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Boot Camp: MacBook Pro 13" late 2011 won't boot from USB, no superdrive.

S

severin

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 30, 2013
9
1
Some months ago I replaced the superdrive in my Mac with a SSD. This resulted in my Boot Camp not working, therefore I deleted it. The thing is that I have been wanting to install Windows again but it just seems impossible. I find myself pretty confident at a computer, so it frustrates me really.


The thing is that no matter what I do, everytime I boot up from windows installation USB, Windows 7 and 8, or something like it, it gives me "No bootable device - insert boot disk and press any key". I searched everywhere to solve this problem and nothing helped. I tried different images, even 32bit of both Windows 7 and 8. Even tried with my original Windows 7 64bit dvd. There is no more solutions out there on the internet I can find, so therefore I'm shouting out for you guys!


Here is what I already tried.

- Altered Bootcamp so it would create a bootable USB from a windows image. Worked like a charm, except that it would boot up to "No bootable device...". And the USB didn't show up in the boot menu pressing alt when booting. Tried four different usbs and the same story with all of them.

- Tried with a SATA-USB connector to a 250gb harddrive, "No bootable device...".

- Tried to make my own bootable USB on a Windows-computer with bootsect.exe/nt60 and everything, also Microsoft own program for the purpose, "No bootable device...".

- Tried with making a partition on both my HDD and SDD in the Macbook to boot from, "No bootable device...".

- Tried transfering all the files of the image to the created boot camp-partition, "No bootable device...".

- Reset PRAM with cmd+alt+p+r, "No bootable device...".

- Installed rEFIt, because the standard boot menu would not recognize anything else than my Macintosh SD. It did work so I could see my windows devices but still didn't boot, "no bootable device......".

- Tried to boot with rEFIt with all the before mentioned methods.

- I even desperially installed Windows from a pc on the HDD and tried to boot it on mac.... same damn story, "No bootable device...".



I really hope that someone can figure this out, because I'm ripping my hair out. I simply can't get this **************** to boot anything Windows :(.
 
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Same Problem

I am having the same exact problem as you. However, what is making me lose my mind is I just used this USB to install windows 7 using the boot camp assistant in my computer. Everything worked fine. Now I am trying to do the same on my brothers computer and all that happens is "no bootable disk blah blah blah". Anyone have any idea as to why this would work perfectly on my computer, and yet the next day won't work at all on a different MBP?

Thanks in advance for any help
 
Ye gesh and I bowered my friends Macbook Air external superdrive just to find out that Windows refuses to boot from external dvd-drives. Waiting for my SATA III to USB connector now, which I ordered online, to plug in my old internal superdrive. Apparently using the internal superdrive or an universal external superdrive works, because Apple altered the firmware to trick Windows and something something.
 
Ugh.

Same boat. Tried all the steps you listed. Several times. Different USB sticks. I had no idea why the frack this isn't working...
I want to put my head thought a brick wall.
 
This is a limitation of the new MacBooks. I am afraid that there are virtually no solution except to put back your DVD drive in the mbp and install from that. The only usb installation that is possible via USB is OS X. I have encountered the same problem on my 2011 17 MBP.
 
Solved.

HEUREKA!
I finally managed to install windows on my Mac! And it's even Windows 8, works just like it would through boot camp, doesn't even require rEFIt to boot the partition.

Guide:

1. Make a Boot Camp partition with Boot Camp assistant.

2. Install rEFIt

3. Install a NTFS program for Mac, like Tuxera NTFS(serial at serials.ws) or Paragon NTFS.

4. Install Oracle Virtualbox.

5. Make a virtual disk from the Boot Camp partition, follow step 6 and 7.

6. The first thing we need to do is eject the BootCamp partition – Open “Finder”. “Control- >Click” the “Bootcamp” drive and select “Eject” (You can also the DiskUtility as well)

7. Now for the geeky terminal stuff to make the BootCamp partition useable within VirtualBox. Open a terminal (located in /Applications/Utilities) and enter the following commands. Make sure to press “Return” after each command to run it.

sudo chmod 777 /dev/disk0s3 –Changes the permissions of the BootCamp partition to allow it to be modified (enter your admin password when asked)
sudo VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -rawdisk /dev/disk0 -filename win7raw.vmdk -partitions 3 –Creates 2 files in your home directory, one of which will be used by VirtualBox to access the BootCamp Partition
sudo chown YOUR-USER-NAME-HERE win7raw.vmdk win7raw-pt.vmdk –changes the permissions of the previously created files (Replace YOUR-USER-NAME-HERE with the current user name)

8. Fire up VirtualBox, make a new Virtual Machine on the disk just created.

9. Install Windows on the Virtual Machine just created with a iso image or like so.
Format the Bootcamp partition in the install menu and press install.

