"No bootable device" error while attempting to install Windows 8 via USB.

Question

"No bootable device" error while attempting to install Windows 8 via USB.

I have a 2012 MacBook Pro, 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7 processor, with 8GB of RAM running OS X Yosemite 10.10.3. I am using a PNY 16GB flash drive to install Windows 8. I have no issue running through BCA, but each time Windows is installed, I find the error of "no bootable device." I have done a fair amount of research, but none of the discussions I have found have helped fix my issue.

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012), OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on Jun 30, 2015 2:18 PM

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Answer 1

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jun 30, 2015 2:28 PM in response to charlestollejr

1. You need to ensure that your USB is a USB2 device, not a USB3.

2. I have seen issues in the past with PNY flash drives. Do you have a different brand you can test with?

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Answer 2

Jul 1, 2015 2:40 AM in response to Loner T

It is indeed a USB 2.0. I forgot to add, I have used this drive to install a previous version of Windows in the past and it has worked. I received the copy of Windows for free as it is something I need for some college courses I am taking. The file, when dowloaded, reads the name, "Windows 8 (x64) - DVD (English)." Do you think my issue could be that the file requires to be installed through a DVD rather than a flash drive?

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Answer 3

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jul 1, 2015 4:10 AM in response to charlestollejr

A 2012 MBP will allow either an ISO+USB or DVD based installation. If you run BCA and see an option to create a USB installer and your Mac has an Optical drive, either method will work. Can you verify the integrity of the iSO file with the source using Microsoft FCIV tool or any other tool which can generate MD5 or SHA1 for the ISO?

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Answer 4

Jul 1, 2015 10:56 AM in response to Loner T

I am not exactly sure what that means, but I did some research and downloaded a Mac program called "ff_md5drop." This was the information that was given to me after running the file: 0E:8F:21:99:FA:E1:8F:E5:10:C2:34:26:E6:8F:67:5A.

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Answer 5

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jul 1, 2015 11:12 AM in response to charlestollejr

This is the MD5 of the file that you have. The source from where you obtained the file should have an authoritative MD5 as well. These should match. If they do not, then the version you have is corrupted during the download process.

You can run md5 using the OSX Terminal command openssl md5 <FileName> without using any third party utility.

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Answer 6

Jul 1, 2015 1:23 PM in response to Loner T

I could locate the MD5 from the source that I used. I will attempt to download another copy and run the process again. Also, thank you for the information on terminal commands. In my research, the guides had not included that "openssl" was needed before the rest of the command.

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Answer 7

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jul 1, 2015 1:53 PM in response to charlestollejr

If the ISO was created from a physical DVD that you have, then you can match the md5 of the ISO with the md5 of the DVD. If the ISO was downloaded from an external source, the verification of your md5 should be done by asking the vendor to provide an authoritative md5.

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Answer 8

Jul 1, 2015 2:54 PM in response to Loner T

Okay, sounds good. The vendor is Microsoft, through their DreamSpark program for academic institutions. You would think they would have the MD5 posted somewhere, but I will just have to contact them myself.

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