Help With Bootcamp Win7 on MBA

[Huntn]

I've installed Windows several times without issue via Bootcamp on various Macs. This is my first attempt on the wife's MacBook Air and an Apple Super Drive. Tell me if I have this right, Apple's Super Drive is not recognized in a Windows environment? And guess what, it's not compatible with my MBP either!

Well, I have Windows 7 Install on a DVD with all the components like "autorun" on the top level. I have another Windows 7 install that is an .iso image. I also have a thumb drive formatted as MS DOS FAT with both Windows arrangement, the components for a Win7 install and an .iso image.

I'm getting a "Not Book Disk" or "Boot Disk not recognized" message after Bootcamp Assistant restarts the computer and Windows environment pops up looking for a Windows source.

*First two attempts with Windows 7 Install disk, then Windows7.iso image on CD in Superdrive, not recognized by Windows or the needed drive software not there- nothing.
*Two attempts with thumb drive, either with the Windows install components on the top level or an .iso image. According to the Bootcamp guide, an .iso image is required for use with a thumb drive.

What am I doing wrong? Any help appreciated.
Thanks!
-Dave

 

[jenzjen]

Disconnect the DVD drive

DL a fresh W7 ISO from here and use OSX/boot camp assistant to put this ISO on your USB flash drive

http://techverse.net/download-windows-7-iso-x86-x64-microsofts-official-servers/ - SP1 ISOs

 

[Huntn]

Disconnect the DVD drive

DL a fresh W7 ISO from here and use OSX/boot camp assistant to put this ISO on your USB flash drive

http://techverse.net/download-windows-7-iso-x86-x64-microsofts-official-servers/ - SP1 ISOs

Thanks for replying! Are you saying download the file first, then there is a choice to point at it within BC Assistant and copy it on the thumb drive? I all ready have several Windows 7 .iso files one from an online purchase of Win7 and Interestingly neither of them say Window7.iso. By chance is the process name sensitive? For example one of them says something like X2438.iso or is it just by the fact that it is an .iso file is good enough?

 

[jenzjen]

Yes download that file, and then when you launch boot camp assistant, follow the menu prompts to make that ISO onto your flash drive. Disconnect / delete all the other ISOs from the machine.

 

[Huntn]

Yes download that file, and then when you launch boot camp assistant, follow the menu prompts to make that ISO onto your flash drive. Disconnect / delete all the other ISOs from the machine.

Thanks much, this worked!

And this is what I noticed. Bootcamp Assistant, formats the thumb drive to MSDOS (FAT), takes all the windows components out of the .iso file and places them on the thumb drive, just like they would be arranged if they were on a Windows 7 Install DVD. But it also changed the name of the thumb drive to "WININSTALL".

Just a reminder, on my first attempt, I had all of the Windows Components sitting on the thumb drive and they were not recognized. I believe this drive was formatted as FAT, (99.99% sure), but it had a name other than "WININSTALL".

I all ready had an .ISO Windows Install file on a DVD, so since my Apple Super Drive would not work during the Windows Install process, I moved the .ISO file over to my MBA's hard drive and pointed Bootcamp Assistant at it when it wanted to create the thumb drive install. This worked as per the first paragraph of this post.

So my question is- was there something in the bootcamp formatting of this thumb drive that made the difference, or was it simply by changing the name of the thumb drive to "WININSTALL" that made the difference?

I'm now busy installing the HUNDREDS of Windows updates to Windows.
Thanks again!