Installing Windows 7 with boot camp as whole partition on 2nd internal hard drive

Question

Level 1

16 points

Installing Windows 7 with boot camp as whole partition on 2nd internal hard drive

Hi all,

I am unsure what is the recent changes with Apple boot camp. But when I used boot camp utilitiy on my Mac Pro (Mid 2010) to install windows 7 64 bits. It would not install and created a whole lot of problems.

After I initialise the process to install windows 7 using boot camp utilities, I chose the option to create a single partition to installl windows 7 on my secondary internal hard drive (1TB). After I restarted my Mac Pro and started the Windows 7 installation process, I was unable to install Windows 7 on the BOOTCAMP partition created by the boot camp utilitiy. I got an error something about Windows cannot be installed on the selected forum because the driver contained GPT details.

I tried to format the BOOTCAMP partition, but it ended up with errors. I tried to delete and recreate the BOOTCAMP partition in Windows setup, but failed with errors again. As I could not go any further with the Windows 7 installation, I had to hard reset my Mac Pro and tried to reboot back into Mac OS X Lion and that's when the nightmare begin.

Not only I could not boot into OS X, I could not use any of the startup key combinations (i.e. Hold option key to select start up disk, option + R to boot the lion recovery drive, not boot from any external firewire drive installed with OS X Lion). Basically none of the key combinations worked except for the holdingi F12 and mouse key to eject CD.

The only thing I could boot the Mac Pro with is the windows installation CD and Linux Ubuntu Raring Distro. I can install the ubuntu distro without any issue. However, I could not boot my mac pro back into OS X as Linux does not support bootcamp. The only way I could use Mac OS X Lion again is to delete the partition OS X Lion was installed on, and then I was be able to install Windows 7 without any issue.

After installing windows 7 I would have to download boot camp and then use the boot camp control panel to restart in the Mac Pro installation DVD and I will have to reinstall OS X again. After installing OS X, I went to System Preference and tried to select Windows 7 as startup disc. But I failed to as it says "Windows 7" Was installed via another utility. I would have to erase the partition and reinstall Windows 7 again using bootcamp utility. If I try to install windows 7 again, the horror I described above repeats again.

From my understanding, the Boot camp utility creates a new EFI bootrom with Master Boot Record (MBR) in FAT32 format. Therefore I could not boot back into Mac OS X without using boot camp in windows 7 as none of the boot combinations key worked.

I want to ask if anyone is experiencing the same issue as i do, and if there are any solutions to the problem I am experiencing. I never had such issue before. I was able to install Windows 7 on my 2ndary internal hard drive without issue using boot camp. I don't what has changed. I have googled for solution, I only found something related to XOM but nothing else.

If anyone can provide me with any help in regards to installing Windows 7 as a whole partition on a secondary internal hard drive. It'd be grealy appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8), 12 Cores, 8 GB DDR3 Ram, Dual 5770

Posted on Sep 9, 2013 4:47 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

Studio K

Level 2

359 points

Sep 9, 2013 7:06 AM in response to Appledine

What you could try to do is format the dedicated drive intended for Windows as Master Boot Record rather than GUID.

You would do this using Disk Utility in OS X, of course.

I suggest this because you mentioned that Windows installer complained about GPT.

Best of luck.

Reply

Answer 2

Studio K

Level 2

359 points

Sep 9, 2013 7:48 AM in response to Appledine

I've never tried, but I suspect you can install Windows without using Boot Camp Assistant.

Just format the drive (as MBR and FAT32) in Disk Utility and boot from the Windows Installer disk yourself.

If the installer doesn't complain and allows you to install Windows, then just add the Boot Camp software in Windows as usual.

Installing Windows 7 on a Mac seems hit and miss. Sometimes it's flawless, but often it is troublesome. I had a problem last time I tried it. THe installer kept asking for missing drivers. The bluetooth keyboard may have been the culprit, but who knows?

Keep trying.

Reply

Answer 3

Appledine Author

Level 1

16 points

Sep 9, 2013 10:10 AM in response to Studio K

I tried installing windows without boot camp assistant, the problem is I will not be able to use os x again. If I reboot into osx after installing win7, osx wont let me boot into win7 again, as it does not show up in the start up disk option because win7 was not installed usibg boot camp assistant. Only way I can have both os running and bootable is to partition the macintosh hd with boot camp assistant which I hate as it waste unnecessary storage space by having two partition maps.

