So, as the thread title suggests I have been unsuccessfully tying to load up Win7 pro 64b onto my ageing, but still relatively spry, Mid. 2011, 21.5 inch iMac. As might be expected, Bootcamp (v6.01) (BC) has been my primary means of attempting this apparently Herculean feat. It has not been successful.
Before going on it should be noted that:
1) I've read and followed the official Apple guide to loading windows via BC.
2) I have also read just about every post I could find about this topic via Google and none seem to quite get to the actual issue (at least so it seems to me)
3) I am attempting to load Win764b from USB because the misnamed superdrive in my Mac has never worked so DVD install is out.
3) I am not by any stretch of the imagination knowledgeable about this stuff. Everything I know I have gleaned from forum posts, articles and troubleshooting guides.
That said let me attempt to recall and layout the sequence of events and steps I have taken in my quest to load this **** software onto my godforsaken piece of... you get picture.
So after staring incredulously at the images of BC in online instructions and realising that my copy was missing the all important option to "Create a Windows 7 or later version install disk" I dug around on google and found out that all was not lost, I just needed to edit something called the info.plist. So I watched a couple of tutorials and eventually found this:
Boot Camp Assistant - Enabling creation of bootable USB disks for installing Windows
And I thought to myself, 'now we are getting somewhere, Ill be done by lunch time...' I am clearly a fool, a poor, naive and dewey eyed fool.
(For interest I have attached my edited info.plist in case anyone felt like giving it a once over and seeing if there are any obvious problems with it that may be part of the issue with BC not creating bootable WININSTALL disks on USB. I have highlighted a couple of areas that I am unsure about; one where there is just ???? instead of any details in the string and the DARequiredROMVersion Key which I had to manually add with text edit as I couldn't find it in the original plist with Xcode nor work how to add it with Xcode.)
So I followed said instructions and lo and behold when I opened bootcamp again the all important "Create a Windows 7 or later version install disk" was now present and correct. What followed where a few abortive attempts at creating a bootable USB with error messages a plenty. Having used the google to find the answers I needed I eventually got BC to spit out a nice, successfully created WININSTALL (allegedly) bootable USB. I then dutifully followed the instructions and manually added the correct version (5.15) of Apple's Windows Support Software to the USB as directed. Then its back into BC and time install Windows 7 or later version. Partition goes fine, I alloctae a comfortable 60gb for Windows to play with and sit back and wait for...
a black screen with the message that 'no bootable device has been found' etc. But my nice new WININSTALL (allegedly) bootable USB is plugged in so *** is wrong here?
Anyway, long story short I went through that process several times without any joy. I tried manually creating a bootable windows USB, and manually partitioning my hard drive with 60gb of MSDOS fat32 for windows to swim in. Still the **** thing can't see the USB drive to boot from it (does not show up as boot option when ALT/Option key is depressed during start up)
I have created Windows USB's using Rufus on a pc, and they do not work, I have tried balena etcher on the mac and they do not work.
In short, no method seems to want to work. Which whilst frustrating is not really why I am posting this screed. The real reason is that I have become pretty convinced that BC, at least with my set up is simply not able to create a bootable win7 USB. In fact none of the methods I tried that actually appeared successful on the face of it managed to create a bootable win 7 USB. (note that my USB was always formatted as MBR/Fat32 either by bootcamp, disk utility or Rufus on the PC)
I managed to check this with disk utility using the info tab in the top right of the window and it is clear that the resulting Win 7 USB were not bootable. (See attached files.)
EDIT:
I have now managed to create Win 7 USB that is recognised by my machine when I restart with ALT/Option pressed (shows up as EFI boot)
I did this by following these instructions:
Here
(scroll down to entry 31 on linked page)
and then using Rufus on a PC to create a bootable win 7 USB using GTP instead of MBR and setting it up for UEFI rather BIOS protocols.
Unfortunately, despite this showing up as a bootable option when restarting with the option key depressed, selecting it simply freezes the system and I have manually shut down and reboot into OSX again without any joy. It should also be noted that bootcamp does not recognise this as a suitable wininstall disk. But then it wasn't named WININSTALL so perhaps that will work...
EDIT ENDS
Given that none of methods I used actually created a bootable USB despite following all the instructions and tutorials I could find online, makes me wonder If I am being very stupid and have missed some vital part of the process or if it is simply not possible?
It should be noted that I have tried this with several different downloads of Win7 64b SP1 from various legit sources and none worked.
So in the end I think the problem with the 'no bootable device found' is simply that BC does not in fact create a bootable USB, it simply copies the files from the ISO onto the USB and calls it an install disk.
