Problems installing Windows 8 Upgrade (from 7) on Mac

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Hi all,

Apologies if this has already been answered, I spent some time trawling the internet yesterday and couldn't find an answer.

I bought my first Mac a couple of weeks ago (Macbook pro retina) and I am very happy with it.

I originally installed Windows 7 on the machine and that worked fine. I've now decided to put Windows 8 on it (and then 8.1), but I only have a Windows 8 upgrade disk so I can't just do a clean install.

So, I use Bootcamp Assistant to create a Windows 8 boot disk. I then go back into windows 7, and run the setup file from my USB stick.

This seems to upgrade Windows OK, it copies all of its files, reboots and continues on.

It's when I get to the "Personalise" screen that I have problems. Neither my keyboard or mouse will work on the Mac, so I can't get any further. I've tried plugging in my Microsoft wireless mouse and keyboard, still with no joy.

I've tried a couple of different methods (reinstalling Windows 7 and then 8 three times now!) but still can't get this to work.

Anybody know what I'm doing wrong and the correct process to take?

Cheers

Alex
 
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Do you have the bootcamp 5 driver pack installed in Windows 7, it's a pre-requisite for Windows 8 support. Also, if it's an upgrade disk it should be run from within Windows 7 not booted separately.
 
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Thanks for your reply.

Is the latest version installed when using Bootcamp in Mavericks, or do I need to install this manually after installation of Windows? I'm thinking it should be as my Bootcamp version in OS X is 5.xxx. I know the driver packs are getting installed within Windows 7, but I have no idea whether it's the latest version. May have to run the process again to find out.

I was running the upgrade disk/USB from within windows but yeah still same issue :( never tried booting the Mac from disk/USB.
 
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When you ran through the bootcamp assistant it will have downloaded a driver pack for you that you then install from within windows. Have you done that?
 
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Yep definitely did that, it does it automatically after the Windows install is complete. Runs through all the Apple drivers and everything.
 
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Then you definitely have bootcamp 5 installed (as you have a new Mac it wouldn't have used anything earlier).

So you point the fingers at your Windows 8 upgrade.

Is it a Microsoft bought ISO ?
 
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It was an ISO that I'd burned to disk from Microsoft's discounted upgrade programme just after the Windows 8 launch. I know the disc works because I'd previously used it on another normal PC. However, perhaps it might be worth downloading a fresh ISO and trying again?
 
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Or mount the ISO as a disc under Windows and run it from there.

VirtualCloneDrive is free from slysoft.com and will mount the ISO as a disc in the same way OSX does with DMGs etc.
 
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Ah okie dokie I'll give that a try. On that thought, it was a disk I'd modified to force it to install in UEFI mode for secure boot. I might perhaps need to download a standard install ISO. I will try again!
 
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If you do burn it don't mess with it. Just use Disk Utility in OSX to burn disk image. That will burn the iso image byte-for-byte onto a DVD/CD. It needs to be an exact replica of the ISO disc image. For an in-place upgrade it does not need to be bootable
 
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For anyone who is interested - I never got this to work. Looks like upgrading from 7 to 8 is just a real nightmare after having used Bootcamp. The reason it doesn't work, I think, is because the drivers for the USB(3) ports are not correctly installed during the upgrade, rendering any hardware connected useless. I even tried a wired USB mouse and couldn't get any luck.

In the end I found out that, as part of my computing uni course, I get access to MSDNAA (Dreamspark Premium) and found out I could get any retail copy of Windows XP through to 8.1 for free. Epic! Downloaded the ISO for 8.1 Pro x64, set up with bootcamp, installed - worked perfectly.
 
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The upgrade does work, certainly on the couple I've done. But a clean install for Windows is probably best anyway.
Glad you got sorted
 

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