Will Retina boot Windows disks from any external Optical drive?

[Mike Boreham]

My 2010 and 2011 MBPs will not boot Windows install disks, Paragon rescue disks, SSD firmware update disks etc from an external optical drive, only from the internal superdrive. (one reason for going back from a data doubler)

I presume the Retina will boot Windows disks from the special Apple external Superdrive, but will it also boot them from any external Optical drive?

I know you can download Windows Installers to get round the OS install but can't boot Paragon disks, unless the new MBP will now boot from USB sticks.

Thanks

 

[jcpb]

That external ODD doesn't need to be Apple's Superdrive.

 

[Mike Boreham]

That external ODD doesn't need to be Apple's Superdrive.

Thanks!

 

[MartyF81]

That external ODD doesn't need to be Apple's Superdrive.

This does not answer the question. I am curious of the same.

Will the rMBP allow you to BOOT a Windows Disc from an external drive? on the previous Generation MBP it would not. You could not install Windows into Boot Camp from an USB drive.... it had to be the internal Super Drive.

Has someone actually tried doing this? with the Apple External or Any other?

 

[Mike Boreham]

This does not answer the question. I am curious of the same.

Will the rMBP allow you to BOOT a Windows Disc from an external drive? on the previous Generation MBP it would not. You could not install Windows into Boot Camp from an USB drive.... it had to be the internal Super Drive.

Has someone actually tried doing this? with the Apple External or Any other?

I agree the answer to my question "Will Retina boot Windows disks from any external optical drive?" was indeed brief and without supporting evidence, but I think it did answer the question.

The same question applies equally to MacBook Airs, which have been around for a lot longer, so I would think whatever applies to them applies to the rMBP.

Would be nice to have a positive, "yes, I have done it" kind of reply.

 

[doh123]

This does not answer the question. I am curious of the same.

Will the rMBP allow you to BOOT a Windows Disc from an external drive? on the previous Generation MBP it would not. You could not install Windows into Boot Camp from an USB drive.... it had to be the internal Super Drive.

Has someone actually tried doing this? with the Apple External or Any other?

really? i installed Windows 7 from a USB DVD drive (non-Apple) on 2 different Macbook Pros before (both from 2010)... did they do something to disable that in 2011 models?

 

[iMacDragon]

really? i installed Windows 7 from a USB DVD drive (non-Apple) on 2 different Macbook Pros before (both from 2010)... did they do something to disable that in 2011 models?

Yeah, they broke USB booting in the BIOS environment in 2011 models, the usb bus gets reset at somepoint during boot process it appears. They never fixed it, nor seem to care. As OS X/Efi boot fine from USB still.

2011 machines without optical drives were fine, though.

 

[MartyF81]

Yeah, they broke USB booting in the BIOS environment in 2011 models, the usb bus gets reset at somepoint during boot process it appears. They never fixed it, nor seem to care. As OS X/Efi boot fine from USB still.

2011 machines without optical drives were fine, though.

It has driven me insane after I put Opti-bay in and couldn't bootcamp.

 

[Mike Boreham]

really? i installed Windows 7 from a USB DVD drive (non-Apple) on 2 different Macbook Pros before (both from 2010)... did they do something to disable that in 2011 models?

If you google this you will see that you are in a massive minority. The problem applies to all MBPs not just 2011. Did you use any special tools like rEFIt? How did you do it?

I have tried extensively on 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2011 MBPs with different brands of external DVD writers, and different Windows disks, and in the research to solve it came across scores of people with the same issue and only one or two who had succeeded with complex methods. And one other like you who said it just worked.

I am very happy with Parallels these days but SSD firmware updaters are often windows based and won't boot from external ODD, so I would be very keen to know the trick.

 

[708692]

I booted from a Windows 7 DVD and installed it fine. Apple superdrive (usb), RMBP.

 

[doh123]

If you google this you will see that you are in a massive minority. The problem applies to all MBPs not just 2011. Did you use any special tools like rEFIt? How did you do it?

I have tried extensively on 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2011 MBPs with different brands of external DVD writers, and different Windows disks, and in the research to solve it came across scores of people with the same issue and only one or two who had succeeded with complex methods. And one other like you who said it just worked.

I am very happy with Parallels these days but SSD firmware updaters are often windows based and won't boot from external ODD, so I would be very keen to know the trick.

one was an actual Apple super drive in an external case removed for an optibay. one was a Plextor DVD burner USB powered. They only worked with Windows 7, when I tried some older ones with XP, XP just couldn't handle it driver wise.