Well, I think I have gone on long enough. Too long probably. If any knowledgable person reads this and can help, I'd appreciate it. And if not and you've read this far well, thanks for your patience.
Kind Regards and a happy new year to all.
SamD23
Before going on it should be noted that:
1) I've read and followed the official Apple guide to loading windows via BC.
2) I have also read just about every post I could find about this topic via Google and none seem to quite get to the actual issue (at least so it seems to me)
3) I am attempting to load Win764b from USB because the misnamed superdrive in my Mac has never worked so DVD install is out.
3) I am not by any stretch of the imagination knowledgeable about this stuff. Everything I know I have gleaned from forum posts, articles and troubleshooting guides.
That said let me attempt to recall and layout the sequence of events and steps I have taken in my quest to load this **** software onto my godforsaken piece of... you get picture.
So after staring incredulously at the images of BC in online instructions and realising that my copy was missing the all important option to "Create a Windows 7 or later version install disk" I dug around on google and found out that all was not lost, I just needed to edit something called the info.plist. So I watched a couple of tutorials and eventually found this:
Boot Camp Assistant - Enabling creation of bootable USB disks for installing Windows
And I thought to myself, 'now we are getting somewhere, Ill be done by lunch time...' I am clearly a fool, a poor, naive and dewey eyed fool.
(For interest I have attached my edited info.plist in case anyone felt like giving it a once over and seeing if there are any obvious problems with it that may be part of the issue with BC not creating bootable WININSTALL disks on USB. I have highlighted a couple of areas that I am unsure about; one where there is just ???? instead of any details in the string and the DARequiredROMVersion Key which I had to manually add with text edit as I couldn't find it in the original plist with Xcode nor work how to add it with Xcode.)
So I followed said instructions and lo and behold when I opened bootcamp again the all important "Create a Windows 7 or later version install disk" was now present and correct. What followed where a few abortive attempts at creating a bootable USB with error messages a plenty. Having used the google to find the answers I needed I eventually got BC to spit out a nice, successfully created WININSTALL (allegedly) bootable USB. I then dutifully followed the instructions and manually added the correct version (5.15) of Apple's Windows Support Software to the USB as directed. Then its back into BC and time install Windows 7 or later version. Partition goes fine, I alloctae a comfortable 60gb for Windows to play with and sit back and wait for...
a black screen with the message that 'no bootable device has been found' etc. But my nice new WININSTALL (allegedly) bootable USB is plugged in so *** is wrong here?
Anyway, long story short I went through that process several times without any joy. I tried manually creating a bootable windows USB, and manually partitioning my hard drive with 60gb of MSDOS fat32 for windows to swim in. Still the **** thing can't see the USB drive to boot from it (does not show up as boot option when ALT/Option key is depressed during start up)
I have created Windows USB's using Rufus on a pc, and they do not work, I have tried balena etcher on the mac and they do not work.
In short, no method seems to want to work. Which whilst frustrating is not really why I am posting this screed. The real reason is that I have become pretty convinced that BC, at least with my set up is simply not able to create a bootable win7 USB. In fact none of the methods I tried that actually appeared successful on the face of it managed to create a bootable win 7 USB. (note that my USB was always formatted as MBR/Fat32 either by bootcamp, disk utility or Rufus on the PC)
I managed to check this with disk utility using the info tab in the top right of the window and it is clear that the resulting Win 7 USB were not bootable. (See attached files.)
EDIT:
I have now managed to create Win 7 USB that is recognised by my machine when I restart with ALT/Option pressed (shows up as EFI boot)
I did this by following these instructions:
Here
(scroll down to entry 31 on linked page)
and then using Rufus on a PC to create a bootable win 7 USB using GTP instead of MBR and setting it up for UEFI rather BIOS protocols.
Unfortunately, despite this showing up as a bootable option when restarting with the option key depressed, selecting it simply freezes the system and I have manually shut down and reboot into OSX again without any joy. It should also be noted that bootcamp does not recognise this as a suitable wininstall disk. But then it wasn't named WININSTALL so perhaps that will work...
EDIT ENDS
Given that none of methods I used actually created a bootable USB despite following all the instructions and tutorials I could find online, makes me wonder If I am being very stupid and have missed some vital part of the process or if it is simply not possible?
It should be noted that I have tried this with several different downloads of Win7 64b SP1 from various legit sources and none worked.
So in the end I think the problem with the 'no bootable device found' is simply that BC does not in fact create a bootable USB, it simply copies the files from the ISO onto the USB and calls it an install disk.
Well, I think I have gone on long enough. Too long probably. If any knowledgable person reads this and can help, I'd appreciate it. And if not and you've read this far well, thanks for your patience.
Kind Regards and a happy new year to all.
SamD23
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