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How to fix blackscreen Bootcamp after SSD install

Hello


I have an iMac mid 2011 21,5". I decided to boost it a little and that's when my issues started. Got no big problem to remove the optical drive, replace it with an SSD & add few gigs of RAM, but when I started to install windows 8.1 pro with bootcamp on the SSD, and keep the old HDD with MAC OSX I faced big issues.... (basically black screen with underscore blinking top left)

I read here, especially from Loner T, that it was expected, as Bootcamp was installing something in the NVram to tell the iMac to read the CD in SATA rather than in USB. I tried an EFI installation, but that was a bad idea, some devices were missing (sound card, classical) and there was some BSOD that made no sense 😟


So I read that one option would be to modify the plist file, and add the USB boot, and try to install Windows that way, but rather than doing that option that I found a bit unreasonable (I guess that if USB boot is disabled for bootcamp for mid2011, there's a reason...?) ; I launched Bootcamp from Mac OSx, downloaded the utils/drivers on the USB key, selected the SSD as target harddrive and when the iMac rebooted I shut it down, replaced back the optidrive instead of the SSD, and put the SSD instead of the old HDD. Fans were running loud/full speed as expected as the old HDD was not here with its thermal sensor, but at least, when I restarted, Windows 8.1 pro installation started, and went till completion without an issue.


I stopped everything, removed again the optidrive, and then but back the old hdd (for Fan issue + space matter) and put back the SSD at Optidrive space.

and then rebooted... and faced something unexpected.


At boot, I have again the blackscreen with underscore blinking...

If I press ALT at boot, I can choose Mac OSX that boots well and properly. But if I select my SSD with Windows detected, I have the black screen.


I wonder if everything is lost, or if it's just something to repair in the boot sequence...

I have to admit that this is way above my skills


if someone can help me, I made some sudo commands in yosemite, to share here and eventually find a solution...


diskutil list

/dev/disk0

#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER

0: GUID_partition_scheme *500.1 GB disk0

1: EFI EFI 209.7 MB disk0s1

2: Apple_HFS Mac OS X 59.6 GB disk0s2

3: Apple_Boot Recovery HD 650.0 MB disk0s3

/dev/disk1

#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER

0: GUID_partition_scheme *128.0 GB disk1

1: EFI EFI 209.7 MB disk1s1

2: Microsoft Basic Data BOOTCAMP 127.8 GB disk1s2



diskutil cs list No CoreStorage logical volume groups found



sudo gpt -vv -r show /dev/disk0 gpt show: /dev/disk0: mediasize=500107862016; sectorsize=512; blocks=976773168 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 976773167

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 116448792 2 GPT part - 48465300-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC

116858432 1269536 3 GPT part - 426F6F74-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC

118127968 858645167

976773135 32 Sec GPT table

976773167 1 Sec GPT header



sudo gpt -vv -r show /dev/disk1 gpt show: /dev/disk1: mediasize=128035676160; sectorsize=512; blocks=250069680 gpt show: /dev/disk1: Suspicious MBR at sector 0 gpt show: /dev/disk1: Pri GPT at sector 1 gpt show: /dev/disk1: Sec GPT at sector 250069679

start size index contents

0 1 MBR

1 1 Pri GPT header

2 32 Pri GPT table

34 6

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

409640 2008

411648 249657344 2 GPT part - EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7

250068992 655

250069647 32 Sec GPT table

250069679 1 Sec GPT header



sudo fdisk /dev/disk0

Disk: /dev/disk0 geometry: 60801/255/63 [976773168 sectors]

Signature: 0xAA55

Starting Ending

#: id cyl hd sec - cyl hd sec [ start - size]

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1: EE 1023 254 63 - 1023 254 63 [ 1 - 976773167] <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



sudo fdisk /dev/disk1

Disk: /dev/disk1 geometry: 15566/255/63 [250069680 sectors]

Signature: 0xAA55

Starting Ending

#: id cyl hd sec - cyl hd sec [ start - size]

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1: EE 1023 254 63 - 1023 254 63 [ 1 - 409639] <Unknown ID>

*2: 07 25 159 7 - 1023 254 63 [ 411648 - 249657344] HPFS/QNX/AUX

3: 00 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 [ 0 - 0] unused

4: 00 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 [ 0 - 0] unused



Thanks in advance !

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3), iMac 12,1 mid 2011 21,5"

Posted on May 4, 2015 1:06 PM

Reply
Question marked as Best reply

Posted on May 4, 2015 1:32 PM

Can you boot Windows from SSD when it is in the Main drive bay?


According to iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011) - Technical Specifications, there is an option to


Storage1

  • 2.5 GHz
    500GB (7200 rpm) hard drive
  • 2.7 GHz
    1TB (7200 rpm) hard drive
    Configurable to 2TB hard drive or 256GB solid-state second drive, only at the Apple Online Store.


Can you check if your iMac has a second SATA port in the main Bay?


Please see https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2428+Dual+Hard+ Drive+Kit/6434 for details.

7 replies
Question marked as Best reply

May 4, 2015 1:32 PM in response to Bilbotorm

Can you boot Windows from SSD when it is in the Main drive bay?


According to iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011) - Technical Specifications, there is an option to


Storage1

  • 2.5 GHz
    500GB (7200 rpm) hard drive
  • 2.7 GHz
    1TB (7200 rpm) hard drive
    Configurable to 2TB hard drive or 256GB solid-state second drive, only at the Apple Online Store.


Can you check if your iMac has a second SATA port in the main Bay?


Please see https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2428+Dual+Hard+ Drive+Kit/6434 for details.

May 4, 2015 1:32 PM in response to Loner T

I have to admit that I was not ready to open it again, especially as the ifixit guide tends to say that there's way more steps and things to unplug to reach that second optional SATA port for which I don't have the non standard power cable anyway 😟. I can really do it if you think that's the only way 😟 I was never using the superdrive, that's why I decided to remove it for good rather than hidding the SSD behind, but I will have to finally do it if there's no other way.


I could boot Windows on the SSD as main drive + optical superdrive back. I haven't tested the following :

SSD in main drive bay + old HDD in superdrive bay, as it does not fit and I could close the imac again.


Thanks for the prompt reply, really appreciated ; I hope there's a solution at hand... 🙂

May 4, 2015 2:58 PM in response to Loner T

Thank you for your answer.


I understand your point. I will try to check if I can get such specific power cable.


One point though, I really feel like the boot sequence is much at stake than the SATA speed. My crucial mx100 SSD really works well in both SATA 2 or SATA 3 as I saw in other computers, I really suspect a little trick to make it boot for good... 😟 and it works like a charm on MAC OSX (before I formatted it for bootcamp)


But if you see no issues in my install with the logs I provided in the first post, then I guess I run short in options 😟

May 9, 2015 8:32 AM in response to Loner T

Just wanted to close/update the topic. I received the iFixit SATA power cable, installed the SSD in addition of the optical drive (and not instead of) and all booted & ran properly. Nothing to change or update... Bootcamp is really not flexible at all...


anyway, problem solved, everything rox at SSD full speed and it gives a new youth to this iMac


thanks !

How to fix blackscreen Bootcamp after SSD install

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