Boot Camp refuses to install Windows 10

Do not use W10 1809 (October Update). Try W10 1803 (April) first.

The Install.wim on W10 1809 exceeds the FAT32 limit of a 4GB file. FAT32 supports files of 4294967296 bytes or smaller.

There is supposed to be an update from Microsoft.

If

• You use a USB2 Flash drive and an ISO from Microsoft, BC Assistant will build an installer for you, or,
• insert a W10 DVD and connect a USB2 Flash drive, BC Assistant will build an installer for you.

If you check the Install option, it will also partition and try to install windows, provided you have a USB2 Flash installer built using the two options outlined.

The 'upgrade' used the 'virtual' environment, which is causing issues with the partition. If you try to boot the BC/Partition using System Preferences -> Startup Disks, what do you see?

Loner T, sorry for the late entry into this thread. I was running Windows 10 (probably 1803) fine on Boot Camp and Parallels. When on Parallels, 1809 came up as an option this week so I installed it. Works fine in Parallels but now I can't boot using Boot Camp.

My Windows/Boot Camp partition is NTFS so the 4GB limit shouldn't apply.

Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Ed

I normally boot into Windows using the Option/Alt key. I see the Windows partition and the boot starts, but dies rather quickly with no visible message.

Do you see a light black screen with a blinking cursor in the top left corner?

As for System Preference/Startup Disk, I only see the Mac partition.

If Parallels is running, Quit Parallels, and check if the BC/Windows partition shows up in Finder.

If I go into Boot Camp Assistant, it says I already have a Boot Camp partition and offers to remove it and Restore to a Single Partition.

This is normal and expected behavior on a Mac which has the disk already partitioned.

I'm not at home now so I can't comment on point 1, the cursor.

Parallels isn't running, yes I can see the NTFS formatted drive on my desktop.

Yes, I expected that behavior from BCA.

(I've been an Apple user since 1979, starting with my Apple ][. Stuck with them the entire time. Too bad I didn't purchase stock.)

When you have access to your Mac, select Windows and hold the Shift key when you hear the startup chime.

(I've been an Apple user since 1979, starting with my Apple ][. Stuck with them the entire time. Too bad I didn't purchase stock.)

I am a bit lagging there (1985) and Engineers do not buy stock. LOL.

First, I have a 2018 MBP so no startup chime. I did hold the Shift key when starting Windows with no luck. I gave up and backed out to 1803. I should have just done that from the start. :(

I'm glad I'm on a Mac most of the time.

When I tried to start in Boot Camp and it failed a couple more times, I gave up, went back to the Mac side and Parallels and Windows won't even start there. But there it did offer me the option to do a Feature rollback (via Advanced options). I took advantage and did the rollback. The problem is that it did rollback to the beginning of 1803 so now it's asking for all of the (cumulative) updates again.

Have I said I'm glad I spend most of my time on the Mac side? ;)

Loner T,

Your suggestion to use W10 1803 (April) worked for me. Just out of curiosity, can you explain why?

Don P

To clarify

• W10 1803 installed via Bootcamp
• Parallels imported the W10 1803 BC as a VM
• W10 1809 installed directly under Parallels, not when booted in Bootcamp/Windows.

Is that correct?

I doubt I started with W10 1803, was probably closer to 1607, but otherwise correct.

I never thought about "safe mode" for Windows. Good call.