Boot Camp Assistant 6.0.1 not installing Windows 10 ISO? Asks for USB?

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Level 1

8 points

Boot Camp Assistant 6.0.1 not installing Windows 10 ISO? Asks for USB?

Hey guys, so I bought this Mac Mini back in September and installed Windows 10 through an iso image on it. The problem occurred when everything started to lag. Like I am talking everything crashing.. Even Finder. So I reinstalled everything lost some of my data because it didn't transfer to the Back Up Hard Drive correctly either. Anyways, now I am on El Capitan and I cannot install Windows 10 ISO images. It is constantly asking me to have a USB Drive when before it did not.

Is anyone else having these issues? I don't really have a USB drive, just one gigantic 5 TB Hard Drive.

Mac mini, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Jan 22, 2016 1:40 PM

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Answer 1

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jan 22, 2016 1:51 PM in response to jazibh

1. What year is the Mini?

2. Yosemite and El Capitan differ in the BCA UI.

3. Was W10 installed as an in-place upgrade to an existing W7/W8+ installation using the ISO? Are you now trying a clean install?

4. Your Mac can use either an external Optical drive or a USB (or both) to install W10.

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Answer 2

jazibh Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 22, 2016 3:00 PM in response to Loner T

Here is a link to my 'About This Mac': http://prntscr.com/9tkiwf

I installed Windows 10 with an ISO regularly myself. It only occurred after I reinstalled OS X. I think I erased OSXReserved Partition when I was reinstalling OS X. I don't know if that's supposed to be created already or what not. All I know is I was able to do this before and now I am not. Which makes me very sad because all I want to do is stream my Xbox to my Computer. 😐

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Answer 3

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jan 22, 2016 4:31 PM in response to jazibh

Which physical device contained the ISO when you installed W10?

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Answer 4

jazibh Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 22, 2016 4:42 PM in response to Loner T

It was in Downloads... So the internal hard drive. I am able to do the same exact thing on the iMac that i used to be able to do on my mac mini...

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Answer 5

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jan 22, 2016 4:52 PM in response to jazibh

So you have a Windows ISO in Downloads when booted in MAC OS X side and you double-clicked on the ISO to install Windows - is that correct?

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Answer 6

jazibh Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 22, 2016 5:21 PM in response to Loner T

At first, I didn't mount the iso and tried it. Then i mounted the iso and tried it. The issue was the same, it wouldn't let me install Windows.

I wonder if asking obvious questions is how you got your posts so high. Before you ask, I did try to talk to the Apple Representative over the phone (who suggested that i should mount the iso and it "will" work - tells me they were uncertain about what the heck was going on with my computer to begin with), then I reinstalled the entire Operating System to see if that would work (TWICE) it did me no good but it was worth a try.

I ONLY have Mac El Capitan installed. Before El Capitan, I had installed Windows with just iso...

[before = Yosemite] I installed Windows on Yosemite. As you may be able to tell, this issue has me all kinds of aggravated. I can't find an answer and its my first Mac. Here is what Boot Camp looks like by the way. I have another iMac that says something else otherwise.

http://prntscr.com/9tm36j

Instead of Create Install Disk for Windows 8, its saying Windows 7. Before it said Windows 8...

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Answer 7

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jan 22, 2016 5:33 PM in response to jazibh

You cannot use the ISO mounted/or unmounted when booted in Mac OSX to install Windows. The appropriate method is documented in How to install Windows using Boot Camp - Apple Support . The entire process is documented - https://help.apple.com/bootcamp/assistant/6.0/ .

When booted in MAC OSX, you run Application -> Utilities -> Bootcamp Assistant. It may or may not ask you for a USB to create an installer depending on the model of your Mac and whether it has a built-in Optical drive or not. Yosemite and El Capitan behave differently. BCA will prompt for you for the location of the ISO and create an installer, if necessary, on a USB, on the internal drive (OSXRESERVED) or ask you for a physical DVD.

Once you have provided all the prerequisites, it will partition your internal disk, and boot the installer from appropriate media. Do not connect any external storage unless you are prompted by BCA. Do not mount the ISO, because it cause BCA failures. Using a Wireless connection causes download issues for support software that is needed by Windows.

Is this the process you followed to install Windows? Do not compare different versions of MAC OS X. BC5 and BC6 are very different.

Whoever in Apple support mentioned that the ISO must be "mounted" may not know what exactly your issue is. And it is obvious that such advice did not solve your problem. Unless you provide very specific information about your issue, obvious questions must be asked.

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Answer 8

jazibh Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 22, 2016 8:20 PM in response to Loner T

On El Capitan 11.10.1 (or 2), I had the ability to install from the Boot Camp without needing a USB - that is a fact. Boot Camp was also not saying anything about Windows 7, it specifically said Windows 8 OR above. This makes me question whether when I reinstall El Capitan, when I erased my entire Macintosh HD drive, it possibly removed the OSReserved Partition as well making boot camp think I am on a not supported Mac and then requiring a USB Installer. If I can manually create the partition and see what happens, I'd love to. Actually I am going to try it. I am screwed either ways. 😐 I'll go buy a USB as a worst case scenario but its just ******* me off how a fresh reinstall doesn't really reset anything.

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Answer 9

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jan 23, 2016 6:25 AM in response to jazibh

There were changes made to BCA between two different releases.

From one of links I posted earlier... https://help.apple.com/bootcamp/assistant/6.0/#/bcmp173b3bf2

Install Windows on your Mac without using a USB hard drive or flash drive

Depending on the model of your Mac, you might not need an external USB drive to install Windows (you’re asked for one when you prepare your Mac for Windows if it’s required).

Between 10.11 and 10.11.2, the model list has been changed. If BCA asks for a USB, give it one to work with. I do not see any value in arguing that it used work in one way and now it works differently. For example, on a 2012 MBP (notice the version of El Capitan).

OSXRESERVED is created on supported Macs, every time you want to install Windows. The model that allows a USB Installer, can avoid downloading the same software more than once. It is a more efficient solution, but Apple wanted to avoid people copying drivers between models and cause more issues, so newer models no longer support the creation of the installer, but still support downloading the BC drivers differently (and using two different options).

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