The ultimate way to install Windows 8.x in (U)EFI mode on Apple systems

I might try to install it again with bootcamp.

Thank you.

Found valid GPT with protective MBR; using GPT. (NOT HYBRID MBR!!!)

this is what gdisk is telling me in terminal and still i keep getting various error messages at the end of windows 10 installation (2014mid 15' retina macbook pro, yosemite) i assigned/unassigned letter b/ letter s to the efi "system" partition, created the mrs reserved 128mb partition in diskpart, and still "windows couldn't update the computers boot configuration" then "windows couldn't prepare the computer to boot into the next phase of the installation"

gpt show: /dev/disk0: mediasize=500277790720; sectorsize=512; blocks=977105060

gpt show: /dev/disk0: PMBR at sector 0

gpt show: /dev/disk0: Pri GPT at sector 1

gpt show: /dev/disk0: Sec GPT at sector 977105059

start size index contents

0 1 PMBR

1 1 Pri GPT header

2 32 Pri GPT table

34 6

40 409600 1 GPT part - C12A7328-F81F-11D2-BA4B-00A0C93EC93B

409640 741565040 2 GPT part - 48465300-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC

741974680 1269536 3 GPT part - 426F6F74-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC

743244216 1608

743245824 262144 4 GPT part - E3C9E316-0B5C-4DB8-817D-F92DF00215AE

743507968 233596928 5 GPT part - EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7

977104896 131

977105027 32 Sec GPT table

977105059 1 Sec GPT header

please help!

Your are using EFI Boot.You do not need the Hybrid MBR. If you have MSR/MSD, there is not Hybrid MBR on GPT-only disks. If you have Hybrid MBR, then it is a non-EFI (BIOS/Hybrid MBR) .

Using Diskpart will confuse the EFI Boot and it is not a good idea.

I know I don't need the hybrid MBR, the reason i showed you that its protective MBR, using GPT, was to prove that it should work with the efi installation of windows 10, but it doesn't. So what might be the problem? How should I prepare the partitions, because none of the "windows 8 for mac in efi mode" tutorials work for my system. So you say I shouldn't use diskpart but even the tutorial in this feed suggests the windows prompt, which starts with diskpart:

"3. Start Windows 8 setup in EFI mode; - switch to "Windows prompt" under "repair tools". Start command diskpart. Check your partition; - select that one with name "EFI". Add the drive letter "b" with the command assign letter=b. (Note, this point is perhaps not needed at some systems.)"

Or Do I get it wrong?

1. Remove the current GPT4 and 5.

2. Run DU and Repair Disk. You can also boot in Safe Mode and boot normally and continue.

3. Run SMC Reset and NVRAM Reset.

4. Create a Free Space partition of the size you want Windows to be (+128MB for MSR). Do not use Diskpart for any drive letter assignments.

5. Run W10 installer and point to this Free Space.

6. The EFI Partition should automatically get a Microsoft Directory and appropriate BD structures during the installation using EFI Boot.

I have done this on several Late 2013 and 2014 models without any issues.

Well, I followed your steps (except for the 128mb msr partition) tried different usb installers(ntfs, fat32, home, pro, activated versions of windows 10 64bit) and i get the same error at the end 😟

"windows couldn't prepare the computer to boot into the next phase of the installation"

maybe i'll try it with a windows 8 installer, but i feel there might be some corruption issue with my efi partition or i don't know. There was also an efi security update installed on it from the app store that came out like one and a half month ago, back then it ran mavericks.

I don't know if that 128mb msr is crucial, but when windows installer creates the primary partition it makes a 16mb msr reserved.

any ideas? Is it possible to downgrade that efi update?

alright this must be my problem:

Mac EFI Security Update 2015-001

I have the same EFI Update. My suggestion is to backup OS X using Time Machine, boot into Internet Recovery, erase your internal drive, restore from Time Machine and repeat the steps.

Brilliant guide. I am trying this on my Mid-2012 rMBP 15" (10,1) with Windows 10. I have an Nvidia GT650M GPU and am indeed having driver problems and had to boot into Safe mode. It seems that using the default microsoft drivers does not allow you to use an external display. I found another post that said some people had sucess with earlier Nvidia drivers. I almost always use my macbook with an external display and so this would be a deal breaker for me. However having the additional speed on the SSD has been great. Has anyone solved this Nvidia driver black screen problem or have any suggestions?

Thanks!

Thank you for this guide. Though I had to do some additional steps to get Windows 8.1 (and eventually Windows 10) working.

The setup stopped after I selected the partition I wanted to install to. It went to the next screen (with the next steps and progress in percent) and then showed the dreaded "Windows could not prepare the computer to boot into the next phase of installation" message.

Seems the error shows up, because of the PCI SSD-Part of my iMacs Fusion drive.

Here are my Steps:

- Backup MacOs

- Prepare USB-Stick with Bootcamp Assistant and prepare the Windows partition

- In Windows Setup (partition selection) press shift+F10 to access the console

DISKPART

SELECT DISK 0

Attention! This will erase the SSD!

CLEAN

CONVERT GPT

Even if we don't want to install windows onto the SSD we have to create a partition else Windows will write and install to the SSD.

It is important that you leave some space on the SSD after the partition. It seems that Windows setup temporarily writes some stuff into this space. My SSD is 120GB.

CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY SIZE=113000

EXIT

Back to the partition selection screen you can now select the partition Bootcamp created for you on the second disk and format it to NTFS.

Click next and Windows should finally install now.

After windows is done installing. You have to recreate your Fusion-Drive and restore (or reinstall) MacOs.

Boot into the MacOs recovery system and open the terminal

You have to delete the remainder of the old Fusion-Drive

diskutil cs list

(Copy the ID of the Volume Group)

diskutil cs delete CopiedID

(Clear SSD, Windows doesn't seem to need anything here)

diskutil erase disk free space disk0

(Create Fusion Drive)

diskutil cs create Fusion disk0 disk1s2

(Copy the new ID and create the volume on the Fusion-Drive)

diskutil cs createVolume NewId JHFS+ "Macintosh HD" g0

Now restore (or reinstall) MacOs.

I have no idea why I have to do all these steps now. Early 2014 I just had to install it with Bootcamp-Assistant alone. Now I had to jump through several hoops and waste several days to find out these steps. Back then it was pre Yosemite, maybe the old Version of the Bootcamp-Assistant did this stuff to the SSD automatically.

Hope this helps.

Can u show diskutil list after you installed windows?

Is it ok to use Boot Camp Assistant to Create the Windows Installer? or Just for the drivers? I don't seem to have any other options other than using a windows computer to make the installer.

Creating an installer via USB is the safest method. What year/model is your Mac?

Has anyone been successful with a native EFI installation of Windows 8.1 or better yet windows 10 on a 2010 MacPro5,1?

I keep getting a "Recovery" screen and error 0xc0000225 "Your PC/Device needs to be Repaired". Never got further than that....