Every time i try and boot up windows on my imac i get the error message. windows is installed on external har drive. i manualy have to try and boot up windows through refind. any reason to why this is happening and how i can fix this?
Windows on an external drive is not supported. Yosemite upgrade will make matters worse.
If Winclone was used to move it to an external drive, or the drive was physically pulled after being internal at some point after installation, the disk paths in Windows can cause issues.
Can you post the output of
diskutil list
diskutil cs list
/dev/disk0
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: GUID_partition_scheme *1.0 TB disk0
1: EFI EFI 209.7 MB disk0s1
2: Apple_HFS Macintosh HD 999.3 GB disk0s2
3: Apple_Boot Recovery HD 650.0 MB disk0s3
/dev/disk1
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: FDisk_partition_scheme *1.0 TB disk1
1: DOS_FAT_32 WININSTALL 1.0 TB disk1s1
No CoreStorage logical volume groups found
What do you get from
sudo fdisk /dev/disk0
sudo fdisk /dev/disk1
Is this an iMac which had more than one HDD at some point?
Disk: /dev/disk0 geometry: 121601/255/63 [1953525168 sectors]
Signature: 0xAA55
Starting Ending
#: id cyl hd sec - cyl hd sec [ start - size]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1: EE 1023 254 63 - 1023 254 63 [ 1 - 1953525167] <Unknown ID>
2: 00 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 [ 0 - 0] unused
3: 00 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 [ 0 - 0] unused
4: 00 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 [ 0 - 0] unused
Disk: /dev/disk1 geometry: 121601/255/63 [1953525167 sectors]
Signature: 0xAA55
Starting Ending
#: id cyl hd sec - cyl hd sec [ start - size]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*1: 0B 1023 254 63 - 1023 254 63 [ 2 - 1953525165] Win95 FAT-32
2: 00 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 [ 0 - 0] unused
3: 00 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 [ 0 - 0] unused
4: 00 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 [ 0 - 0] unused
no its a mid 2011 imac
1. What is the version of Windows?
2. Is the Windows partition formatted as NTFS?
windows 7 and i beleive the partision is fat 32. does it need to beformated NTFS and if so how do i do that?
What does diskutil info /dev/disk1 show?
Disk: /dev/disk1 geometry: 121601/255/63 [1953525167 sectors]
Signature: 0xAA55
Starting Ending
#: id cyl hd sec - cyl hd sec [ start - size]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*1: 0B 1023 254 63 - 1023 254 63 [ 2 - 1953525165] Win95 FAT-32
2: 00 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 [ 0 - 0] unused
3: 00 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 [ 0 - 0] unused
4: 00 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 [ 0 - 0] unused
This looks like the Fdisk output. 😉
sorry my computer restarted for some reason and i dont remember what i selected i just pasted it.
Device Identifier: disk1
Device Node: /dev/disk1
Part of Whole: disk1
Device / Media Name: Seagate FA GoFlex Desk Media
Volume Name: Not applicable (no file system)
Mounted: Not applicable (no file system)
File System: None
Content (IOContent): FDisk_partition_scheme
OS Can Be Installed: No
Media Type: Generic
Protocol: USB
SMART Status: Not Supported
Total Size: 1.0 TB (1000204885504 Bytes) (exactly 1953525167 512-Byte-Units)
Volume Free Space: Not applicable (no file system)
Device Block Size: 512 Bytes
Read-Only Media: No
Read-Only Volume: Not applicable (no file system)
Ejectable: Yes
Whole: Yes
Internal: No
OS 9 Drivers: No
Low Level Format: Not supported
1. WININSATLL is usually created by Bootcamp Assistant where it puts the Windows ISO and Bootcamp Drivers on the disk. This is the Windows Installer, not the full OS.
2. With the Seagate connected, it shows no file system, and no volume name. When connected can you see files in Finder window. If yes, can you post a list of what is on that disk? It does not need to be the full list, just the top level directory will do.
no i see nothing at one poit i did but i dont remember what they are
Were you trying to install Windows via Bootcamp Assistant using the Seagate to store the installer, or,
Did you have a running Windows OS and programs on the external Seagate?
i never got the windows to work so their was just the installer.
Assuming your Mac is iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011) - Technical Specifications, it has a built-in Optical Drive. You need a 2-4GB USB Flash drive to hold the Bootcamp Drivers. You also need a Windows DVD to install Windows. The external Seagate is causing problems.
From Boot Camp 5.1: Frequently asked questions - Apple Support
Can I use a downloaded (ISO) version of Windows with Boot Camp?
MacBook Air (Mid 2011 and later), MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 and later, including Retina models), Mac mini (Mid 2011 and later), and iMac (Late 2012) can install downloaded (ISO) versions of Windows 7 and 8.
I get the no bootable disc message when i try to boot windows
