Followed Bootcamp Instructions, No Bootable Device Found

I followed bootcamps instructions. Have a 16Gb PNY thumb drive. Bootcamp installed the drivers, the .iso file, and restarted the computer. I didn't know then you were supposed to interrupt the restart, so it restarted to my mac HD automatically. I restarted and interrupted and selected the "Windows" drive to install, and I get a black screen that says "boo bootable device found, insert disk and press any key...."

Why doesn't the installer start?

I have a macbook air OSX 10.9.4, I'm trying to install Windows 8.1 Professional via .iso file and thumb drive

Please help

Thanks

Did you format the thumb drive FAT and burn the .iso file to it? With no optical drive the thumb drive needs to work just like the DVD.

Have a read of this may help:-


https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5266433

The thumb drive is formatted to fat but I don't know how to burn the iso file to it. In disk utility the "burn" option isn't highlighted when I select either the thumb drive or the iso file...

I followed the instructions on the link as well, same error. This is what I have done:

- have 16Gb USB stick, format it using disk utility to FAT
- open BC and allow it to create boot disk, and install windows support and windows
- once it install the ISO image and support it restarts my computer
- I hold option and select the "windows" hard drive
- it says "no bootable device found, insert disk and press any key"

The bootcamp disk shows in the Disk Utility but I can't boot the computer using it

The bootcamp disk shows in the Disk Utility but I can't boot the computer using it

Click to expand...

Then you're doing something wrong when creating that disk. It has to be bootable or otherwise you will not be able to install Windows. (You must boot from the flash drive, not your OS X partition.) Keep in mind that the flash drive substitutes for a DVD installation. A DVD which contains Windows is bootable, however, your Mac has no optical drive, therefore you must boot from the flash drive which contains Windows and the driver files.

I used another download and it seemed to work better however this time BootCamp said it only supports Windows 64-bit versions. The .iso file I got was directly from Microsoft for Windows 8.1, I called their support and they directed me to the .exe that I installed as an .iso file on the flash drive. They only have one download, how am I to know if it's 32-bit or 64-bit?

The Microsoft Windows 8.1 DVD probably contains both the 32 bit and 64 bit versions, however, I have no idea what their download consists of. But as you found out, you can not use a 32 bit version of Windows with your Mac as it's not supported. I would call MS support again and make sure they direct you to the 64 bit exe download. I'm fairly certain from remembering the difference between the 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows 7 that the 64 bit version exe of Windows 8.1 will be a larger file.

Also... an exe file has to be executed (run) in order to obtain a bootable iso. You can not place the exe file on the flash drive and expect it to be bootable; it is not.

Same Boat

Ok so here's where I am at on my 2014 iMac:
1. Used 16 GB USB 2.0 thumbdrive and an official Windows 7 ISO.
2. Bootcamp created the WININSTALL disk flawlessly complete with necessary drivers.
3. Created a 60GB partition via Bootcamp.
4. iMac restarts and boots to blank screen and then says "No bootable device found
insert bootable disk and press any key"

I never removed the thumb drive, followed bootcamp's instructions to the letter, and made sure all other usb drives were removed. Again, bootcamp was working fine until the restart and the inability to read the bootable drive bootcamp JUST CREATED. Any idea what may be going on?

It's a 2014 iMac so no need to do the plist edit.

When I start up Yosemite I even see a new drive labled "BOOTCAMP"

Seriously, ***? Beginning to dislike my iMac now. I don't understand why this must be so difficult

I suspect your flash drive is not bootable. The iso on the flash drive must be bootable to work the same as a bootable DVD. (How did you place the iso on the flash drive? it must be burned to the flash drive in order to be bootable.) Since your iMac has no optical drive, the system can only boot and work from a flash drive. Test the flash drive: Restart your iMac and hold down the Option key, if the flash drive appears as a boot choice, then it's bootable. Let us know the results.

As chscag asks how did you burn it with apparantly no optical drive? The steps shown indicate all you have done is format the thumb drive. If you have the Apple Superdrive connected, you will need to burn to a DVD.

chscag said:

I suspect your flash drive is not bootable. The iso on the flash drive must be bootable to work the same as a bootable DVD. (How did you place the iso on the flash drive? it must be burned to the flash drive in order to be bootable.) Since your iMac has no optical drive, the system can only boot and work from a flash drive. Test the flash drive: Restart your iMac and hold down the Option key, if the flash drive appears as a boot choice, then it's bootable. Let us know the results.

Click to expand...

I downloaded a valid windows ISO from here:

Microsoft Software Recovery

as I own a legal copy but need an ISO because the iMac has no DVD drive.

SO, I downloaded the iso with the serial that I own, placed it on my mac desktop, pointed the bootcamp installer to it and bootcamp created a bootable iso off of that with no problems. In fact, everything works with no problems until I get to the UEFI install environment. It's no the drive guys, everyone who owns an imac has to do it this way (and I even checked my USB against another person's usb who has win 7 installed on their iMac and it matches file for file to include the EFI bootmgr)

harryb2448 said:

As chscag asks how did you burn it with apparantly no optical drive? The steps shown indicate all you have done is format the thumb drive. If you have the Apple Superdrive connected, you will need to burn to a DVD.

Click to expand...

Negative. You do not need a superdrive to do this on an 5K iMac as our model is 15,1. bootcamp knows this and allows USB bootdisk creation with ISO file.

If you have a mac with a superdrive then yes, you must use it or modify the plist. Again, that's for older macs that came with a drive.

See here:

How to install Windows with Boot Camp on new Retina iMac - Jaanus

Look I appreciate all your help. Before posting an idea that may have already been attempted please review what has already been suggested and where we are with this issue here:

https://discussions.apple.com/message/27786886?ac_cid=op123456

Viper reading Jaanus item, you may have to go to Windows 8.1 like he/she did to install via BootCamp. BootCamp Assistant 5.1.3 is supposed to install Windows 7 but who knows?

First, please reduce the size of your attached pictures to the forum. Not everyone has a high resolution 27" iMac to view them with. (I do have one.)

Next: Did you perform the test I suggested below?

Test the flash drive: Restart your iMac and hold down the Option key, if the flash drive appears as a boot choice, then it's bootable. Let us know the results.

Click to expand...

OK, I see after expanding your last picture that you did try that as the flash drive does appear. And I assume that when you pressed enter is when you receive the "no bootable device" error?

chsag - Yes, so when I hit enter is when I get the "No bootable drive..."

ferrarr - Ok so that was what I tried next. tell me if this sounds right to you guys,

1. Removed bootcamp partition via bootcamp
2. Created a GPT partition as Free Space
3. Reboot with option key held
4. Select EFI boot option.

These are the steps I did and when I selected EFI boot, it went to a black screen for a minute then loaded OSX but with the resolution way off...sort of like when you would boot into windows safe mode, only the OSX version.

Nothing else changed, still only had the WININSTALL USB connected. Any ideas?
Part of me thinks that the usb is corrupt but again, it was created with bootcamp and with no errors (well, at least bootcamp didn't report any). The other thing I am wondering about is, since the 5K imac is UEFI compliant, if I use EFI boot option can I use a usb bootdrive that I create in windows? If that's a option I can just create on on my windows laptop and try it.

As far as I can tell you've done everything correct. But it appears somehow that the USB drive is not bootable. Also, you can not do an EFI boot with Windows 7. Windows 8 and 8.1 yes, but as far as I know Windows 7 will not respond to an EFI boot on a Mac.

The only thing I can suggest for now is to create another Boot Camp partition, create another USB bootable flash drive and try again. Since you have your product ID, download another recovery ISO from MS just to make sure.