10. Before installations restarts automatically after install power off the virtual machine.

11. Restart the computer back into OS X.

12. Remove all files possible in the bootcamp-partition and move in all the files possible from the Windows iso-image.

13. Restart the computer and choose "Boot Windows from partition x" in rEFIt.

14. Install Windows on the same partition as you booted from. Don't format it just click install on it.

15. When Windows is done installing, reboot in to OS X and you can now remove all the before installed programs. You can now boot the Windows-installation by the normal way, holding alt when starting the computer.

16. Smash something in happiness.



We install Windows in VirtualBox to get diskinformation printed on the partition. If you try to boot the partition it will give you "Missing file: C:\Windows\System32\Winload.exe", therefore we replace the files with the DVD-files, to actually boot the windows installation.
 
Last edited:
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severin said:
HEUREKA!
I finally managed to install windows on my Mac! And it's even Windows 8, works just like it would through boot camp, doesn't even require rEFIt to boot the partition.

Guide:

1. Make a Boot Camp partition with Boot Camp assistant.

2. Install rEFIt

3. Install a NTFS program for Mac, like Tuxera NTFS(serial at serials.ws) or Paragon NTFS.

4. Install Oracle Virtualbox.

5. Make a virtual disk from the Boot Camp partition, follow step 6 and 7.

6. The first thing we need to do is eject the BootCamp partition – Open “Finder”. “Control- >Click” the “Bootcamp” drive and select “Eject” (You can also the DiskUtility as well)

7. Now for the geeky terminal stuff to make the BootCamp partition useable within VirtualBox. Open a terminal (located in /Applications/Utilities) and enter the following commands. Make sure to press “Return” after each command to run it.

sudo chmod 777 /dev/disk0s3 –Changes the permissions of the BootCamp partition to allow it to be modified (enter your admin password when asked)
sudo VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -rawdisk /dev/disk0 -filename win7raw.vmdk -partitions 3 –Creates 2 files in your home directory, one of which will be used by VirtualBox to access the BootCamp Partition
sudo chown YOUR-USER-NAME-HERE win7raw.vmdk win7raw-pt.vmdk –changes the permissions of the previously created files (Replace YOUR-USER-NAME-HERE with the current user name)

8. Fire up VirtualBox, make a new Virtual Machine on the disk just created.

9. Install Windows on the Virtual Machine just created with a iso image or like so.
Format the Bootcamp partition in the install menu and press install.

10. Before installations restarts automatically after install power off the virtual machine.

11. Restart the computer back into OS X.

12. Remove all files possible in the bootcamp-partition and move in all the files possible from the Windows iso-image.

13. Restart the computer and choose "Boot Windows from partition x" in rEFIt.

14. Install Windows on the same partition as you booted from. Don't format it just click install on it.

15. When Windows is done installing, reboot in to OS X and you can now remove all the before installed programs. You can now boot the Windows-installation by the normal way, holding alt when starting the computer.

16. Smash something in happiness.



We install Windows in VirtualBox to get diskinformation printed on the partition. If you try to boot the partition it will give you "Missing file: C:\Windows\System32\Winload.exe", therefore we replace the files with the DVD-files, to actually boot the windows installation.
Click to expand...

Excited to see this might work, but I'm getting stuck at the step in the middle. I create the virtual box, begin the install from the Windows disk and then when I go to format the drive, I get an error 0x80070057 and I'm stuck there. Any thoughts?

Are there any steps you didn't include here? (This area of mac work isn't exactly my forte).
 
bbolman said:
Excited to see this might work, but I'm getting stuck at the step in the middle. I create the virtual box, begin the install from the Windows disk and then when I go to format the drive, I get an error 0x80070057 and I'm stuck there. Any thoughts?

Are there any steps you didn't include here? (This area of mac work isn't exactly my forte).
Click to expand...

Mate, are you sure it's only the partition you're formatting?
Try from the start, if it doesn't allow you to install on the "Boot camp"-partition then delete it. Then click on the empty space and make Windows make it's own partitions.

My guide does the same as the one gr4z posted. But try it if you're not succeeding following my guide :).
 
So far so good...

severin said:
HEUREKA!
I finally managed to install windows on my Mac! And it's even Windows 8, works just like it would through boot camp, doesn't even require rEFIt to boot the partition.

