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Hi everyone. I want to install windows 7 on my iMac 24'' (mid 2008) but my optical disc drive is broken. I tried to install it with an USB flashdrive, but the system don't recognize it as a bootable device. I have the windows 7 ISO, vmware fusion, refit (i searched on the interet for the solution but i couldn't find any). thanks for help !
iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)
***Solution That Worked for ME***
I had a similiar problem where I wanted to install windows on a macbook pro (early 2009) that had a broken optical drive, using a bootable windows 7 USB, but the mac wouldn't recognize the USB because it only checks in the optical drive.
Solution:
1. Download the Windows 7 ISO file here: http://www.w7forums.com/threads/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-image-downloads.12325 /
2. Use Windows 7 USB DVD Download tool (found here http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool to make a bootable windows 7 USB. (this has to be done on an exisiting windows machine, but there are googable solutions to do this process using just a mac)
3. Also transfer a copy of the ISO file to the mac
4. Use Daemon Tools Lite (free, found here: http://www.daemon-tools.cc/products/dtLite) to mount the ISO file thats on your mac. (open daemon tools, click quick mount, click the iso file, very easy!) This tricks bootcamp into thinking that a windows 7 install disk is inserted.
5. Run Boot Camp, I chose to skip downloading the drivers and did that separately here: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5634 by cliking on the macbook pro model and then the number in the grid to download the boot camp drivers to a separete usb. Once windows was installed, it was easy to open the USB and run bootcamp settup.
**THE TRICK**
6. When the computer restarts after bootcamp finishes, insert the bootable windows 7 USB into the mac when the screen is black, and then hold down the C key as soon as you hear the mac turning on sound. This command tells the mac to boot from USB.
I did not find any discussions of simply pressing the C key to boot from USB in similiar threads, and people just said that you need the disk if your mac has an optical drive. I finally found this trick out here: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1533
The windows installation should now be running, and all thats left now is to choose the Bootcamp partition when it asks, and to click on it, click drive options, click format, and then click next to continue on with the installation.
Hope this helps anybody that had the same problem as me, I did a lot of googling!
how do step number 4? (5. Use GPT Fdisk to mark the NTFS partition as bootable)
I not found anywhere ...
Yes, you will need to use GPT Fdisk to mark it bootable.
I would like to know is how to use it. I downloaded the program but I do not know what command to use in the terminal, you can tell me?
Can you post the Terminal output of
sudo gpt -vv -r show /dev/disk0
These are the steps, but we should first check the output from the previous command.
Rebuild MBR to match the new GPT information thus resetting the Hybrid MBR. Use defaults for other questions (like partition codes). The only values that need modifications are the Boot flags and step 10. Accept all other defaults that Gdisk offers. Please see thesample Q&A as an example. These steps can be repeated if you make a mistake before you get to Step 12, otherwise start from Step 1 for these steps. Step 6 has numbers which are typed with a space between the numbers.
Here is sample Q&A for this section. Please notice the Press Enter/Return.
Place EFI GPT (0xEE) partition first in MBR (good for GRUB)? (Y/N): Y
Creating entry for GPT partition #2 (MBR partition #2)
Enter an MBR hex code (default AF): Press Enter/Return
Set the bootable flag? (Y/N): N
Creating entry for GPT partition #3 (MBR partition #3)
Enter an MBR hex code (default AB): Press Enter/Return
Set the bootable flag? (Y/N): N
Creating entry for GPT partition #4 (MBR partition #4)
Enter an MBR hex code (default 07): Press Enter/Return
Set the bootable flag? (Y/N): Y
sudo gpt -vv -r mostrar / dev / disk0
-----------------------------------------------
show de GPT: / dev / disk0: mediasize = 500107862016; SectorSize = 512; blocos = 976773168
show de GPT: / dev / disk0: Suspeito MBR no setor 0
show de GPT: / dev / disk0: Pri GPT no setor 1
show de GPT: / dev / disk0: Sec GPT no sector 976.773.167
iniciar conteúdo do Ãndice tamanho
0 1 MBR
Cabeçalho 1 1 Pri GPT
Tabela 2 32 Pri GPT
34 6
40 409600 1 GPT parte - C12A7328-F81F-11D2-BA4B-00A0C93EC93B
409.640 858.913.880 2 GPT parte - 48465300-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC
859323520 1269536 3 GPT parte - 426F6F74-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC
860593056 1120
860594176 115916808 4 GPT parte - EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7
976510984 262151
Tabela 976773135 32 Sec GPT
Cabeçalho 976773167 1 Sec GPT
sudo gdisk /dev/rdisk0
-----------------------------
dyld: lazy symbol binding failed: Symbol not found: __ZN3icu13UnicodeStringC1Ev
Referenced from: /usr/sbin/gdisk
Expected in: /usr/lib/libicucore.A.dylib
dyld: Symbol not found: __ZN3icu13UnicodeStringC1Ev
Referenced from: /usr/sbin/gdisk
Expected in: /usr/lib/libicucore.A.dylib
This may be an issue with Gdisk and character set support.
Can you create a new account of your Mac, log in to that account, change the language to US English and test?
I discovered the problem, I did not have the gdisk installed correctly ..
The problem now is that the disk is already bootable but does not appear as available when I restart my iMac and hold the option key ..
Your Gdisk steps are incorrect. The code column should match in GPT and MBR.
But I followed the steps .. because what went wrong?
which code that corresponds to GPT and MBR?
You typed 'n' for MBR hex codes instead of accepting the default values that Gdisk offered. 😉
but you say in steps 8, 9 (N (part 2 boot flag) | N (part 3 boot flag)) to enter "N"..
anyhow, with Y I tried to 2 3 4, but did not change the codes hex nor changed the disk to the bootable "Disk Utility" ...
*The print was made after restarting my imac
Did you see this part?
Here is sample Q&A for this section. Please notice the Press Enter/Return.
Place EFI GPT (0xEE) partition first in MBR (good for GRUB)? (Y/N): Y
Creating entry for GPT partition #2 (MBR partition #2)
Enter an MBR hex code (default AF): Press Enter/Return
Set the bootable flag? (Y/N): N
Creating entry for GPT partition #3 (MBR partition #3)
Enter an MBR hex code (default AB): Press Enter/Return
Set the bootable flag? (Y/N): N
Creating entry for GPT partition #4 (MBR partition #4)
Enter an MBR hex code (default 07): Press Enter/Return
Set the bootable flag? (Y/N): Y
You can re-run the Gdisk steps and do them correctly and test.
ops .. I'm sorry, had ignored this part is very well explained ..
yet still not displaying "bootable = yes" in the "Disk Utility", see:
(remembering that the prints were made after restarting my imac)
Bootcamp without Optical disc drive
