No Bootable Device

[NoBootableDevic]

I'm trying to install Windows on my brand new MBP using Bootcamp and I am hung up on a "No Bootable Device" error prior to installing Windows and after successful partitioning.

I have updated everything I can think to update.
The disk is a retail Windows XP with SP2.
I have even tried reseating the battery.

I can get back to OSX but would still like to install Windows rather than give up.

Any suggestions?

 

[CoMpX]

I'm trying to install Windows on my brand new MBP using Bootcamp and I am hung up on a "No Bootable Device" error prior to installing Windows and after successful partitioning.

I have updated everything I can think to update.
The disk is a retail Windows XP with SP2.
I have even tried reseating the battery.

I can get back to OSX but would still like to install Windows rather than give up.

Any suggestions?

Sounds like things got really messed up. Forget trying to install Windows now. Just reformat and install OS X.

 

[NoBootableDevic]

Sounds like things got really messed up. Forget trying to install Windows now. Just reformat and install OS X.

Why should I reformat?
OSX works fine.

 

[CoMpX]

Why should I reformat?
OSX works fine.

I'm sorry, I misread. I thought you said you cannot boot into OS X. I would try repartitioning the drive, as there is likely an error with the partition. That may be why it's not registering as a bootable device.

 

[NoBootableDevic]

I'm sorry, I misread. I thought you said you cannot boot into OS X. I would try repartitioning the drive, as there is likely an error with the partition. That may be why it's not registering as a bootable device.

I think I'm giving up for a while. I tried undoing an redoing the partition and the same error occurs. It seems like it doesn't like the disk.

 

[demenas]

Why should I reformat?
OSX works fine.

I would put the Windows XP CD in the drive, restart, hit the "Option" key and when it shows you choices for what to boot to, select the "Windows" CD icon.

Then install XP where you want it to be.

Steve

 

[demenas]

I think I'm giving up for a while. I tried undoing an redoing the partition and the same error occurs. It seems like it doesn't like the disk.

Does the Option key show the "Windows" CD icon as a bootable choice?

If not, then the CD is most likely bad.

Steve

 

[NoBootableDevic]

Does the Option key show the "Windows" CD icon as a bootable choice?

If not, then the CD is most likely bad.

Steve

Yes it shows if the MPB hasn't spit it out and the disk works on my home PC.
But it definitely seems not to like the disk.

 

[Larry MacPhee]

"No bootable device" workaround

I encountered this under Leopard with a new iMac (Intel) 24" trying to install XP SP2.

Used boot camp assistant from Mac side to create partition. Success.

Inserted XP from Boot Camp Assistant prompt and machine restarts...black screen with white text... No bootable device

Power down with power button, get disk to eject.

Next I try startup with the disk out, hold down Option key.

Gray screen. Only option is MacHD.

Then I insert XP SP2 CD. It shows up and the disk is accepted and the install proceeds normally.

 

[sputnik0110]

This worked for me as well

This totally worked - thanks so much!

Jon-Eric

I encountered this under Leopard with a new iMac (Intel) 24" trying to install XP SP2.

Used boot camp assistant from Mac side to create partition. Success.

Inserted XP from Boot Camp Assistant prompt and machine restarts...black screen with white text... No bootable device

Power down with power button, get disk to eject.

Next I try startup with the disk out, hold down Option key.

Gray screen. Only option is MacHD.

Then I insert XP SP2 CD. It shows up and the disk is accepted and the install proceeds normally.

 

[Mac_Max]

Also holding down the C key will tell the Mac to boot from the Windows CD as if it were an OS X CD. This works with DOS and Linux live CDs as well.

 

[memphis4242]

The same thing happened on two Macbook Pro while trying to install windows xp with bootcamp.

We've follow the instructions above and it work perfectly, thank you very much

 

[lschaaf]

Worked for me on my new MacBook!

I had the same problem and the above instructions worked like a champ!!

 

[walty]

hm.. though it's an quite old post here, I still drop a few comments here as this is first of google result for "mac bootcamp non bootable device"

I am an Technet subscriber of microsoft, so basically I burned window images from microsoft site. And recently when I try to setup win xp + mac in my mac-mini using bootcamp, I found that mac mini has its difficulties to read my CD Rom, even I used the recipe above. Yet, the vista DVD installs smoothly. But the XP CD (Mitsubishi) never fail in the last few years, I even tried to burn a new CD, and still no luck.

I am not sure if this is problem of mine only, but it seems the DVD Rom of mac mini likes DVD more than CD.. For the CD to be bootable, it's better to be very high quality.

 

[bahamaben]

no bootable device

i ran into this same problem with my MacPro. i was running Parallels ( i think version 5) with Snow Leopard without a partition. i did not use boot camp to before setting up the parallels program and i have been running windows XP without trouble.

then i decided i wanted to have one of my drives (there are 4 in my MacPro) to be a Windows only drive, so i used bootcamp to set up a partition, and then i ran parallels and installed windows. this was a lot more trouble and took a long time. eventually i had two virtual machines that i could run windows on. then i powered down and got that terrible message "No Bootable Device" it said something about inserting a bootable disk and then touch any key.

i then tried to start holding down option and selecting a different hard drive to boot from, but that did not work. i would just see the apple and then it would re-boot and i would end up at the messaage No Bootable Device. i then used my Snow Leopard startup disk, and the same thing happened. Then i hooked up my MacBook, made the MacPro a target drive, installed Leopard on one of the drives inside my MacPro. i verified that i could boot from that drive with my MacBook. Disconnected the two computers and restarted the MacPro --> SAME result --> no bootable device. i then found this thread and it suggested that i run the Windows installation disk. I was able to run windows, but i did not want to run windows. Then i took out all FOUR of my drives from the MacPro, put in an older drive and then i was finally able to startup in Mac OSX.

it seems that somehow the bootcamp/parallels/window affected ALL of my hard drives.

i updated Snow Leopard and then re-installed the drives that were affected by bootcamp/parallels/windows and all is well. i have not yet installed the disk that had the boot camp partition, but i will think twice before i do that.

 

[mr666]

What's with the quoting?

Why do you guys feel you have to quote each other? We can read the previous post fine.