Guide:

1. Make a Boot Camp partition with Boot Camp assistant.

2. Install rEFIt

3. Install a NTFS program for Mac, like Tuxera NTFS(serial at serials.ws) or Paragon NTFS.

4. Install Oracle Virtualbox.

5. Make a virtual disk from the Boot Camp partition, follow step 6 and 7.

6. The first thing we need to do is eject the BootCamp partition – Open “Finder”. “Control- >Click” the “Bootcamp” drive and select “Eject” (You can also the DiskUtility as well)

7. Now for the geeky terminal stuff to make the BootCamp partition useable within VirtualBox. Open a terminal (located in /Applications/Utilities) and enter the following commands. Make sure to press “Return” after each command to run it.

sudo chmod 777 /dev/disk0s3 –Changes the permissions of the BootCamp partition to allow it to be modified (enter your admin password when asked)
sudo VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -rawdisk /dev/disk0 -filename win7raw.vmdk -partitions 3 –Creates 2 files in your home directory, one of which will be used by VirtualBox to access the BootCamp Partition
sudo chown YOUR-USER-NAME-HERE win7raw.vmdk win7raw-pt.vmdk –changes the permissions of the previously created files (Replace YOUR-USER-NAME-HERE with the current user name)

8. Fire up VirtualBox, make a new Virtual Machine on the disk just created.

9. Install Windows on the Virtual Machine just created with a iso image or like so.
Format the Bootcamp partition in the install menu and press install.

10. Before installations restarts automatically after install power off the virtual machine.

11. Restart the computer back into OS X.

12. Remove all files possible in the bootcamp-partition and move in all the files possible from the Windows iso-image.

13. Restart the computer and choose "Boot Windows from partition x" in rEFIt.

14. Install Windows on the same partition as you booted from. Don't format it just click install on it.

15. When Windows is done installing, reboot in to OS X and you can now remove all the before installed programs. You can now boot the Windows-installation by the normal way, holding alt when starting the computer.

16. Smash something in happiness.



We install Windows in VirtualBox to get diskinformation printed on the partition. If you try to boot the partition it will give you "Missing file: C:\Windows\System32\Winload.exe", therefore we replace the files with the DVD-files, to actually boot the windows installation.
Click to expand...

Well so far so good, im having a doubt in point 12. Remove all files possible in the bootcamp-partition and move in all the files possible from the Windows iso-image. what do you mean by it?

Ok i understand now forgot to read it all the way...and it works.....
 
Last edited:
macosta said:
Well so far so good, im having a doubt in point 12. Remove all files possible in the bootcamp-partition and move in all the files possible from the Windows iso-image. what do you mean by it?

Ok i understand now forgot to read it all the way...and it works.....
Click to expand...


Awesome! :D Good to hear.
 
hi all;

i know, it's been a long time since last answer. But; i've big trouble here.

i did all the steps correctly (i guess), but after deleting windows files and replacing with the iso files, i restart my macbook pro and booting with rFFlt
the following message appears:

Missing file: C:\Windows\System32\Winload.exe ! On black screen.

u wrote:

We install Windows in VirtualBox to get diskinformation printed on the partition. If you try to boot the partition it will give you "Missing file: C:\Windows\System32\Winload.exe", therefore we replace the files with the DVD-files, to actually boot the windows installation.
Click to expand...

i did what its written ' replaced with the dvd-files.

what did i wrong? any suggest?? please help me :confused::(

i've macbook pro late 11 ( with no working superdrive)
 
Alternative Method?

I know this method probably wouldn't work for everyone (since the software is so damned expensive), but I recently had some success using a copy of Parallels 9 which I obtained through my work.

Essentially the idea is the same. I had Bootcamp Assistant create a partition for me then used Parallels to install Windows 7 via a mounted ISO onto the partition. The key was to kill Parallels after the Windows installer warned it was about to restart. Simply shut down Parallels (or 'Stop' the VM) then restart my mac onto the Bootcamp partition (which should appear in the EFI).

Windows should complete the setup process, after which I installed the BC 5 Drivers from Apple's site and Bob's your uncle. Seemed a bit easier than using Virtual Box and if you look around (not saying where), I'm sure you can find a copy of Parallels to work with.

Applying all the Windows updates is what took the longest for me, everything else was relatively simple.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Soniquev7 said:
I know this method probably wouldn't work for everyone (since the software is so damned expensive), but I recently had some success using a copy of Parallels 9 which I obtained through my work.

Essentially the idea is the same. I had Bootcamp Assistant create a partition for me then used Parallels to install Windows 7 via a mounted ISO onto the partition. The key was to kill Parallels after the Windows installer warned it was about to restart. Simply shut down Parallels (or 'Stop' the VM) then restart my mac onto the Bootcamp partition (which should appear in the EFI).

Windows should complete the setup process, after which I installed the BC 5 Drivers from Apple's site and Bob's your uncle. Seemed a bit easier than using Virtual Box and if you look around (not saying where), I'm sure you can find a copy of Parallels to work with.

Applying all the Windows updates is what took the longest for me, everything else was relatively simple.

Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...


