Boot Camp Assistant Nightmare!

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I consider myself to be a tech savvy guy but I am really really stumped by this!.

So firstly ill tell you my specs (I want to give as much info as possible so this can be solved quicker);
Mid 2012 13" MBP, 2.9GHz dual core i7, 8GB Ram, OS X 10.8.3, 250GB Samsung 840 SSD (start up disk - 187GB free), 750GB HDD (media disk - 420GB free), the optical drive has been removed.

I have tried this with 3 different Windows 7 64-Bit ISO's - Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate. I have also tried 2 different SanDisk USB's (one 16GB one 4GB).

When I launch Boot Camp Assistant 5.0.2

I tell it to create the disk, download the support software and install windows. I then select the ISO and USB disk.

It formats the drive OK, but immediately after getting to 'copying windows files' this error appears:

"Your bootable USB drive could not be created"
"An error occurred while copying the windows installation files."

The only choice I have at this point is to quit the Boot Camp Assistant.

I have done a decent bit of searching around today and tried rebooting my computer, making sure the ISO is unmounted, different ISO's, different locations for the ISO's. I just cant seem to get it to work.

Any help?
 

chscag

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Let me try to understand what you're attempting....

You want to install Windows 7 on the SSD? (Windows will refuse to install on the drive you placed in the optical slot.)

You created an ISO from your Windows 7 DVD(s) and are attempting to create a bootable USB flash drive to use instead of a DVD disk?
 
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Let me try to understand what you're attempting....

You want to install Windows 7 on the SSD? (Windows will refuse to install on the drive you placed in the optical slot.)

You created an ISO from your Windows 7 DVD(s) and are attempting to create a bootable USB flash drive to use instead of a DVD disk?

I want to install Windows 7 on the HDD if possible but the SSD if not (the drive on the optical slot is the HDD).

I have the ISO from here: Official download links for Windows 7 SP1 ISO (32-bit and 64-bit)
I have tried a couple of different sources but the links appear to be legit. I have a legit product key to activate but no DVD.

Yes I am trying to make a bootable flash drive and partition my SSD/HDD with boot camp assistant so that I can dual boot and play my PC games.
 

chscag

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OK, thanks for posting back.

As I stated above, you can not install Windows on the drive that you placed in the optical slot. Windows does not consider that as an internal drive and will refuse to install. Not a Mac thing... blame that on Microsoft since it's part of their anti-piracy scheme. The download link you referred to is a legal link by Digital River and Microsoft.

The other problem you're going to run into is that your Mac is normally equipped with an optical drive. Boot Camp assumes Windows can be installed via the optical drive and not from a flash drive. Newer Macs without an optical drive have no problem whatsoever installing Windows from a flash drive via Boot Camp.

There's probably a work around for what you're trying to do. Google around to see if you can find one. Also try the link Harry provided above to see if you can make a bootable USB flash drive. However, you still may not be able to install Windows even if you're successful. You'll have to give it a try.
 
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Are you following something similar to this to make the flash drive?

Making a bootable USB key from an .iso image on Mac OS X | Borgström
I was following boot camp assistant, I can try that today but how would it work with boot camp after?
OK, thanks for posting back.

As I stated above, you can not install Windows on the drive that you placed in the optical slot. Windows does not consider that as an internal drive and will refuse to install. Not a Mac thing... blame that on Microsoft since it's part of their anti-piracy scheme. The download link you referred to is a legal link by Digital River and Microsoft.

The other problem you're going to run into is that your Mac is normally equipped with an optical drive. Boot Camp assumes Windows can be installed via the optical drive and not from a flash drive. Newer Macs without an optical drive have no problem whatsoever installing Windows from a flash drive via Boot Camp.

There's probably a work around for what you're trying to do. Google around to see if you can find one. Also try the link Harry provided above to see if you can make a bootable USB flash drive. However, you still may not be able to install Windows even if you're successful. You'll have to give it a try.

Ok so I will install it on the SSD, which is in the original slot.

If I plugged a USB optical drive in would this allow me to install via disk?
I would much rather just do it via USB either way.

I will do some more googling today but I already put a good few hours in yesterday.

Thanks
 
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tcfuwWI.png


I have a USB CD drive (the old internal superdrive) and could go to the shops to buy some DVD's. But the boot camp assistant does not seem to accept DVD's as a valid medium for an install disk. Only USB apparently, yet USB wont work.

EDIT: I have managed to get the USB to work somehow. And I now have a memory stick that will boot.

