Install windows on iMac Late 2009 without Optical drive

Question

Install windows on iMac Late 2009 without Optical drive

Hi, i have an iMac 27 i5 11.1 where i want to install windows 7 (or 8). I already did it 2 years ago without problems, but in the mean time i formatted the drive and my optical drive stopped working so i replaced it with an ssd.

I'm trying to install windows but i don't know how without a superdrive. I tried with an external usb dvd drive and it didn't work (you can't install windows from a non apple dvd drive, it is a known problem) but it don't work, so i tried to create an usb installation key of windows with microsoft official tool and also with boot camp tool, both doesn't work (when i select them on the boot i get an apple alternated with a prohibition mark and a folder with a question mark, exactly as with the dvd drive). So i thought that maybe if i can install windows on an external drive and boot it from there i will be able to launch the install directly from windows skipping the problem, but you can't install windows on an external drive..

I'm running out of ideas, someone can help me installing windows on my imac? thanks in advance

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.3)

Posted on Jan 16, 2013 7:23 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 17, 2013 9:18 AM in response to emanuelefromrescaldina

The only way Windows can be installed on a Mac with a SuperDrive is to use that. You'll have to find a replacement somewhere.

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Answer 2

Jan 17, 2013 9:22 AM in response to saturnotaku

So the only solution is to buy an external superdrive from at apple 80 €? or i actually have to repair the internal one because even the external superdrive won't work?

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Answer 3

Csound1

Level 9

60,063 points

Jan 17, 2013 9:27 AM in response to emanuelefromrescaldina

You have to repair the internal.

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Answer 4

mende1

Level 10

93,618 points

Jan 17, 2013 9:28 AM in response to emanuelefromrescaldina

Your computer needs a SuperDrive to install Windows. In your case, you can try to buy an external optical drive, but not the Apple SuperDrive because it's not compatible.

If using an external optical drive doesn't work, then you will have to install another SuperDrive > http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+27-Inch+EMC+2309+and+2374+Optical+Drive+R eplacement/1637/1

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Answer 5

Jan 17, 2013 9:34 AM in response to mende1

Like i said i already tried with an external optical drive but doesn't work (an apple's explicit choice).

Doesn't make any sense that to install in a 2009 mac still supported there's no way to install windows without their dvd drive when an usb stick or an external drive could do the trick...

So i will have to spend other money...Thanks..

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Answer 6

Csound1

Level 9

60,063 points

Jan 17, 2013 9:36 AM in response to emanuelefromrescaldina

emanuelefromrescaldina wrote:

Like i said i already tried with an external optical drive but doesn't work (an apple's explicit choice).

Doesn't make any sense that to install in a 2009 mac still supported there's no way to install windows without their dvd drive

Your Mac has a failure, fix it.

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Answer 7

Jan 17, 2013 9:40 AM in response to Csound1

What failure? I have a mac with a 1 tb sata hdd, 1 60 gb ssd and an external usb bluray/dvd player, all 3 of them works very smoothly (i just replaced the 1 tb hdd that wasn't working). The failure it's in the apple's part

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Answer 8

Csound1

Level 9

60,063 points

Jan 17, 2013 9:42 AM in response to emanuelefromrescaldina

emanuelefromrescaldina wrote:

What failure?

No functional internal optical drive constitutes a failure, you know that, you even posted about it

emanuelefromrescaldina wrote:

i actually have to repair the internal one because even the external superdrive won't work?

Now you'll need to repair it.

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Answer 9

Jan 17, 2013 9:48 AM in response to Csound1

I don't have it anymore, there's the ssd instead of that drive... And i have an optical drive working, it's apple's fault if that don't work to boot it because of their limitations...

And if i even buy it, repair it and then put back the ssd when i installed windows it's still installed on the sata drive and not in the ssd drive

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Answer 10

Jan 17, 2013 9:49 AM in response to emanuelefromrescaldina

Why is Apple responsible for your modification to their hardware?

Allan

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Answer 11

Jan 17, 2013 10:00 AM in response to Allan Eckert

Apple choose to force to use superdrive to install it, making intentionally not working the usb and the external optic drive. My modification of my hardware (it's my hardware, not their's, i own it, it's not software license that they can claim it's their stuff, i'm not claiming about warranty after my changes) it's not the source of the problem.

Even if i didn't put the ssd the problem still stands, with their choice to intentionally exclude the other drives and the usb key they force me to bring the computer back to them and pay to repair it, that's it.

BTw, i didn't personally put the ssd in, an apple premium reseller did...

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Answer 12

Csound1

Level 9

60,063 points

Jan 17, 2013 10:03 AM in response to emanuelefromrescaldina

You can't install Windows on your machine as it stands.

There is your answer, now stop stressing and move on without it.

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Answer 13

Jan 21, 2013 5:54 AM in response to Csound1

Csound1 wrote:

You can't install Windows on your machine as it stands.

There is your answer, now stop stressing and move on without it.

Sure, good answers.

Apple doesn't want to = You can't

Apple doesn't let you = You shouldn't

Too bad i made it. So it is possible, even if you and apple said it's not.

I installed virtualbox, created a virtual machine with the full disk access, started installing windows, when the copy of the files ended and the vm was rebooting i simply closed it and rebooted my imac and finished the installation directly on the imac, everything went well...

Luckily i didn't take apple's word as a written law and i use my own brain..

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Answer 14

Jan 21, 2013 6:31 AM in response to emanuelefromrescaldina

emanuelefromrescaldina wrote:

Csound1 wrote:

You can't install Windows on your machine as it stands.

There is your answer, now stop stressing and move on without it.

Sure, good answers.

Apple doesn't want to = You can't

Apple doesn't let you = You shouldn't

Too bad i made it. So it is possible, even if you and apple said it's not.

I installed virtualbox, created a virtual machine with the full disk access, started installing windows, when the copy of the files ended and the vm was rebooting i simply closed it and rebooted my imac and finished the installation directly on the imac, everything went well...

Luckily i didn't take apple's word as a written law and i use my own brain..

If you had posted in a Virtual Machine forum, or asked if you could install Windows using other than Bootcamp Assistant then someone would have advised you to use a Virtual Machine like Parallels, Fusion, or VirtualBox. But you posted in the Bootcamp forum so we assumed you wanted to create and use a Bootcamp partition.

So the answers provided you, based on your questions in this Bootcamp forum were spot on and appropriate.

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Answer 15

Jan 21, 2013 6:40 AM in response to BobTheFisherman

I used a bootcamp partition created with the bootcamp assistant, and i'm gonna use a bootcamp partition to run windows. but since i can't start the installation from the dvd i started it from the vm, the vm has the full access of the disk so it is exactly like if i booted from dvd. Itset the bootldr well, extract the data from the dvd and prepare the files for the installation to the disk. So when i rebooted the imac the disk was ready with the files to begin the installation and configuration part.

The vm is only the way i pass the stup1d apple limitations.

So it's still this the right section

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