Hi, i have the iMac 5k with 1tb fusion and bootcamp windows 8.1. because the bootcamp is slow on windows i want to boot from an external ssd drive and i was thinking this (LACIE Rugged THUNDERBOLT 500Gb SSD ). i heard there is a simple way with incline to install windows 8.1 to the external ssd. Does anybody has step by step instructions how to do it?
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LACIE Rugged THUNDERBOLT 500Gb SSD
- Thread starter vagos1103gr
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Ask and you shall receive:
Connect external drive to Windows VM. You must have a Windows VM in VMware/Parallels/VBox, or a Windows PC. Any existing Windows environment will do.
What you need:
install.wim file (obtain this from your Windows ISO)
Open elevated cmd.exe (run as admin)
Note: All commands aren't case sensitive, including pathway to files.
Type diskpart
Type list disk
Take note of the disk you want to select
Type select disk 1 (if your disk is Disk 1)
Type clean
Type convert gpt
Type create partition EFI size=100
Type format quick fs=fat32 label=EFI
Type assign letter=S
Type create partition primary
Type format fs=ntfs quick label=W2G (or any other name you wish for label)
Type assign letter=E
Type exit
Open up File Explorer. In your C drive, create a new folder named WIN2GO.
Put the install.wim file in this folder
Back in cmd.exe:
Type dism /apply-image /imagefile:C:\WIN2GO\install.wim /index:1 /applydir:E:\ (this process will take quite a while)
Type E:\Windows\System32\bcdboot E:\Windows /s S: /f UEFI
Restart your entire Mac. After the chime, hold down Option and when prompted to select your boot drive, select EFI Boot.
Proceed installation normally.
After installation, install Boot Camp drivers. Feel free to trash the VM once you're done too.
For best results, use USB 3/Thunderbolt. If you don't have USB 3, use Thunderbolt. If you have neither, stick back to the internal drive 🙂
Edit: Saw that you had a TB drive.
In that case, it'd be even easier.
Just use Boot Camp Assistant to make a bootable USB first, and then select EFI Boot at the boot manager. Then install to the LaCie SSD.
thanks, so i guess with winclone can't clone my windows bootcamp to the external as simple as that? i don't want to install parallel as i have a laptop with windows 8.1 on this. can i connect the external to the usb 2 of the laptop and at the end of the procedure that you describe to connect the external ssd to the tb of the iMac and to boot?
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so you mean i just put a usb stick and i make a bootable usb and then install to the external ssd without the whole previous procedure? I am gonna see big difference on the windows with this ssd drive? thanks.
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so you mean i just put a usb stick and i make a bootable usb and then install to the external ssd without the whole previous procedure? I am gonna see big difference on the windows with this ssd drive? thanks.
Oh yes, you will.
You can connect via USB to another Windows computer to do the command line stuff first.
Or you can also use Boot Camp Assistant to create a bootable USB stick first, but your mileage may vary.
Whatever you do, at least convert the LaCie to GPT via Windows first. Then startup from the USB stick and install to the LaCie.
If you've WinClone, even better. Just use it, but if you don't, I wouldn't pay for it just for this purpose.
Follow my instructions listed above up to the convert GPT part and you're done.
so this is the instruction for gpt
[Open elevated cmd.exe (run as admin)
Note: All commands aren't case sensitive, including pathway to files.
Type diskpart
Type list disk
Take note of the disk you want to select
Type select disk 1 (if your disk is Disk 1)
Type clean
Type convert gpt
Type create partition EFI size=100
Type format quick fs=fat32 label=EFI
Type assign letter=S
Type create partition primary
Type format fs=ntfs quick label=W2G (or any other name you wish for label)
Type assign letter=E
Type exit
]after i can use winclone right?
Option 1:
Convert to GPT using this:
Type diskpart
Type list disk
Take note of the disk you want to select
Type select disk 1 (if your disk is Disk 1)
Type clean
Type convert gpt
After that, create bootable USB stick using Boot Camp Assistant. Start up from it and select EFI Boot at boot manager.
