How to install Windows 7 via Boot Camp on late 2012 iMac

These notes reflect the installation of Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit on my late 2012 27” iMac with a 3 TB fusion drive and running OS X Mountain Lion version 10.8.4.

After launching Boot Camp Assistant, click “Print Installation & Setup Guide” and keep this handy throughout the process. There are specific details in the Boot Camp Guide that are not covered by my notes.

Don’t do like I did and expect to start at 11:00 PM on a work night and have Windows 7 working before 1:00 AM - it can take much longer. Many of the activities are best monitored instead of going to bed hoping that next morning will greet you with success.

Download Windows 7 ISO file from Internet and burn to a blank DVD

1. Insert a blank DVD
2. Start Disk Utility.
3. From the File menu, choose “Open Disk Image” and select the ISO to be burned.
4. In the list of volumes, you will now see an item representing the ISO file. Select it.
5. Click the Burn button and follow the instructions.
6. Be patient. In my case the ISO burn seemed to be stuck at 80%. I walked away for a bit and returned to find the DVD successfully burned. This is an exception to not walking away during the Boot Camp process.

Although you should be able to burn the ISO to DVD with any external burner, in my case I found that an Apple USB SuperDrive worked during the Windows installation whereas an otherwise reliable third party CD/DVD/Blueray burner was not recognized by Boot Camp 5.0.3.

If you simply burn the ISO file to the DVD, the DVD will not work. A simple check is to view the DVD’s contents after it has been burnt. If it contains a .iso file only, then you can place that DVD in the trash and start over.

Take some to think through how much space you want to dedicate to Windows 7 that will be taken from your OS X allotment. If you change your mind later, you will need to start the process over, including reinstalling and reactivating Windows 7 and any other specialized software you’ve installed. In my case, I partitioned 251 GB to Windows 7 and that left 233.7 GB free during installation.

When you are ready to begin partitioning your hard drive, unplug all unnecessary USB drives. This includes external drives and your Time Machine drive. Use a USB keyboard with a USB mouse plugged into a USB port on the keyboard. Plug the USB flash drive containing Support Software you created with Boot Camp into a regular USB port. On the iMac, I used the port nearest the right side of the monitor while facing the screen. You also need the USB SuperDrive plugged in with the Windows 7 install disk in the drive. Boot Camp jumps from partitioning straight into installation.

Although the Boot Camp Guide indicates your Mac will default launch in Windows during installation, mine rebooted into OS X each time. When the screen goes white, just hold the OPTION button and select the Windows drive (not the Windows DVD). Be patient. It may look like the Mac is refusing to accept your selection of Windows, but it could be just a little slow to launch.

If you end up installing Windows 7 more than once due to crashes, confusion or whatever, check for a Windows.old file after you’re finished. If it exists, you can delete that file. It’s a place Windows 7 places files from previous installs in case you need to save something.

As of this writing, I need to use a USB keyboard to use OPTION to have the option to launch Windows 7. Once in Windows, my Logitech K760 bluetooth keyboard works fine. It takes too long for bluetooth to sync for the keyboard to keep up with the Mac booting up. Although Windows 7 recognizes my second monitor and the drivers are up to date, the second monitor has a black screen and windows cannot be moved onto the second monitor.

I hope that Apple continues to develop Boot Camp and improve the Installation Guide for future users. When Apple advertises a feature, such as Boot Camp, there is an expectation amongst consumers that it will simply work. When a key feature fails to live up to expectations, it reflects poorly on Apple.

Thank you,

Steven Cagle

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