You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Oehoe Author

Level 1

5 points

Bootcamp Macbook Air 2011 "No Bootable device"

Hello,

I'm trying to install windows 7 on my brand new Macbook Air. It's the Macbook air Mid 2011 with Mac Os Lion. I used bootcamp to create a bootable USB Drive with the windows installation and the windows support drivers. After that bootcamp starts partitioning and then reboots. Up to the reboot everything seems to work as it should. During the reboot I get a black screen with the message: "No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key". I am able to boot of the bootable USB drive on my windows PC so it seems the USB drive is OK. To make sure I tried two different windows DVD's. Any idea's on fixing the problem?There's not much information on internet yet about the new bootcamp in OS Lion. Been trying the whole day so I hope someone can help me out.

Greetings Johan

MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Jul 29, 2011 12:26 PM

57 replies

Oehoe Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 30, 2011 1:25 PM in response to pilloworker

Well I liked the "ISO recorder" as software, but what I meant was that it I still got the "No bootable device message" after I created the bootable USB Drive with the ISO made by ISO recorder.

2 hours reinstalling the whole OS hoping it would solve the problem. Still no result...

Jul 30, 2011 3:40 PM in response to Oehoe

I finally got this to work! - here's what I learned. Not all USB sticks allow you to make them bootable (apparently). I initially tried one stick = no luck, so I had this other novelty 8GB stick that looks like a little Darth Vader (I bought it mainly for its looks), however I tried to use Bootcamp setup to make this USB stick bootable and it worked! The overall setup was still a tad buggy in that it didn't automatically install the Bootcamp drivers as part of the windows install - however there is a folder on the USB and you just run the setup and all drivers are installed.

So, perhaps the media has something to do with it. Either that or perhaps the force was with me...

Jul 30, 2011 4:57 PM in response to jkwireless

Could you please detail "run the setup and all drivers are installed"

Because I tried to do it like that :

- step 1 run the install, select partition 0.4, and format into NTFS

- step 2 try to get a MS-DOS command with "repair...."

- step 3 select E: then E:\>cd WindowsSupport

- step 4 fail (setup.exe can't run this way...)

SamA1R

Level 1

0 points

Jul 30, 2011 8:00 PM in response to jkwireless

I tried using a differen't usb drive and it worked! thanks for the tip.

Jul 30, 2011 8:20 PM in response to Oehoe

really? just using a different usb works? okay i'll try and let you know.

Oehoe Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 31, 2011 1:20 AM in response to Danglerwood

NICE! It worked, I stole my girlfriends usb drive and it's working! Only took me two whole days 🙂 Thanks jkwireless

Jul 31, 2011 2:51 AM in response to Oehoe

Happy for you...

I still need a driver to pass the step "format NTFS"

I gathered all ".inf" files from WindowsSupport on a remote USB Key

Windows makes a deep thinking (scann of 99 files) but can't find the good one...

Arrrrgghhhhh !

Oehoe Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 31, 2011 7:59 AM in response to pilloworker

pilloworker, the files in the WindowsSupport folder are drivers for your hardware in windows. You install the drivers after you've installed windows. You don't need them (can't use them) during the install. During the windows install, select the Bootcamp partition and select format. Once that's done you should be able to install to that partition. No special drivers needed. Let me know if it's working.

Jul 31, 2011 9:40 AM in response to Oehoe

No it stops after "select format"

I think my Win Home Prem 7 64 bits French (build date 2-3-11) don't include the required SSD driver.

Very upset about that.

Jul 31, 2011 12:15 PM in response to Oehoe

what kind of usb did you use?

Jul 31, 2011 12:36 PM in response to Danglerwood

Trancend 16 Go... no problem for loading Windows installer (no black screen with "No Bootable device")

I also tried to link a Plextor Sata DVD thru a SATA to USB converter but in this case it displays a "No Bootable device". I also tried to share my MacBook Pro DVD drive thru Wifi, it can't mount as a volume at restart on the MBA

By the way I loaded all the .inf of my main PC (Ultimate Seven SP1, up to date) in a remote key... (1928 .inf in the same folder, multiple occurrences are renamed by the copy such as acpi(2).inf) . This folder is currently checked since hours by the driver scanner of the installer, maybe it'll find the missing .inf among all that ...

You can see how desperate I am !

"No Bootable device"

Jul 31, 2011 12:52 PM in response to pilloworker

end of scann : none fits

Jul 31, 2011 1:19 PM in response to Oehoe

Found this article on cnet which requires a windows machine to format and make the the USB stick bootable. The "rEFIt" program referenced is not needed. It worked on my new Macbook Air 11".

http://tinyurl.com/4xpx9tm

Aug 1, 2011 8:09 PM in response to Donald Ferree

didn't work. I have yet to try another usb though.

mlawley

Level 1

0 points

Aug 4, 2011 6:11 PM in response to Oehoe

You need a bootable USB. I tried a Verbatim, and another brand, and they didn't work. I tried a Transcend (as recommended on this post), and it worked. For me, 64bit version, I needed an 8 GB drive.

Bootcamp Macbook Air 2011 "No Bootable device"