SOLVED ! :D downloading Windows 7 on a MacBook mid 2009 with High Sierra?

[jdaisey]

So I have a white 13inch MacBook mid 2009 that runs high sierra. I'm trying to download windows 7 via bootcamp, but there is no option to download windows 7, only windows 10 and later. I was trying to revert it back to El Capitan but that was a whole other ordeal. (Too old for command + R to work & when I reboot it while holding option doesn't recognize the flash boot drive ). I was a goof and didn't use time machine because I didn't realize what a pain in the ass it would be to revert to el capitan via USB and I've never had enough files on this computer to care what happens to everything on it.

What do y'all think the best course of action is? My end game is I just want to be able to use Windows on my Mac so I can use Microsoft visual studio 2017. Should I clean reset, revert it back to El Capitan (and how should I do that? lol), or should I edit BootCamp assistant so that it asks me for windows 7 ISO instead of windows 10? Any suggestions that I didn't mention above are fine and dandy as well. I'm having a fun time goofing around with this but I genuinely do need to get Windows on this thing so I can do my C++ homework at home. (Visual studio for mac is atrocious and so is Xcode- and even it wasn't I can't use those files to turn in because it's incompatible).

 

[EugW]

If your flash drive doesn't work, get a new flash drive. For boot purposes, these Macs tend to be picky with flash drives.

Drives that may work for usual data transfers may not work as boot drives.

 

[jdaisey]

If your flash drive doesn't work, get a new flash drive. For boot purposes, these Macs tend to be picky with flash drives.

Drives that may work for usual data transfers may not work as boot drives.

Oh ok, thank you. I am currently using a SanDisk 16G. Do you have any recommendation for what flash drives are good boot drives? I'll be researching it in the meantime. I appreciate your help and insight.


EDIT- Hm but I just realized that my flash drive was detected just fine when I did a patched boot of High Sierra.

 

[jdaisey]

Fixed it! Just took some trial, error, and research. Even though the system says "windows 10 or later" it doesn't actually mean that. Ironically, unless you use loopholes, the bootcamp will give you an error message if you try to download anything past windows 7 on it. I'm actually glad I downloaded high sierra because I'm considering upgrading my hard drive and RAM. My computer runs pretty fast as is, but I like the security of having plenty of space and a well-oiled machine in case I need more extraneous programs for my homework going forward.
[doublepost=1520315675][/doublepost]Also, I'm upgrading my windows to 8.1 this very second because even though Visual Studio 2017 lists windows 7 sp1 as compatible - it's not the case anymore. It requires NET 4.6 or higher and windows 7 can't even download 4.6.