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SunnyLau175 Author

Level 1

4 points

How to fix "No bootable device, insert boot disk and press enter" ?

I tried to use Boot Camp Assistant to install Windows 7 to my Mac mini (mid-2011, i5 2.3Ghz, with most updated OS X Yosemite), and the Boot Camp Assistant formatted my USB drive and copied the ISO image of Windows 7 into it successfully. However, when the Mac mini automatically rebooted, it showed the message "No bootable device, insert boot disk and press enter". I tried to switch off the mac mini and hold down the alt/option button when I turned on it again, but no any menu appeared (only the same error message was displayed).

I also did some research on internet and found some experts indicated that the USB drive is using MBR (for old BIOS) rather than GPT, and UEFI only recognizes GPT, so it isn't bootable. Is that exactly the problem? The USB drive was formatted by Boot Camp Assistant actually, why would this happen?

Now I don't know how to fix this problem. I cannot boot into OS X now. Anyone can help?

Mac mini, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3), mid-2011, i5 2.3Ghz

Posted on Jun 13, 2015 10:17 PM

Top-ranking reply

SunnyLau175 Author

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Jun 13, 2015 10:53 PM

I tried all 4 USB ports and the error message "no bootable device, insert boot disk and press any key" still occurred.

I also checked the USB drive on other Windows PC and found the files can be read properly. It doesn't seem corrupted. If it is really corrupted, how can I solve the problem? At least I want to know how I can get back to the OS X.

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19 replies

SunnyLau175 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 19, 2015 6:19 AM in response to Loner T

No, only OS X is on my system now.

Bootcamp created a blank FAT32 partition for me to install Windows, but my mac cannot boot from the USB drive.

Loner T

Level 9

59,513 points

Jun 16, 2015 8:02 AM in response to SunnyLau175

1. What type of keyboard connection do you have?

2. Does OSX boot properly?

3. Does Command+Opt+R boot into Internet Recovery? Reference - OS X: About OS X Recovery - Apple Support .

Loner T

Level 9

59,513 points

Jun 14, 2015 7:51 AM in response to SunnyLau175

If you power cycle your Mac and hold the Alt Key, can you boot into OS X?

Loner T

Level 9

59,513 points

Jun 21, 2015 6:17 AM in response to SunnyLau175

Glad to see it all working. Hubs/KVMs cause issues as you found out. Usually BC drivers are silently and automatically installed. They can be repaired using USB2 built by BCA, if necessary.

How to fix "No bootable device, insert boot disk and press enter" ?