When trying to install windows 7 I get the following error immediately:
s3flfcf.png


this is not an easy ride!
 

chscag

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This is the other problem that occurs. Windows does not load the USB driver that's needed to recognize the flash drive until it boots, and since you can't boot without it, you're stuck in a "catch 22" situation.

I hate to recommend this.... but if you really and truly want to play games and install Windows on your machine, reinstall your optical drive. After Windows is setup, remove the optical drive again and replace it with your hard drive. You're not alone with this as others have had to do the same thing.

Perhaps someone else may be able to come up with a work around, so you might hang on for awhile.
 
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This is the other problem that occurs. Windows does not load the USB driver that's needed to recognize the flash drive until it boots, and since you can't boot without it, you're stuck in a "catch 22" situation.

I hate to recommend this.... but if you really and truly want to play games and install Windows on your machine, reinstall your optical drive. After Windows is setup, remove the optical drive again and replace it with your hard drive. You're not alone with this as others have had to do the same thing.

Perhaps someone else may be able to come up with a work around, so you might hang on for awhile.

I came up with a solution to my problem today and I have not seen It mentioned elsewhere so I thought it would be best to post it now so its documented for anyone searching in the future.

Here is what I did (from scratch);

Obtain the ISO from one of these links:
Official download links for Windows 7 SP1 ISO (32-bit and 64-bit)

Use the ISO to make a virtual machine, I used VM Ware but virtual box is free
VMware United Kingdom - Virtualisation Software for Desktops
https://www.virtualbox.org/

Once the OS has set up in the VM, give it access to a copy of the same ISO it was generated from. I did this by placing the downloaded ISO into a folder shared between OS X and the VM.

Download Windows official tool in the VM:
http://images2.store.microsoft.com/prod/clustera/framework/w7udt/1.0/en-us/Windows7-USB-DVD-tool.exe

Run the tool, select the ISO and the USB memory stick that you want to make bootable... Wait for it to finish its process.

You should keep the VM for now just incase you need to try again but you can shut it down as you probably wont be needing it anymore.

Open up boot camp assistant and partition your primary drive so that it has a bootcamp partition.

You can also download the windows support files using boot camp assistant, this also failed for me so I found this handy set of links here:
Download BootCamp Drivers for Macs to run Windows 7 or 8 | Chris F Carroll

you will want to put the windows support files on a separate memory stick - DO NOT mess with the bootable USB you made in the windows VM.

Once you have both memory sticks, one burned with the ISO from the windows tool and one with the support files on. and the bootcamp partition is made, you can shut the computer down.

(Normal, 'official' apple procedure from here on in)

Turn it on with only the bootable USB connected, hold down the ALT key.

Once the drive selection comes up select windows and follow the installation process, you will need to format the bootcamp drive made by boot camp assistant.

Set windows up, each time it restarts during installation you will have to do the ALT thing to get it to go into windows.

Once you are looking at a windows desktop, plug in the USB with the windows support files, and run the .exe that came with them, this will give you access to the internet and get everything working nicely!.

and all without reinstalling the optical superdrive, or having access to a separate windows PC :D
 

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Way to go! Good going!!!! Good tip for others with the same issue.
 

chscag

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Thanks for posting back a solution. Looks like you put quite a bit of time into that one! Anyway, cheers for you! :)
 

bobtomay

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thanks.

thanks, Only took 2 days ;) .

Totally worth it anyway as I can play Skyrim and Star Wars Battlefront 2 now :D

Gotta love a dedicated gamer!
 
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Working solution : Real problem detected.

Hello everyone.

I might have found the real problem about the BootCamp failing to create a Bootable USB drive.

It comes from the format the BootCamp Assistant use to create this USB Drive : the FAT32 format. This format have an strange but unchangable file-size limit, and cannot copy or receive any files superior than 4 Gb. Your disc might be 8/16 Gb or 1TO, you will not be able te place ANY files superior thant 4 Gb.

In any ISO images, the heavier file is the "install.wim" located in "source>install.wim". If this file is superior thant 4 Gb, the BootCamp won't be able to copy the Windows file because of the very file-size limit problem quoted before.

The only solution in this case is to find another image lighter than 4 Gb, or with and "install.wim" lighter than 4 Gb. It can sound a bit strange that, for the same ISO, there can be different sizes, but it is a reality.

I'm explaining it more precisely in this thread here (second page, near the end) : Stuck at Copying Windows Files on Boot Camp - Page 2 - MacRumors Forums

I hope my post helped !
Have a nice day !
 

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