Windows 8.1 install fails on new 2013 Retina MacBook

I was able to get a brand new install of Windows 8.1 Pro (via store-bought disc) working on my new MacBook Pro 13" retina:

Followed Boot Camp instructions for partitioning; initially selected "Windows" CD image for re-boot (that's BIOS method, I think?)

As with others, during the Windows installation, I tried to select partition 4 (BOOT CAMP), and after selecting that partition and clicking "format" it still would not let me install.

I exited out of the Windows installer at that point, and using Mac Disk Utility, it did indicate that the Boot Camp Partition was NTFS format.

I then re-booted, selected "EFI Boot" CD image for the boot.

I was able to install Windows 8.1 with standard Boot Camp instructions that way (loaded Boot Camp drivers in Windows from USB flash drive), and it seems to function fine (even using Parallels 9).

EXCEPT: Major battery drain in Windows, which I have heard from others is a graphics driver issue; however, I am able to access the Intel Iris graphics control panel.

Any thoughts?

I've got a slightly different install issue.

I can boot the windows EFI installer via the option hold at boot.

It goes through the initial setup of copying the files over.

It reboots into the setup the computer phase and that's where I'm stuck. No mouse, no keyboard, no USB. Just a happy blinking cursor asking me to input the computer name and select the color scheme. The keyboard / trackpad and USB mouse that I have plugged in all worked during the copying phase but not on the initial boot phase.

This is on a 2013 retina MBP 13 with the windows 8.0 (not 8.1) install media.

I have the same issue with a 2013 retina MBP 13" and Windows 8. I was able to install Win 8 using EFI boot, but now I'm stuck on the color and computer name with no way to input my choices.
I've tried an external keyboard and mouse with no luck.

It reminds me of an issue some had with the keyboard and trackpad in Windows 8 on a 2010 MacBook Pro.Here's that thread: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4237866?start=0&tstart=0

HOLY ****! I finally got mine working with 8.1 pro. No hacks, clean install! EFI mode. rMBP 15" with nvidia

Backstory: I could not get Windows 8/8.1 to install in EFI mode at all, and everytime it fails, I dont just re-partition. I wipe out the whole drive, reinstall Mac, then try Windows again (call me crazy/paranoid. But I like clean installs without any hacks/workaround).

Solution: yesterday, I thought to just use the Tuxera method (posted here earlier) and get Windows to install for now until Apple fix the issue. The Tuxera method worked great! Fresh Mac install (without even doing any updates) -> bootcamp assistant -> I only checked the last option to install Windows (Already have Windows 8.1 with drivers created earlier) -> split the drive 50/50 -> boot back to Mac -> format Bootcamp as NTFS (Tuxera) -> Boot back to Windows and let it install -> after the install was done, it automatically installed all the bootcamp drivers for me before even loggin in to the desktop. by the time Windows 8.1 finished insalling and logged in to the desktop, I already had all the drivers installed and ready to go.

Whats Weird: After I did the Tuxera method, I thought to just reformat the whole disk and install clean OSx and try Windows 8.1 one last time! no hacks, no workarounds, no Tuxera!

Fresh install Mac (internet install) -> as soon as I was in the desktop, I launched Bootcamp and split the drive 50/50 -> reboot automatically -> Followed Win 8.1 install prompts -> FORMAT BOOTCAMP, not delete/new, just format -> install! tada! everything went through just fine, no error at the end, also bootcamp drivers installed automatically with the Windows Setup! Took a while, but everything installed without a hitch 😀

Observation: I tried installing Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 many many times without any success, but when i tried the Tuxera method. It worked! Then when I wiped the whole disk and tried again without Tuxera! IT WORKED! so maybe when Tuxera formatted the NTFS drive, something got changed? Because now I just installed fresh Mavericks then fresh Windows 8.1 all with no errors and no workarounds!

Have you tried using Parallels or VMware to access Windows from the Mac side? This is importnat for my workflow.

Are you having the same battery drain issue others are having when booted via EFI mode into Windows?

