cant partition a usb thumb drive for boot camp

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cant partition a usb thumb drive for boot camp

My daughter has a MacBook Pro (bought on line second hand) which I have upgraded to El Capitan prior to begining to install Win8 via boot camp. After updating to El Capitan, I downloaded the new documentation re this install.

When I : Finder, Applications, Boot Camp, continue, - a window comes up "save windows support Software", (shows media correctly identified), then choose continue, then window re "Please format the USB drive as a single FAT partition".

So I close back to Applications and choose "Disk Utility". External comes up as UNTITLED with no partition. Partition option grayed out.

So, choose Erase, Format: OS X Extended (Journaled) and Scheme: Master Boot Record - click Erase.

Still no partition option available. I have tried with other format and scheme settings.

This is a second hand, refurbished corporate macbook pro and has some apps unavailable as the previous Apple I.D. not being known. (Is there a way around this also ?)

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.3)

Posted on Feb 6, 2016 11:52 PM

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Answer 1

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OGELTHORPE

Level 9

57,305 points

Feb 7, 2016 3:44 AM in response to herbie48

Bootcamp cannot be installed and run on an external HDD. You would have to run Windows externally in a VM environment.

herbie48 wrote:

This is a second hand, refurbished corporate macbook pro and has some apps unavailable as the previous Apple I.D. not being known. (Is there a way around this also ?)

You should erase the HDD and reinstall the original OSX. That way the MBP will be associated with your daughters ID and you will be able to update any and all applications. Read these guidelines:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201065

Ciao.

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Answer 2

herbie48 Author

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Feb 7, 2016 1:09 PM in response to OGELTHORPE

I am not trying to install or run boot camp on an external. Boot camp is asking for a usb device to download windows drivers to but it requires a formatted partition on that device. Please re read my previous post in lit of this !

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Answer 3

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Feb 7, 2016 4:12 PM in response to herbie48

herbie48 wrote:

So, choose Erase, Format: OS X Extended (Journaled) and Scheme: Master Boot Record - click Erase.

Still no partition option available. I have tried with other format and scheme settings.

Please see

The USB must be an MBR and FAT (FAT32). It should have only one single, contiguous partition.

This is a second hand, refurbished corporate macbook pro and has some apps unavailable as the previous Apple I.D. not being known. (Is there a way around this also ?)

Yes, delete such apps, and re-download/re-install them under the current, known Apple ID.

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Answer 4

herbie48 Author

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Feb 7, 2016 11:16 PM in response to Loner T

Ok, so done all that again and same result - I see "External" and only the second line (i think because it is the one with the up arrow). I have tried many thumb drives 8gb or bigger.

Now I have just connected one that is straight from the shop, a few files copied on, and it appears as yours does. All the previous ones have had use and may have been formated at various times. So that works, but why dont the others ? what is the solution there ?

And the App problem solved thanks !

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Answer 5

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Feb 8, 2016 6:38 AM in response to herbie48

Connect one USB that does not work to your Mac, and from OS X Terminal, post the output of the following command.

diskutil list

Computers are literal beasts. 😉

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Answer 6

herbie48 Author

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Feb 8, 2016 11:34 PM in response to Loner T

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Answer 7

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Feb 9, 2016 2:48 PM in response to herbie48

Please be careful with the following OSX Terminal command and pick the correct disk.

diskutil eraseDisk fat32 NONAME MBR disk2

Please post the screen output of this command.

Here is the syntax help.

diskutil eraseDisk

Usage: diskutil eraseDisk format name [APM[Format]|MBR[Format]|GPT[Format]]

MountPoint|DiskIdentifier|DeviceNode

Completely erase an existing whole disk. All volumes on this disk will be

destroyed. Ownership of the affected disk is required.

Format is the specific file system name you want to erase it as (HFS+, etc.).

Name is the (new) volume name (subject to file system naming restrictions),

or can be specified as %noformat% to skip initialization (newfs).

You cannot erase the boot disk.

Example: diskutil eraseDisk JHFS+ UntitledUFS disk3

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