Need serious help with BootCamp

Hi guys!

I'm trying to install Windows 7 Pro 64 Bit SP1 on a secondary SSD in my Mid 2011 21.5" iMac...



But first...
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History:
1. Old config and setup
A. Mid 2011 21.5" iMac
B. Not sure what OS I was on
C. OWC 6G SSD 240 GB
D. Seagate 7200 RPM HHD (not sure on any more of the specifics)
a. 250 GB partition for Win7 - worked just fine
b. Rest for iTune library
2. Issue/Diagnosis:
A. HHD failed and needed to be replaced
3. Action/Treatment:
A. Replace Seagate with WD Green 3TB HHD
B. Remove DVD drive and replace with ADATA 240GB SSD via OWC drive cage
4. All that to say: Was able to previously install Win7 and functioned just fine
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Installing Windows on new ADATA SSD:
1. New config and setup
A. See pic above
B. OWC 6G SSD with OS X El Cap. (working just fine and not a new situation)
C. WD Green 3TB HHD for iTunes library (working great)
D. ADATA 240 GB SSD (freshly installed and working great... as a hard drive... not as a Win install drive)
2. Process:
A. Modified BootCamp.app/Info.plist via online guides; worked out just fine
B. Had an old Win8 install thumb drive laying around and tried to install from it.
C. Boot from Win8 thumb and attempted to install; got into Win8 installer but unable to install to any drive/partitions
D. Trouble shot via internet and tried various solutions; none worked.
E. Gave up on Win8 (never was able to get it to work in the past either) and went for Win7
F. Downloaded 2 different .ISO files of Win7 Pro SP1 64Bit; Also downloaded proper files from Apple for BootCamp driver stuffs
G. Used BootCamp to create a bootable thumb drive
a. Drives used: SanDisk Cruzer 8GB; Also tried Toshiba 16GB ...GBRG01S
H. Follow proper procedures for creating bootable thumb drives and copy BootCamp drivers to /root of thumb drives
I. Use BootCamp to reboot to install Windows7
J. Not able to find bootable drive
a. Fix: Manual reboot and hold Option Key
b. One of the iso's will show up and allow to boot; still gives no bootable drive
c. Tried multiple combinations of ISO's +/- BootCamp drivers on said drive(s)
d. Unable to boot into Win7 install software at all; only show's "no bootable drive"
e. Curious... because Win8 thumb drive was able to get past this with the reboot + option trick
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What I ultimately want:
1. Be able to boot from the ADATA SSD into Windows when I want to play my Steam Library
2. Leave everything else the same.
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Thoughts?

thanks

Tim

The problem you're running into is one that occurs because of the way Microsoft implements anti-piracy for Windows. Windows "sees" your SSD as an external hard drive and will not boot from it. Your only solution without a hack is to install Windows 7 on the WD 3TB hard drive. If you were dealing with a portable Mac (MacBook Pro) it would be easy to swap drives after the Windows installation. However, with an iMac it's not as simple because of having to disassemble the machine again.

Ok.
But why will my MBA recognize the Win7 install thumb drives but not the iMac?
When I reboot and them press and hold Option, the iMac will see Win8 thumb (but can't/won't install from it) but will not see Win7 ----- all while the MBA will see both.
What do I need to do in order for the Win7 thumb drive to show up at boot?

I can only tell you that Win 7 whether it's on a bootable thumb drive or other media is not going to install to the SSD that you replaced the optical drive with on your iMac for the reason that was explained above. I don't anything about your MBA?

Well darn. Thanks for the reply.
So a solution could be to switch the mechanical drive and the SSD in the optical bay for installation and then switch back?

You could try that. Your next problem could well be the 2011 iMac came with an optical drive and it may be necessary to re-install the drive and install Windows 7 from the DVD.

Next query is Windows 7 worth all this hastle? If you only need Windows to run a few programs there are other options.

klouud said:

Well darn. Thanks for the reply.
So a solution could be to switch the mechanical drive and the SSD in the optical bay for installation and then switch back?

Click to expand...

That's a solution as I explained above using a MacBook Pro as an example. However, that's a lot of work to do on an iMac and you need to be careful each time you open it up. We've had users post in our forum that stated they accidentally broke a cable or connector when opening up their iMac. I've seen several work arounds (without switching drives) posted in other forums. You might want to do some searching before you start taking things apart. Try searching in the Mac Rumors forum. (http://forums.macrumors.com/)

I did it before with a thumb drive only

I've taken apart and put my iMac together four or five times now. I'm getting pretty good at it