Thanks

I have not used parallels or VMware, I dont see why they would not work, both Mavericks and Win 8.1 are fresh installs with no hacks or workarounds!

My Battery is very good, yesterday I was at 60% and in windows it said 2 hours and 45 mins remaining. Which seems a bit less than OSX, but thats expected.

I did the same thing, but got an error at the end of the installation step, just after the "installing updates" part finished:

Anybody getting this same error, it is getting really frustrating for me not being able to install Windows 8. This use to be easy!

So I also had trouble and managed to install Win8.1 in BIOS mode. Late-2013 15 inch MBPr, top spec with Nvidia gfx. I managed it using the workaround posted where you delete and recreate the bootcamp partition in disk utility and format it as Exfat.

Anyway, I have a few questions.

1. Why do I care about BIOS vs UEFI? What is the advantage of UEFI?

2. I read that parallels doesn't work in UEFI? Is that true? http://kb.parallels.com/en/115815 "Parallels Desktop currently does not support migrating computers with GPT partitions and EFI/UEFI."

3. So when I press the ` and ~ buttons on my keyboard, other weird characters are coming out. Is this an issue with the current bootcamp drivers? People mentioned it a few pages back.

4. When I plug in a second monitor via thunderbolt to DVI, or even an apple thunderbolt monitor, in Windows if I try to play a video on the second monitor only the sound plays, while the video is stuck on one frame. If I play it on the macbook pro screen it's fine. This happens across different media players, VLC, WMP, MPC. However, when I plug a second monitor in via HDMI, it's fine. Any ideas what I can do?

Thanks

Oh, nevermind, I see there is a solution to the keyboard issue.

Well that just leaves my questions 1, 2 and 4. Cheers 🙂

Hi got my top spec 15" Retina last night and here is what i did to get win 8.1 running :

1. Tried pretty much everything in this thread, without success.

2. Some guys here mentioned installing Windows 7 first then upgrade to win 8. So I followed on that path.

3. If you havnt got a windows 7 iso file, w7forums have the official ones. You can install them without a key and use that as a trial for 3 months. Nothing illeagal about it. I installed and created the usb key using bootcamp, just as normal. 50/50 Partition.

4. Once Windows 7 trial was up and running I went straight to download Windows 8 iso with my key from : http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/upgrade-product-key-only

5. Upgraded to Windows 8. Installed all the windows updates.

6. Went to the Windows Store, installed 8.1.

Works like a charm.

ok..... so i tried several solutions here to get a full windows 8.1 iso to work with my new 2013 macbook pro, to no avail.

i then went through the bootcamp setup with a windows 8 pro iso and it worked just fine... did nothing special just let bootcamp do its thing..

so there is definately an issue with bootcamp and windows 8.1... apple please fix.

Thanks for the info! Downloading the Win 7 ISO now and hopefully it works for me.

I did step 7, and now my partitioned drive of 150GB is no where to be found...I can't format it and had to quit out of the installation process. And when I go onto Bootcamp, it says that i can partition, I click that and 350GB of space is available, the 150 is now where to be found. (My MacBook has 500GB) was there something I didn't right? Because now I'm frantically trying to recover the 150 GB back..

I finally installed Windows 8.1 on my 13" 2013 retina MacBook Pro, but it took some doing and a little help from other posts.

Ultimately, what worked was an ISO install via EFI Boot.
I used Boot Camp Assistant to install a Win 8.1 ISO to a USB flash drive along with Apple's driver setup (first two checkboxes).
Boot Camp Assistant will rename the drive WININSTALL.
During the process you may be prompted for your Mac OS username and password to allow the process to continue. If it fails, you probably left it alone too long like I did the first time.

Because my original copy of Windows 8 came on disk, I had to use the following technique to download an ISO: http://www.neowin.net/news/here-is-how-to-get-the-windows-81-iso-and-create-a-us b-install-stick

Unfortunately, when I first attempted to install Windows using the ISO downloaded using the above process, Windows setup would not accept my license key. Unlike Windows 7, there wasn't an option to leave the key blank and activate Windows later.