Oracle's VirtualBox is free, always have been and always will be :). But maybe you refering to that Parallels 9 is expensive and yea kinda is ;). But anyway thanks for the update, nice to know it works with parallels aswell :D.
 
i just created an account to give a huge THANK YOU to severin. your instructions were perfect. i actually blew away my first install because i wanted to create a larger partition. definitely easier the 2nd time around! haha.
 
bbolman said:
Excited to see this might work, but I'm getting stuck at the step in the middle. I create the virtual box, begin the install from the Windows disk and then when I go to format the drive, I get an error 0x80070057 and I'm stuck there. Any thoughts?

Are there any steps you didn't include here? (This area of mac work isn't exactly my forte).
Click to expand...

I got the same exact error... in my case the partition #'s were different and I had to update the terminal commands accordingly because windows didn't have write access to the correct partition. Here are the modified commands:

sudo VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -rawdisk /dev/disk0 -filename win7raw.vmdk -partitions 4

sudo chown (your-user-name) win7raw.vmdk win7raw-pt.vmdk

sudo chmod 777 /dev/disk0s4

Also reset partition 3 (in my case the mac repair partition):

sudo chmod 640 /dev/disk0s3

To reliably determine the correct partition # (4 for me, 3 in the tutorial) run this command:

diskutil list

Here was my output:

/dev/disk0
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: GUID_partition_scheme *750.2 GB disk0
1: EFI EFI 209.7 MB disk0s1
2: Apple_HFS Macintosh HD 499.3 GB disk0s2
3: Apple_Boot Recovery HD 650.0 MB disk0s3
4: Microsoft Basic Data BOOTCAMP 250.0 GB disk0s4

As you can see my BOOTCAMP partition had the identifier disk0s4

Thank you for the awesome walkthrough!
 
Regarding severins guide, I have a couple of questions. I'm a noob and this might be a bit to advanced for me, but I need windows so I have to make it work.

"5. Make a virtual disk from the Boot Camp partition, follow step 6 and 7."
--> Please explain what this means? Should I make a bootable USB drive with windows, a bootcamp partition or something else?

"8. Fire up VirtualBox, make a new Virtual Machine on the disk just created."
--> How do I create a virtual machine on a disk? A disk is that a partition, harddrive or a physical DVD-disk? Please explain it clearly.

Thanks
 
Lindberg said:
Regarding severins guide, I have a couple of questions. I'm a noob and this might be a bit to advanced for me, but I need windows so I have to make it work.

"5. Make a virtual disk from the Boot Camp partition, follow step 6 and 7."
--> Please explain what this means? Should I make a bootable USB drive with windows, a bootcamp partition or something else?

"8. Fire up VirtualBox, make a new Virtual Machine on the disk just created."
--> How do I create a virtual machine on a disk? A disk is that a partition, harddrive or a physical DVD-disk? Please explain it clearly.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I'll be happy to help :).

Step 5 just tells you to follow step 6 and 7. Following step 6 and 7 would be completing step 5.

When you have completed step 6 and 7 you will be able to select the disk you've created in theese steps in VirtualBox when you're making a new Virtual Machine in the program (I can't remember the layout of the program so I can't help you there though).

This disk is not a real virtual disk but is a direct shortcut to the boot camp partition, a partition being a part of a disk. (i.e. e.g. if you have a harddrive and split it up into to two parts you'll have two partitions (two parts). Theese parts are somewhat independent and will to the normal user appear as two entirely independent harddrives.


I hope you'll be able to complete the guide or feel free to ask again.
 
I'm having a little trouble with the step 12. replacing the iso files with the partition files. i did that but still getting the error when booting.
Can you explain which files i replace and which ones i keep on the partition.
I didn't replace the bootmgr from the iso to the partition as when i do the computer tells me that bootmgr is a hidden file so it cannot replace it.

Please help me on this
 
DOCstrange1 said:
I'm having a little trouble with the step 12. replacing the iso files with the partition files. i did that but still getting the error when booting.
Can you explain which files i replace and which ones i keep on the partition.
I didn't replace the bootmgr from the iso to the partition as when i do the computer tells me that bootmgr is a hidden file so it cannot replace it.

Please help me on this
Click to expand...

Are you sure you have admin privileges?
If yes, if you have not already done so, try making all hidden files visible by typing this into the terminal:
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
Then restart finder and you should be able to see all hidden files.
To turn it back into normal simply replace TRUE with FALSE.

I hope it works :).
 
windows trying to repair

Alright first of all thanks for the step by step instructions

but when i restart and try to boot into windows with rEFIt windows trys to fix the install, says it cant then restarts.

Ive tried all the options but it fails every time.

the only bit that confuses me was step

"9. Install Windows on the Virtual Machine just created with a iso image or like so.
Format the Bootcamp partition in the install menu and press install."

do you mean to install windows with virtual box running in mac (thats what i did) or do you mean to restart the machine and then select the rEFIt partition and use the usb created in bootcamp to install windows.

Also when i try to delete the files on the windows partition program files, program files (x86) and Users folders are all locked. Is this correct?

thanks in advance for any help
 
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