Taelvin
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Install Windows 7 in Mid-2015 Macbook Pro

Good Afternoon All,

 

I am trying to install Windows 7 onto a Macbook Pro that bootcamp no longer supports putting Windows 7 onto. I have a Product Key for 7 and want to upgrade to Windows 10 but, unfortunately, Windows 7 has to be on the machine first. I used a friends Macbook Pro early 2011 to create a WININSTALL USB stick using their Bootcamp software (which permits Windows 7 because of his 2011 model) but when I reboot and hold the OPTION key it does not even recognize the stick. The only thing that is there is my Mac HD. Does anyone know of a method to get Windows 7 onto one of the new Macbook Pro's? I have moderate computer skills and can do some things in command line, use Xcode to modify files like bootcamps .plist, etc.

 

Thank you for your suggestions,

CB

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015), OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Sep 7, 2015 9:13 AM

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Taelvin

Q: Install Windows 7 in Mid-2015 Macbook Pro

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  • by Loner T,

    Loner T Loner T Sep 13, 2015 8:17 AM in response to Taelvin
    Level 7 (24,835 points)
    Safari
    Sep 13, 2015 8:17 AM in response to Taelvin

    Your BCD is corrupt. Use Bootrec.exe and repair BCD or use EasyBCD.

     

    Please see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/927392?wa=wsignin1.0 .

  • by Taelvin,

    Taelvin Taelvin Sep 13, 2015 9:12 AM in response to Loner T
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 13, 2015 9:12 AM in response to Loner T

    There is no way for me to run either Bootrec.exe or EasyBCD. I do not have a Windows 10 disk to boot into a relevant RE to run bootrec.exe and EasyBCD requires a working windows installation to run its .exe. I tried to create a Windows 10 Recovery CD from:

     

    https://neosmart.net/blog/2015/windows-10-recovery-cd-free/

     

    I used DD to burn the ISO to a USB stick but it wouldn't show up in ALT/Option. Are there any linux Recovery USB you think could do this? The only thing I can boot into now is MacOSX as the first thing the windows partition goes to is the blue screen pictured above.

  • by Loner T,

    Loner T Loner T Sep 13, 2015 9:59 AM in response to Taelvin
    Level 7 (24,835 points)
    Safari
    Sep 13, 2015 9:59 AM in response to Taelvin

    Is it possible for you to recreate the Windows Installer using BCA and use the Repair Option which is part of the Installer?

  • by Taelvin,

    Taelvin Taelvin Sep 13, 2015 10:09 AM in response to Loner T
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 13, 2015 10:09 AM in response to Loner T

    When I open BCA in MacOS there are only three options: create install disk, Download Windows Support drivers, Remove Windows 8 or later. Do you mean create a new install USB disk from the Windows 10 ISO? Then do I boot up and try to select the EFI disk and go from there?

  • by Loner T,

    Loner T Loner T Sep 13, 2015 10:46 AM in response to Taelvin
    Level 7 (24,835 points)
    Safari
    Sep 13, 2015 10:46 AM in response to Taelvin

    Use only Option 1 and 2, create a USB Installer from W10. Before you run Repair, on the screen that you see with F8, did you just use F8, or did you try Fn+F8, Shift+F8 or Shift+Fn+F8? Please try all of them and check if Advanced Options is available.

  • by Taelvin,

    Taelvin Taelvin Sep 13, 2015 11:09 AM in response to Loner T
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 13, 2015 11:09 AM in response to Loner T

    I can get into Advanced options by hitting f8 but once I'm in there none of the options listed will work it just goes back to the first screen pictured in the prior post. I have tried hitting f1-6, Fn+F1-6, Shift+F1-6, Shift+Fn+F1-6, and none of them get the selected options to do anything. Bootlogging, safe boot, safe boot with networking, etc none of it will start up. Hitting their options just take you to the main blue screen.

