Mac won't pick up WinInstall USB and Product key not in unattended file
Hi.
I am super frustrated. I cant find the answer anywhere, and after 14 hours of messing around with this dumb thing, I have just about had it. I cant really take it anymore.
I bought a copy of Windows Pro 8.1. Turns out the disk is 32-Bit, I needed a 64-bit.
I looked around and it says the Product Key will work with a 64-bit setup of Windows Pro 8.1. Awesome.
Downloaded a torrent of Windows Pro 8.1 64-bit ISO image. I went through 3 torrents and ISO images before I found one that works.
Created the USB drive in Bootcamp using the 64-bit ISO image. The USB drive is a 8gb Micro SD card, hooked up to a Mini USB adapter.
Bootcamp took over 2 hours copying, downloading, and saving Windows Support Software to the card last night. When I selected the size of the partition, it did its thing, and then restarted. I held down the alt/option key and was brought to the startup disks selection screen.
There is no "orange usb" there, the only things to select are the Recovery 10.9 and Macintosh HD. If I put my 32-Bit Windows Pro 8.1 disk in, it will pick it up. When I select it, it starts the whole process and then says "Windows cannot read the Product Key from the Unattend Answer File"
I dont know what to do...it wont pick up the SD/USB and the Windows disk says the Product Key cant be read.
Should I burn the ISO image that I used to create the USB drive to a blank DVD and then try the installion with that? I dont have any blank DVD's, or I would have tried that already.
Everywhere says that if I hold Alt/option after the startup sound, I should be abe to see the USB drive there, but it dosent appear, never has and I cant seem to change that, even switch USB ports and everything, formatted the drive and redid the whole Windows setup drive thing on Bootcamp (Another 2 hours...wasted).
The pic attached is my SD/USB setup, it came with the SD card a long time ago.
I need help, please hahahaha.