After a little more research, I found the following article about a Microsoft-supported process to restore that option: http://www.jmedved.com/2013/09/installing-windows-8-1-or-8-without-a-product-key /

I also found the ei.cfg mentioned in the comments here (Robin Tick's post):

http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/windows-81-tip-download-windows-81-iso-windows -8-product-key

The process involves adding an ei.cfg file to the sources folder on the WININSTALL thumb drive created by the Boot Camp Assistant..

The body of the ei.cfg file should contain the following (well, this worked for me and was recommended by other posts):

[EditionID]

Professional

[Channel]

Retail

[VL]

0

However, in order to ensure the ei.cfg file will be read properly by the setup process, I would create the .cfg file with Notepad in Windows (hopefully, you have another Windows machine around).
First save the file as ei.txt then rename it ei.cfg. Click OK to the usual warning prompt about changing Windows file extentions. Finally, transfer the ei.cfg file you've created to the sources folder on the WININSTALL USB drive.

Phew!

Yeah, that's a lot of hoops and tedium. If you have a Microsoft volume license and are able to download a traditional ISO, you shouldn't experience the same trouble I did.

Anyway, once the WININSTALL USB drive was prepared (with efi.cfg file in the sources folder), I plugged it back into Mac, restarted, held the option key, selected EFI boot and let her go. I did try selecting Wininstall as the boot device, but that lead to a GPT error (you can't install windows on this partition... yada yada yada).

This time I was actually able to enter my license key at the appropriate point. I had thought I'd have to leave it blank and enter it via activation the System control panel.

This technique seems to ensure Apple's keyboard drivers are installed before the customization screen (so you'll be able to use the keyboard and trackpad). It also runs the full Windows Boot Camp driver/utility suite prior to completion so there's very little to do once Windows boots.

I hope this helps. Enjoy!

Finally solved the problem with my new Haswell Macbook Pro 15" Retina, 512Gt SSD with 750M GPU. I started installing Windows 8.1 Enterprise downloaded from MSDN yesterday. First try ended with "Windows could not update computer's boot configuration". I tried almost every possible combination and suggested fix found from boards without success. This includes lots of different partition configurations, different third party tools (Tuxera, Windows 7 USB Install Tool, etc), fresh install of Maverics at least three times and so on.

Today I decided to give up and started cleaning my house. During cleaning I noticed that I had changed everything except the USB install media with Apple Support Software created by Bootcamp of out-of-the-box installation of Maverics.

So I gave it one last try:

1. Deleted all partitions with Disk Utility from recovery boot

2. Fresh install of Maverics by internet recovery

3. Downloaded Win 8.1 Enterprise again from MSDN

4. Ran through Bootcamp wizard with all options checked (creates new USB-install media)

5. Decided to divide partitions equally (I don't think it matters at all what size you choose)

6. Formatted newly created partition (disk 0, partition 4) and installed Windows 8.1 on that

7. Everything went smooth until the installation finished

8. Ran setup.exe from Bootcamp folder of installation media

Now I have perfectly working Windows 8.1 Enterprise on my baby. No special moves, no workarounds, no third party utils, no notable problems.

I believe there are more than one different Bootcamp problems with new Haswell Macbooks. Many of the workarounds and quickfixes are quite misleading and they work with more luck than knowledge. We should be really strict with describing symptoms and the environment and try not to seek one common solution for everyone.

In my case I am pretty confident that the problem was the USB Windows installation media created with the Bootcamp version on out-of-the-box Maverics. Installing a fresh copy of Maverics changed the Bootcamp version, which I believe is able to create working USB installation media. Playing with partition configurations, file systems, disk tools and so on had simply no effect in my case.

If I am wrong with this, I have a backup theory. I used Windows 8.1 Enterprise (English) media downloaded from MSDN in all my failed attempts. In my last attempt I downloaded Windows 8.1 Enterprise (English - United Kingdom). This really cannot be the difference, but you never know 🙂

Hope this helps!