Bootcamp is not working. Windows fails to locate disk partition on set up.

Hey Everyone,

I have tried, six times, to install Windows 10 onto my iMac using Bootcamp, with no luck. I am all out of ideas.

So I go through the normal Bootcamp process, I select the Windows ISO, the drive partitions, all the support software downloads and the computer restarts into Windows. All fine. Everything appears to be working.

Until...

I get to Windows set up.

The installation fails. Every time. It doesn't even copy the data over past 0%.

After a few seconds I get this error: 'Windows cannot locate the disc and partition specified in the unattended answer file's <ImageInstall> setting. Make sure the setting references a valid partition and restart the installation.' And then the computer restarts.

• So as far as I can tell, Windows is somehow unable to locate and install onto the Bootcamp partition... despite booting into it.

Once the computer does restart, I am able to select between my normal start up disk and 'Windows'. But only once. If I restart again, 'Windows' is gone and is only viewable in disk utility and is no longer recognised as a startup disk.

Have you guys got any idea what might be causing the issue here?

Is there some way I can force Windows to locate the partition within the setup?

Or somehow install Windows onto the partitioned drive manually?

Thanks a lot.

Here's some extra info that might help:

• Booting back into windows immediately after the forced restart yields the same error.

• The ISO I am trying to use does work. I downloaded it from Microsoft. I even tested it on my Macbook Pro and everything installed properly - so the problem is isolated to my iMac.

• The partition created by Bootcamp is the correct size and is formatted correctly (NTFS) but shows in disk utility as unwritable - is that normal?

• I have reformatted the original drive, reinstalled Ventura, and restored all data my from a backup, to no avail. I still get the same error.

• The drive I am using is a SSD that I installed while also replacing a faulty logic board - is it possible the new drive is malfunctioning in some way? Or otherwise causing a problem somewhere? (It's a Crucial MX500 2TB 560mb/s) It does fail to boot sometimes (loads half-way, then freezes).

• Windows 11 doesn't work either. I managed to bypass the TPM lock by doing some tweaking in the registry. The data actually copied over, but I got another error while it was 'Getting files ready for installation'. Though when I tried again it went back to the same old error listed above.

Yeah if any of you can figure this out I will be in your debt.