I think the mac osx partition is conflicting with windows setup, if osx exist, it would not let me format or install win7 on the bootcamp partition created by boot camp assistant, bloody self conflicting issue. I though win7 uses guid partition table as well but apparrntly not. So becareful next time you try to boot into anything that uses MBR, you won't be able to boot back into OS X without boot camp to reverse the bootrom for os x.

Reply

Answer 4

Appledine Author

Level 1

16 points

Sep 9, 2013 10:27 AM in response to Studio K

I thought about trying this method before, but I was afraid that night mare of not being able to install win7 and not being able to boot back into osx happen again. I don't know why boot camp assistant would create an EFI MBR bootroom on the primary hard drive where the os x was installed rather than creating the MBR bootrom on the BOOTCAMP hard drive partitioned by boot camp assistant.

and I think the osx partition on the other hard drive is somehow actively prevent the installation of win7, because as soon as I deleted the osx partition, I was able to install windows 7 without the win7 setup complaining about GPT details. The downside is that I will havr to reinstall os x again, but if I do so, I will lost the ability to select the win7 as the start up disk once I booted into os x. Such a great pain in the buttock.

Reply

Answer 5

Studio K

Level 2

359 points

Sep 9, 2013 10:43 AM in response to Appledine

Are you not able to select Windows from the Apple Boot Menu (holding down Option key at startup)?

When I installed Ubuntu on my Mac, I could boot it by using the Apple boot menu (it was listed as 'Windows'), even though it did not show up in Startup Disk under System Preferences.

Your graphics card is Apple 5770, correct?

Reply

Answer 6

Studio K

Level 2

359 points

Sep 9, 2013 10:54 AM in response to Studio K

You have Ubuntu installed?

I'm assuming it is installed on it's own separate hard drive. If that is the case, perhaps you could try removing the Ubuntu disk. Then try using BOOT Camp to install Windows again.

I'm just wondering if the presence of Linux might be causing some problems. In fact, you could try removing all additional drives except for OS X and Windows destination drive.

I recetnly installed Windows 7 (using Boot Camp) onto a separate hard drive without any trouble. The only difference is that I am using Mountain Lion and you are using Lion.

Reply

Answer 7

Appledine Author

Level 1

16 points

Sep 9, 2013 10:56 AM in response to Studio K

If you have driver issue, just pre-download the boot camp drivers and save them on an external drive or burn them onto a cd, you will be able to load drivers via the advanced installation option during windows setup, that is if your osx partition isn't actively preventing you from installing win7 on the BOOTCAMP Partition created by boot camp assistant, I find this rather ironic, took me 3 days to figure out this issue, I was stuck without being able to boot into anything beside the windows cd, which wasn't even helpful as I could not install windows as I did not want to delete my osx partition. I lost all my data becsuse of it, as I had no idea what was going on. I tried to recover the partition using testdisk, hfsprogs and gparted in ubuntu life cd but they dont support HFS+. As I could not access osx terminal (couldn't even boot into osx installation dvd with that dreaded MBR created by boot csmp). I could not use pdisk in terminal to restore the osx partition map. Though luck for me. Called applecare and they had no idea what the problem was, and as usual they orgsnised for hard drive replacement. But it was clearly a software issue.

They will have to fix bay2 for me as I can no longer detect any hard disk connected to that bay.

Reply

Answer 8

Appledine Author

Level 1

16 points

Sep 9, 2013 10:59 AM in response to Studio K

Nah didnt install it, I was using the live CD because I wanted to rescue my data. But all I could recover were bit and pieces of useless data.

Reply

Answer 9

Appledine Author

Level 1

16 points

Sep 9, 2013 11:05 AM in response to Studio K

Nope the option key was irresponsive, only startup key combinations I could use were F12 + mouse key to eject the CD. I was only using ubuntu live cd, didnt install it.

Reply

Answer 10

The hatter

Level 9

60,990 points

Sep 9, 2013 11:08 AM in response to Appledine

You have to shutdown. Pull all other drives. Then boot off Windows DVD. You will see Windows with Option key. You can set default in Windows with control panel Boot Camp added when you install drivers.

Windows sees other drives with GPT and will not continue, it assumes EFI install and booting when it does.

Not well documented but Micrsoft has FAQ on GPT + EFI.

Reply

Answer 11

Appledine Author

Level 1

16 points

Sep 10, 2013 6:59 AM in response to The hatter

I thought about pulling off the hd with mac os x, but I simply just deleted all the partitions, and I installed windows smooothly, and then I reinstalled lion clean with the recovery usb drive.

Reply