Option 2:
Use Winclone. Just run Winclone, no command line messing needed.
Use only one method.
WinClone makes transferring that BootCamp partition onto an external drive very painless. I have it on my 256GB LaCie Rugged TB SSD from a temporary standard BootCamp install.
That method does not install Windows in a UEFI environment.
A UEFI installation is always preferable, in which my method provides.
Basically, my method is for people who don't want to purchase Winclone 🙂
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Nope. As long as you select to enable EFI booting instead of legacy BIOS, WinClone will convert it to GPT for you.
Am I the only one who failed to install with bootcamp to internal SSD of iMac 5k? I get to the windows 8.1 installation, choose the bootcamp partition, and it says that the drive is not formatted correctly. I format to NTFS and still it says it cannot continue after that.
One time I deleted the bootcamp partition during install and created a new one, windows created additional partitions for scratch etc. still didn't install. After that I was not able to delete the bootcamp partition in OS X. Had to do some disk utility magic to get it merged correctly.
One time I deleted the bootcamp partition during install and created a new one, windows created additional partitions for scratch etc. still didn't install. After that I was not able to delete the bootcamp partition in OS X. Had to do some disk utility magic to get it merged correctly.
antonis
macrumors 68020
I haven't purchased Winclone either. AFAIK it is not needed unless you already have a bootcamp installation that you want to transfer to an external disk, of course.
me i have bootcamp installation that i want to keep it so i am gonna choose winclone. i hook up the external to tb of iMac i start the winclone , i choose bootcamp from the left to the external to the right, and thats it? and after how i erase the original bootcamp from the hdd? and is gonna boot after from the external?
Last edited:
antonis
macrumors 68020
In such case, I'd suggest to first verify that the external disk's installation boots fine, before deleting your bootcamp partition.
If everything is fine with the external disk, your internal bootcamp installation can be deleted anytime, using your bootcamp assistant (it offers a remove option).
hfg
macrumors 68040
I have used the WinClone process many times to create external bootable Windows with LaCie "Rugged" Thunderbolt 500GB SSD drives. It works great and provides a easy to use "backup" program to run under OS X and backup the Windows environment.
However, you will not be able to boot from the external Windows installation if your internal Windows is still present. You will see the external boot choice, but you will end up on the internal installation when the boot is finished. I have always had to remove the internal install first, then the external install fully boots. If something is not working, you can simply re-install the internal Windows with your WinClone image.
When first time i will connect the ssd drive to tb of my imac and before to winclone, do I have to reformat first the ssd drive?
hfg
macrumors 68040
Nice price .... the drive I received inside mine is the 500GB 840 EVO SSD.
You will have to format the SSD as FAT prior to using WinClone. WinClone will then create the NTFS format as part of the process, and then will expand the Windows environment to the full size of the partition. It is very easy ... check their web site for full details.
You can then use WinClone to create a backup "snapshot" of your current Windows environment any time you wish, such as after a significant update or application installation.
Good luck ... 🙂
hfg
macrumors 68040
You initially format the target drive as "MS-DOS(FAT)" for WinClone to restore the saved image.
https://twocanoes.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203407837-Create-a-Boot-Camp-Partition
hfg
macrumors 68040
I suspect the Window's boot manager finds the internal image first during the boot process. I have found that although I can select either Windows installation at the OptionKey-boot-selection-screen ... once the boot completes, I will be running from the internal image every time. 😕
antonis
macrumors 68020
Makes sense, yes. After all, Windows do not officially support boot from external drive so I guess they hardcode-search for internal drives first. Although TB drives "fool" windows to think they are internal, it seems they appear second in this search, after the real internal ones.
So if I create now a bootcamp installation, I won't be able to boot anymore from my TB. Heh, nice...