my SSD bad?

perpetual_newb said:

Is my SSD bad?

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Certainly sounds like it's acting goofy. Is the firmware up to date? OCZ is kind of known for flakey firmware and updating it often. I'd check that first before you write it off.

I don't know if your SSD is bad, however, there may be some question about the Windows 7 disk. What kind of Windows 7 disk are you installing with?

Oops. Typo on my end. Other World Computing SSD. And it shipped with the latest firmware.

It's a Windows disk I burned from an image downloaded (legally) from onthehub.com thanks to an arrangement between Microsoft and my school. I used the disk to successfully install Windows 7 to a VM (Parallels).

Something that just came to mind: Could it be the fact that my optical drive is external that the install is giving me so much grief?

We could have saved you some time with that. You can't install Windows 7 from an optical drive that is external because the drivers for it have not yet been installed. In other words, Windows can not "see" the external optical drive.

That makes so. Much. Sense.

Look like I'll crack 'er open tomorrow morning. Thank you both for your replies!

chscag said:

We could have saved you some time with that. You can't install Windows 7 from an optical drive that is external because the drivers for it have not yet been installed. In other words, Windows can not "see" the external optical drive.

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I've installed Windows 7 from an external optical drive before (not on a Mac though).

I think the problem is that Boot Camp has a very rigid set of criteria in order for the process to go smoothly. Probably because of the way the EFI sets up hardware at a low-level to ease the installation process.

cwa107 said:

I've installed Windows 7 from an external optical drive before (not on a Mac though).

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I believe thats because one can venture into the BIOS before installing to set USB detection on startup, which isn't possible on a Mac, sadly.
Although I seem to remember installing OSX from an iPod once

Ibanezi

I believe thats because one can venture into the BIOS before installing to set USB detection on startup, which isn't possible on a Mac, sadly.

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Valid point. Essentially, that's what cwa107 was referring to when he mentioned the part about EFI.

We tend to forget that Apple supplied the Boot Camp Assistant application to help in installing Windows on a machine that has no BIOS. I'm always amazed at what a great job it does when one follows directions.