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Q: Refresher - Windows 10 Boot Camp Installation - Error Remediation

Hey folks,

 

So I have continually run into and endlessly tried to trial-and-error troubleshoot to no avail.  I am resurrecting this topic to see if it helps other folks as I have finally gotten Windows 10 Enterprise to install and run in Boot Camp.

 

Error: I would run Boot Camp assistant. Every time I got into the Windows installation screen where you have to select the BOOTCAMP partition and format it to install Windows OS, the setup installer would throw an error after I performed the format. The error indicated something like "Windows cannot be installed on this partition". Something like that.

 

Trial and Error 1 (which did not work but got me past the partition/format hurdle): I noticed the filename of my Win10 ISO was very long.  And knowing that Windows has the filename length wonkiness, I shortened the name.  Result: I got past the format of the Boot Camp partition and the installation began.  Installation then stopped and threw an error something about "Not All Installation Files are present".

 

Back to troubleshooting.  What I knew I did not want to do was go into Disk Utility and create a live partition while I was in/using OSX.

 

The solution that worked for me (it might not for you, proceed at your own risk):

 

1. Kept the Boot Camp partition that I previously created (and previously formatted during Windows installation). I did NOT reverse out the partition in Boot Camp Assistant.  Remember to write down what you sized the Windows partition to be because you need to reference it later in these steps.

2. Used Microsoft's MediaCreationTool.exe to create a bootable USB to install Windows 10.

3. Inserted the USB into Mac.

4. Restarted OSX and performed the Option+Command+P+R (because I got the idea from another post - I am not entirely certain this did anything).

5. Waited for OSX second chime.

6. Held down the Option key.

7. Booted from the USB key (I think it displayed as "EFI Boot" in the boot options).

8. Windows Installation flash page started.

9. Went through the first couple Windows installation screens and got to the screen where you have to select the partition to install Windows on.

10.  Remember #1 above?  I found the partition that I sized using Boot Camp Assistant. For me it was Disk 4. Selected it, formatted it again, and installed.  For you, be careful to select what you created as the disk labels are no longer fully present like when Boot Camp Assistant walks you through the Windows Installation screens.

11. Installation fully worked.

 

Hope this helps.

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5), null

Posted on Sep 17, 2016 10:09 AM