Cannot Install Windows 7 x64 Using Bootcamp

[alblurt06]

I've been perusing the threads here and realize that my question can be a part of all of them. But none of them really provide the answer I'm looking for. Feel free to link me because I can't seem to find what it is.

In any case, the problem - I have an .iso of Windows 7 x64 and have read here that x64 does not play nicely with OS X. I have burned a copy of the iso using the disk utility and have also partitioned 60 GB towards Windows using the bootcamp assistant. Then like its supposed to, the Mac restarts and I'm taken to a boot screen that tells me that no boot CD exists and that I should restart and put the CD in.

What's funny is, the ISO is there, its legit, and it should start up.

Any tips? Know what's up? I've run this through VMWare Fusion and it works, so there shouldn't be anything wrong. Any help appreciated.

 

[mokeiko]

I've been perusing the threads here and realize that my question can be a part of all of them. But none of them really provide the answer I'm looking for. Feel free to link me because I can't seem to find what it is.

In any case, the problem - I have an .iso of Windows 7 x64 and have read here that x64 does not play nicely with OS X. I have burned a copy of the iso using the disk utility and have also partitioned 60 GB towards Windows using the bootcamp assistant. Then like its supposed to, the Mac restarts and I'm taken to a boot screen that tells me that no boot CD exists and that I should restart and put the CD in.

What's funny is, the ISO is there, its legit, and it should start up.

Any tips? Know what's up? I've run this through VMWare Fusion and it works, so there shouldn't be anything wrong. Any help appreciated.

At what speed did you burn your iso image? Try to burn it at 2x. Also, can you post the exact message you are seeing on the screen? I have run into the same problem but with a different message about selecting a cd-rom 1 or 2 to boot from. Anyway, try the first solution first and see if that helps.

mokeiko

 

[occams razor]

I would be willing to bet the disk utility isn't burning the DVD as bootable.

 

[balamw]

Any tips? Know what's up? I've run this through VMWare Fusion and it works, so there shouldn't be anything wrong. Any help appreciated.

You might be able to use one of the approaches here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/601414/

Since you already know it works with Fusion you could try having Fusion put the files on your Boot Camp partition up until the first boot and then proceed normally.

B

 

[alblurt06]

At what speed did you burn your iso image? Try to burn it at 2x. Also, can you post the exact message you are seeing on the screen? I have run into the same problem but with a different message about selecting a cd-rom 1 or 2 to boot from. Anyway, try the first solution first and see if that helps.

I'm guessing the issue here I was getting was that I was running this at 8x burn. Is that too much too fast for the process? I didn't read anywhere about burn speed, so here is what problem number one is.

I wrote down the error earlier in an IM to a fellow computer guy but did not remember. If I can find it I'll post it here. It just said something about how the CD was not bootable and that I should restart the system and put in a legitimate copy.

I would be willing to bet the disk utility isn't burning the DVD as bootable.

I did not notice a feature that said this. Would one be able to activate or find their way around this?

You might be able to use one of the approaches here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/601414/

Since you already know it works with Fusion you could try having Fusion put the files on your Boot Camp partition up until the first boot and then proceed normally.

I'll take a look at the approaches. What do you man by having Fusion put the files on the BC partition?

Thanks again, all.

 

[balamw]

I'll take a look at the approaches. What do you man by having Fusion put the files on the BC partition?

Both Parallels and Fusion allow you to create a Virtual Machine that "points" at your Boot Camp partition, so the trick is to create such a VM, and start the install using Parallels/Fusion until the first reboot. (This phase generally just puts the data the installer needs onto the partition). Then reboot the boot camp partition natively and let it finish the process. You may need an additional step to make the partition bootable.

Burning at 1X could help. Just checking. If you mount your DVD on OS X do you see a bunch of files or a single ISO file? Bootability is set within the ISO if you burn it right.

B

 

[alblurt06]

Burning at 1X could help. Just checking. If you mount your DVD on OS X do you see a bunch of files or a single ISO file? Bootability is set within the ISO if you burn it right.

B

When I mount the DVD on OS X I see a bunch of files. Should it be just an ISO file or something (where I drag + drop)?

 

[balamw]

When I mount the DVD on OS X I see a bunch of files. Should it be just an ISO file or something (where I drag + drop)?

No that's right. If it was just an ISO you would have done it wrong. Assuming the ISO is bootable, your disc is bootable, it's just not booting.

B

 

[alblurt06]

No that's right. If it was just an ISO you would have done it wrong. Assuming the ISO is bootable, your disc is bootable, it's just not booting.

B

Got it.

I guess my other issue is whether I really want to go through with booting Windows through bootcamp and running it separate. I realize that with Fusion I need to assign a few gigs of RAM to Windows and therefore I lose operability on the OS X side. I do want to multi-task but I don't want to lose function either (I got a Mac to quicken up my work, not slow me down like my PC did). I also realize that 8 GB of RAM is a pretty penny to spend on any laptop right now too.

Any ideas on what is better? Fusion or Bootcamp? I guess I should say that on my Windows 7, I do plan to run a few games as well as Microsoft Office, and beyond that, not really much since most of what I want is on the Mac side already.

EDIT - One more thing

I'm also using this tutorial here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/601414/

 

[balamw]

I also realize that 8 GB of RAM is a pretty penny to spend on any laptop right now too.

I just got 8 GB of RAM from OWC http://www.macsales.com for $120, which seems like a bargain for a > $2000 machine http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/8566DDR3S8GP/

If you're sticking with a VM solution you don't need to follow that guide, and if you just want to try it out, just don't enter a product key to activate W7 and you'll enter a 30 day "trial mode".

B

 

[alblurt06]

I just got 8 GB of RAM from OWC http://www.macsales.com for $120, which seems like a bargain for a > $2000 machine http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/8566DDR3S8GP/

If you're sticking with a VM solution you don't need to follow that guide, and if you just want to try it out, just don't enter a product key to activate W7 and you'll enter a 30 day "trial mode".

B

Wow, only $120? That's a pretty good deal.