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need help to install windows 7 on 2017 imac

A

Anarchy99

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 13, 2003
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i need to install windows 7 on my 2017 imac preferably in bootcamp but in a external drive should work.
i get the feeling its not supported officially but i only need to on the actual hardware long enough to establish some software entitlements before i upgrade to windows 10.
so before someone asks a VM will not work as its not the imac's real hardware.

bootcamp assistant ver. 6 wont let win7 install, only win10.

I have tried multiple usb installlers and none get seen by the iMac's boot selector when you hold option when booting (my 2012 rMBP can see some).

I've tried installing to a VM then cloning that vm to a external, it sees efi boot but wont attempt to load.
ive also tried win2go to install win7 on a external.

i was going to try a clean bootcamp with win 7 on my rMBP and before it finishes the install put the macbook in target disk mode so i could boot the iMac off the macbook's bootcamp partition temporarily, but it looks like you can only see mac volumes in target disk mode. :(

anyway im out of ideas on how to accomplish this anyone available to help?

thanks
 
That's ok for windows itself but my main issue I with some of the enterprise software we have
If generates a code based on your hardware.
For the primary install serial its a volume license key and that mixed with the hardware authenticates with the server.

Once authenticated we can do an update and it becomes windows 10 compatible
But we can't start the windows 10 version says that we don't have a license for

It's convoluted, but it works when it works and it's not really my call
Unfortunately the older version doesn't run on windows 10 version in compatibility mode and authenticate proper
 
Anarchy99 said:
i need to install windows 7 on my 2017 imac preferably in bootcamp but in a external drive should work.
i get the feeling its not supported officially but i only need to on the actual hardware long enough to establish some software entitlements before i upgrade to windows 10.
so before someone asks a VM will not work as its not the imac's real hardware.

bootcamp assistant ver. 6 wont let win7 install, only win10.

I have tried multiple usb installlers and none get seen by the iMac's boot selector when you hold option when booting (my 2012 rMBP can see some).

I've tried installing to a VM then cloning that vm to a external, it sees efi boot but wont attempt to load.
ive also tried win2go to install win7 on a external.

i was going to try a clean bootcamp with win 7 on my rMBP and before it finishes the install put the macbook in target disk mode so i could boot the iMac off the macbook's bootcamp partition temporarily, but it looks like you can only see mac volumes in target disk mode. :(

anyway im out of ideas on how to accomplish this anyone available to help?

thanks
Click to expand...
As far as I know this is a Microsoft restriction. Windows 7 cannot be installed on a Kaby Lake processor. Only Windows 10 (officially)
 
Kwyji said:
As far as I know this is a Microsoft restriction. Windows 7 cannot be installed on a Kaby Lake processor. Only Windows 10 (officially)
Click to expand...

Kaby Lake CPUs run Windows 7 just fine. Microsoft has simply axed all future Windows 7 updates for these modern CPUs except for "critical" or security related updates.
 
Gjwilly said:
Kaby Lake CPUs run Windows 7 just fine. Microsoft has simply axed all future Windows 7 updates for these modern CPUs except for "critical" or security related updates.
Click to expand...

tried building a modified iso with the patch for skylake/kabylake support and both the usb installer or a installed windows2go of windows 7 on a external boot to a black screen when i select the "EFI boot" option that the usb creates in the boot selector.
even tried the refind bootloader and it wont boot the drives either.
so while i think kabylake may be a problem since
even on a real kabylake PC thats unpatched they get farther i think this has to do with apple's EFI
 
And you're sure you can't use a virtual machine?
VMWare lets you set the hardware ID of the virtual machine to whatever you want it to be -- genuine or otherwise.
If you could find the hardware ID of your physical Mac you could set the virtual Windows 7 to match it and then after you upgrade to 10 nothing should change.
 
Hi everyone ,
Is there any possible way to install Win 7 sp-1 Home premium edition on an iMac late 2015 , and of course make it work?
Could it be possible or am I hallucinating..?
I have a DVD with Win 7 , 32 or 64-bit ready for a clean install..!
I know that Apple do not support Boot camp assistant for 2015 iMac's
Has any one tried to install win 7 anyway and made it work?

Kind Regards
Alex
 
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