Bootcamp with Windows 10 & 7

[bill_face]

Hey,

I've got an 2009 Mac Pro, and have installed Windows 7 & 10 on separate hard drives (with El Capitan & Mojave respectively). Windows 7 was installed first, followed by Windows 10.

When I start the computer and hold down the option key I only see one Bootcamp option for Windows which loads 7 (the one I'm least likely to want)

From the Windows 7 Bootcamp options I can see the 5 pictured disks (for WINDOWS 7, 10 & 3 x Mac drives), but selecting either of the windows partitions results in Windows 7 loading. I did have some problems installing Windows 10, as my Mac doesn't support it. And remember when I was formatting the drive to install windows it didn't retain the BOOTCAMP drive name.

When selecting the StartUp Disk in Mac System prefs I see 2 x BOOTCAMP partitions, and the 3 Mac partitions, but selecting either of the Bootcamp partitions again results in Windows 7 loading.

Initially when I installed Windows 10 it would boot to it everytime, but once I change to another drive I now can't get back in.

I'm wondering if multiple Bootcamp partitions aren't supported?

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Mac Pro Convert]

is there an EFI drive in the option key boot list?
I have Win 10 on my 2010 Mac Pro and it renamed the boot camp drive to EFI
in the Option key boot list.

it will have a HDD icon as aposed to a a USB icon.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

I would install each OS on a separate HDD to ensure they don't mess up with one another. For the OS I don't like, I just remove the whole HDD. Removing a physical disk won't impact the booting sequence, if it does, an NVRAM flush will fix.
You have 6 SATA ports natively on that 2009 Mac Pro, don't you?

 

[Mac Pro Convert]

Try installing ReFind boot manager it will display ALL bootable Partitions in your mac,
as well as legacy partitions,
you can hide the legacy partitions you don't wont via the Refind OS selection menu at start up.

Two other things you can try before installing ReFind Boot Manager are:

1) Reset the PRam by Holding down the Option+Command+P+R keys at startup till the machine
Has re-booted 3 times, that will sync all your hardware,
after the 3rd reboot allow the machine to continue to OSX login, then login,
if you have an Nvidia card you will have to change the Web Display Driver being used
In the Nvidia system preferences Panel.

2) Reset the NVram by holding Option+Command+N+V keys at startup,
as soon as you see all the command line startup code for OSX on a black screen
Release the key combination, login, then set you startup drive in system preferences panel,
you may also have to reset you Web display Driver again if you have an Nvidia card.

When i install Windows on my Mac Pro's, i use BootCamp assistant,
When the machine restarts i hold the options key to get the OS boot selection menu,
then shut down and removed all drives except the drive i want to installing windows on,
that way you do not accidentally delete any other partitions,
When installing Windows select the partition named BootCamp, delete it,
then re-select it and click next, Windows will create its own partition table,
then it will start the install process.

ONLY delete the BootCamp partition, leave the EFI partition alone,
if you delete the EFI partition, the Startup Drive/restart in OSX option in windows BootCamp menu will
return an error stating that it can not find an OS when you restart.