bootcamp not installing windows 8.1

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bootcamp not installing windows 8.1

hey guys i have been trying to install windows 8.1 on my macbook pro early 2011 which is running yosemite but whenever i turn on my mac and pressing alt key for the options , the options that i get are macintosh hd(my yosemite) , revovery , efi boot(which isnt working as i am not able to install windows in the bootcamp partition as it is mbr partition table and not gpt) so i have tried many other ways to make my sd card 3.0 an bootable pendrive but everytime the result is efi boot which just doesnt work then i tried to install windows xp of which i was having an cd and the option came in the alt option menu (wint an disc icon) AND GUESS WHAT IT INSTALLED ON THAT SAME BOOTCAMP PARTITION!!!!!! which i had burnt using disk utility(i had an .iso and burnt it on an black cd and made it windows xp) ...... so my question is why the heck it doesnt work when it comes to my sd card(usb 3.0) does my macbook 2011 support only cds and dvd???? PLEASE REPLY FAST I AM TIRED OF TRYING TO SOLVE THIS.........

PS:I have seen many photos in which when they press alt key for the options there were 4 of them (macintosh,recovery,windows,efi boot)..........SO WHY THE HECK DIDNT I GET ANY WINDOWS OPTION AND ONLY GOT THE EFI BOOT

PLZ RPLY

Posted on Aug 28, 2015 9:01 AM

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Answer 1

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Loner T

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Aug 28, 2015 9:11 AM in response to neverdue1

1. Do not use a SD card. It is not supported for Windows installation, because the Installer does not have a SD Card driver. The SD Card driver is installed after Windows is fully installed when BC drivers get installed.

2. WXP does not support EFI, so the partition which is a BIOS/MBR partition happily will install from DVD.

3. Your Mac is not a full UEFI-compliant Mac, which can cause partial or malfunctioning installations. Drivers may not work.

4. Since your Mac has a built-in Optical drive, Windows 7/8 should be installed using a physical DVD. Using Bootcamp info.plist modifications will lead to further issues, like black screens, no bootable device, or driver issues or BSODs.

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Answer 2

neverdue1 Author

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Aug 28, 2015 9:30 AM in response to Loner T

so my best shot is to burn the .iso of windows 8.1 to an dvd-r dl (or something) like i did with my windows xp , so then will there be no issues with this efi boot? and also can you tell me what option i will see in the alt/option menu when i insert an disc will it be something like windows or something that i would name it and also i need to select it and not the efi boot right?

Loner T THANKS MAN FOR SUCH AN QUICK RPLY

Thx in advance

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Answer 3

Loner T

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Aug 28, 2015 10:25 AM in response to neverdue1

The Option you select should say Windows with a CD/DVD symbol. Do not select EFI under any circumstances. If the ISO is less than 4.7Gb, you can use a DVD-R SL.

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Answer 4

neverdue1 Author

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Aug 28, 2015 10:39 AM in response to Loner T

yeah my .iso file is 3.9 gb , but you have suggested dvd-r sl whose capacity is almost 4.7 to 5 gb , so my question(another one) is when it would be burnt on an disc wont it increase in size as it is in compressed form in the .iso file so do you think 4.7gb would be enough for an 3.9 gb .iso

thanks for answering all my questions,you are the best dude!!

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Answer 5

Loner T

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Aug 28, 2015 10:52 AM in response to neverdue1

The ISO files are usually never compressed. There are exact disk images. They will occupy the same amount of disk space on the physical disk as well. You can verify this by creating an ISO from your Windows XP DVD. Please see Create an ISO image for Boot Camp from Windows installation media - Apple Support .

DMGs can be compressed and read-only or read-write.

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Answer 6

neverdue1 Author

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Aug 28, 2015 9:39 PM in response to Loner T

so even if i use an pendrive (bootable pendrive) will it not work like the sd card??

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Answer 7

Loner T

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Aug 30, 2015 11:21 AM in response to neverdue1

A USB Flash drive and SD card are different from an installation perspective. Please use a USB2 flash drive, if possible.

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Answer 8

neverdue1 Author

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Aug 30, 2015 11:26 AM in response to Loner T

So if i use an usb pendrive 2.0 it may work as an bootable disc on my macbook 2011 and no problem with that efi boot option?

So like there would be an different option in the alt/option menu for my pendrive?

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Answer 9

Loner T

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Aug 30, 2015 11:33 AM in response to neverdue1

On a 2011 Mac, you cannot use a USB Installer. You also cannot use EFI Boot. You will need to use the built-in Optical drive. Is the Optical drive working?

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Answer 10

neverdue1 Author

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Aug 30, 2015 11:35 AM in response to Loner T

Optical drive is drive in which we put our discs like cds and dvds right yeah it works

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Answer 11

Loner T

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Aug 30, 2015 11:38 AM in response to neverdue1

Yes. Burn your Windows ISO to a physical DVD-R SL/DL disk with block verification on and the burn rate matching the physical media and test.

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Answer 12

neverdue1 Author

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Aug 30, 2015 11:39 AM in response to Loner T

Yeah i have ordered some dvd-sl and when they arrive i would burn the iso using disk utility

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Answer 13

neverdue1 Author

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Sep 12, 2015 8:37 AM in response to neverdue1

Hey i know uts been long but i need some help here the problem is i got a dvd and burned the .iso to it and it was completed successfully but when i go in the alt/option menu while booting my disc doesnt come up and i dont know the problem could anyone help me with this

Thanks

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Answer 14

Loner T

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Sep 12, 2015 10:48 AM in response to neverdue1

1. What did you use to burn the ISO to the DVD?

2. Can you see files in the Finder when the DVD is inserted?

3. If you right-click on the DVD, and Get Info, can you post a screen shot?

4. Was the burn rate of the burn lower or the same as supported by the media?

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Answer 15

neverdue1 Author

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Sep 12, 2015 1:17 PM in response to Loner T

The Answers:

1. i used disk utility to burn it

2. yes,when i insert the disc after burning in my optical drive and double click on the dvd icon i see the contents of the dvd which are read only (as it was an dvd-r)

4.Now here is the thing , i got an dvd of an local brand and i mean (literally local and cheap) so at first i tried to burnt at the rate of 8x (didn't work:error message) so reduced it even smaller burn rates but only 2x burn rate worked and after the iso was burnt it showed an success message and the disc ejected (btw the company of the disc is moserbaer)

3.the screenshot :-

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