  • by Loner T,

    Loner T Loner T Sep 13, 2015 11:14 AM in response to Taelvin
    Level 7 (24,835 points)
    Safari
    Sep 13, 2015 11:14 AM in response to Taelvin

    Instead of using Function keys or special keys, can you use cursor keys, and get to the option you want and press Enter/Return?

     

    Please see http://www.howtogeek.com/220986/how-to-use-all-of-windows-10’s-backup-and-recove ry-tools/ .

  • by Taelvin,

    Taelvin Taelvin Sep 13, 2015 11:16 AM in response to Loner T
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 13, 2015 11:16 AM in response to Loner T

    The cursor does let you scroll. I thought the same thing and scrolled down to Safe Boot and disable device signature and they all did the same thing. Screen flashes back to main blue screen pictured in prior post. :-/

  • by Loner T,

    Loner T Loner T Sep 13, 2015 11:18 AM in response to Taelvin
    Level 7 (24,835 points)
    Safari
    Sep 13, 2015 11:18 AM in response to Taelvin

    Can you get to the command prompt?

  • by Taelvin,

    Taelvin Taelvin Sep 13, 2015 11:19 AM in response to Loner T
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 13, 2015 11:19 AM in response to Loner T

    It wasn't one of the listed options. Is there another way?

  • by Taelvin,

    Taelvin Taelvin Sep 13, 2015 12:46 PM in response to Loner T
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 13, 2015 12:46 PM in response to Loner T

    I made the install USB with BCA. It shows up as an EFI disk at ALT/Option. It opened up to Windows 10 install I did not see an option to do recovery so I clicked ahead like I was going to set up Windows 10 again and when I got to the screen where you select the partition I selected bootcamp and it said that it could not install Windows 10 there because it was using a MBR and not GPT. I rebooted into MacOSX and opened Winclone and selected Bootcamp partition and then selected "Make EFI Bootable" thinking "WTH if it breaks I'll just re-install." It performed the action and then I rebooted and selected Windows at ALT/Option.

     

    It successfully booted into Windows 10 partition. I installed the Bootcamp drivers. And I go to check on my activation and sure enough it has been de-activated with the error that the ProductID has been locked. No option to call or anything. Apparently a Tier II microsoft support agent is going to call me and maybe he will help me get it activated again but my last experience with support they simply said "You need to re-install Windows 7 and do the upgrade process to Windows 10 again with the new hardware in" when I told them I upgraded the RAM.

     

    Long story short...You can get Windows 7 on a 2015 macbook bootcamp partition using Winclone but you can't access it without a VM. Unfortunately, a VM like parallels doesn't mirror your actual hardware in the Macbook (it virtualizes processor, memory, etc). So even if you can get Windows 7 upgraded to Windows 10 using Parallels, once you boot into Windows 10 Bootcamp using ALT/Option and not Parallels the activation of Windows 10 gets disabled because it detects a change in hardware.

     

    Unless there is a way to use a VM that mirrors the hardware in the Macbook Pro 2015 entirely so that when the upgrade from Win7 to Win10 is completed it doesn't detect a change in hardware then there is no way to get a free Windows 10 upgrade on a 2015 Macbook Pro unless you are upgrading from Win8.1 (which the 2015 macbook pro permits).

  • by Loner T,

    Loner T Loner T Sep 13, 2015 1:50 PM in response to Taelvin
    Level 7 (24,835 points)
    Safari
    Sep 13, 2015 1:50 PM in response to Taelvin

    You can try and get a W8.1 Winclone copy from the 2011 Mac.

  • by Taelvin,

    Taelvin Taelvin Sep 13, 2015 2:23 PM in response to Loner T
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 13, 2015 2:23 PM in response to Loner T

    I would need a Win8.1 Product Key in order to have a valid upgrade to Windows 10. Yes I wouldn't need to use parallels with Win8.1 but without a product key you aren't eligible or the free upgrade to Windows 10 and the only product key I have is for Win7. And since both Win8.1 and Win10 costs the same new now you might as well just purchase the new Win10 product key.

     

    Thanks for all your troubleshooting help though Loner T. Any way I can still give you points or something for the support?

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