Mac Mini superdrive is broken and i need windows installed

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My mac mini superdrive has decided it won't work any more and i need to install windows again on my bootcamp partition. Does anyone know whether it is possible to do this via an external USB CD/DVD drive???

i don't want to fork out for one only to discover it does not work and i have to get my mac mini fixed anway. Would appreciate any help on this matter including any other ideas about how to get windows back up and running on my mini as its an essential part of my setup.

Any info would be great. Thanks. I'm installing XP by the way.
 
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yes you can use a external dvd drive, i do it all the time
 
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Not according to Bootcamp Assistant. Must be an internal drive to install Windows. Windows is designed not to be installed on an external drive as a anti-piracy measure.
 
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Not according to Bootcamp Assistant. Must be an internal drive to install Windows. Windows is designed not to be installed on an external drive as a anti-piracy measure.

He's talking about using a external DVD drive to install windows onto a internal drive. His internal DVD drive is broken. You can do this....
 

chscag

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yes you can use a external dvd drive, i do it all the time

Have you actually installed Windows using Boot Camp from an external drive? You can certainly do it on a Windows machine by selecting to boot from an external drive in the BIOS. However, the Boot Camp assistant doesn't work that way as it expects the bootable Windows CD or DVD to be able to boot from the machine's optical drive.
 

chscag

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No, that's not what I said. See the following thread and follow directions. Especially look at Post # 8. LINK

It's a bit complicated but it does work. Other than that, you have to replace your optical drive.
 

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