Windows 7 install hangs while loading

I got it! After a lot of fighting and experimenting I finally figured out a workaround... it's not pretty, but it works.

Since it seems like we all have Optibays/external CD/DVD drives, Windows will NOT let you install it from an external drive on a Mac. I tried both firewire AND USB drives but neither would work.

What I had to do was bite the bullet and put my DVD drive back in and take out the Optibay with the solid state drive, leaving in my stock 500 GB drive in the original slot. I installed Windows 7 just fine on the first try to the 500 GB, then took the DVD drive back out and replaced it with my SSD in the Optibay and everything worked fine!

Is everyone who is having problems trying to install from an external DVD drive?

I was experiencing the "Windows is Loading files" screen hang.
It may be a hardware issue. My brand new MBP also wouldn't charge, so I took it in and they ended up replacing the motherboard. Once I got it home i tried loading Win 7 64 Ultimate again. It loaded right into the Windows 7 installation page.

From my experience just let it do what it does for some time (about 15-30min) and will start installing. I believe it stops on the "windows is expanding files" don't rush it leave it and the setup will do the rest. if you downloaded from a torrent most have this problem I only found one file that starts "windows expnding files" immediately.

I just went through the experience of upgrading my Boot Camp partition from XP to Windows 7 64-bit, and also had the hanging install problem. After spending about six hours wrestling with different install configurations, I read Kaleb's post where the solution was basically "just keep trying it over and over again." That is the definition of insanity, but in this case it works. I tried to boot from the disc again and it worked. I can't explain it, but everything is fine. I'm very happy to now have Windows 7 up and running well. So just keep trying, I guess.

PS: lesson learned - the install will work if you do a clean install, but if you have an upgrade disc Windows doesn't allow you to input your XP product key or CD to prove ownership -- it will just reject your Win7 product key, and you'll have to reinstall XP and start over.

One of the reasons Windows 7 might have trouble, is where you are forced to delete and create NTFS out of the FAT/MSDOS partition that BCA creates.

Second, Windows 7 may assume that one of the 128MB or 200MB partitions on there (EFI at the end of each HFS volume and GPT head) look like FAT; Windows 7 creates a 100MB System Recovery partition. It may try to use those instead of taking it from the BOOTCAMP partition.

XP discs could vary and some versions would wipe out Mac OS, not even ask for where to put Windows, for no rhyme or reason, even XP SP3. Of course that means having a backup is doubly important.

Windows 7 64-bit is only "officially" support on some Macs, which doesn't mean it can't or won't, only that may have extra steps, may get an extra "Select 1 or 2" option due to its own EFI menu on Windows DVD.

@ Bradogg

Yeah, that was my thought as well. I'm doing the dual drive setup with the OWC datadoubler and a Mercury SSD in the optical drive's location. For some reason it miraculously installed on it's own after about 10 restarts. I literally just gave up and was like "screw it" and just let it restart on it's own assuming it was going to boot into leopard. It booted from the disc (external ASUS drive) and installed fine. I haven't been able to reproduce it booting from the disc again, though. I'm having this issue with a lot of machines not booting from the windows disc. It's really, really aggravating. I think it has something to do with where the disc allocates temporary files for installation and the GUID partition scheme. I've never had any problems with installing windows like this on a MBR partitioned drive..

DVD should be image of an optical drive, circle.

EFI is Mac OS X

When you first partition, and before the install is complete there is no OS and therefore, there is no boot manager option, all you have is a FAT/MSDOS volume.

Windows 7 will have to reformat FAT BOOTCAMP to NTFS

There are

GPT 200MB volume
Mac OS X (whatever name and size you chose) HFS+
Master Boot Record entry as part of GPT/GUID
EFI 128MB volume as part of GPT and HFS+ support at end of the drive
FAT volume for Windows with nothing

I'm having the exact same problem - I've even tried booting from an external firewire DVD drive and it does the same thing... I feel your pain. My bar goes all the way across to the end and everything just stops. I'm trying to install from my original Windows 7 Ultimate DVD, and have even tried a Vista (yikes) disc and neither worked. Help anyone?

I'm also having this issue. I originally installed windows without problems on my standard internal HDD. I then removed the optical drive and installed an OWC SSD with the DataDoubler. I am trying to install 7 ultimate on it and get away from the standard drive. I've tried three different optical drives now, both USB and firewire. I'm so far unable to get past the "Windows is loading files" screen. it loads the bar to the end and hangs. I've reformatted the drive, tried NTFS and FAT, but have been unsuccessful at getting past this screen. Quote aggravating..

I have the same problem and this is not a solution to just to keep trying!

The MD5 for my iso is correct & Nero verified everything, so what's the problem???

I installed Win7 32 bit ok, but 64 bit hangs at the black screen with "loading..."

😟