3TB Fusion and Bootcamp?

Hi,
I noticed this on the Fusion support page:
Note: Boot Camp Assistant is not supported at this time on 3TB hard drive configurations.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5446
I spend most of my time in Windows as opposed to Mac O/S. Can I use the bootcamp to atleast run a 2TB partition on the 3TB Fusion drive or it totally wont work?
If I decide to go for the 1 TB Fusion drive instead does the 128gb SSD "cache" work under windows 7 and 8? Basically is this hardware or software based. My main cimplaint with the current non-SSD IMAC is that the HD is very slow and so wnated something faster when I upgraded.
Finally, could I just install Windows 7/8 natively on the hardware? Seems this would be the better solution than any kind of emulation.
Thanks in advance

No you Cannot natively just install Windows on a Mac. It will not run. You have to have OS X installed first and then run Windows through Bootcamp or a virtualization app like Parallels.
Hope this helps

Similar Messages

Parallels/VM Fusion and BootCamp compatibility

I have a MacBook running Tiger (10.4.10) which has been partitioned via BootCamp so that it also runs Windows XP.
I'm now considering also getting Parallels or Fusion so I can switch back & forth between the two platforms without a reboot, and understand that I will have to add another gig of memory to this laptop in order to have 2 gig available. (This is the "middle" MacBook of the three.)
My question: I just bought a new (on disc) copy of Windows XP so I could install it via BootCamp. Would I have to buy ANOTHER XP to use with Parallels/Fusion, or can they work with the one I already have on this machine? (Don't much like the idea of having to fork out twice for the same OS on the same computer.)
I will be very grateful if someone can answer this for me, so I know whether to go ahead with a virtual programme or not. Many thanks -

I have read that -
Parallels was making it possible to activate under Parallels again, but would be able to use both, if using XP but maybe not Vista which is where Microsoft supports Business or Ultimate but treats a VM as a normal license activation.
You should be okay, but check forums.parallels.com and www.vmware.com fusion forums and you could try out Fusion 1.1 beta which is what I was using.

Parallels, Fusion AND bootcamp

Hello there,
I have installed both, parallels (last version) and fusion.
Both can use boot camp, if you have already windows running.
The problem is, when i start the virtual machine (parallels or fusion), i'm stuck on the windows xp user login because it does'n recon the mouse or keyboard.
Does anyone knows anything about this?
I have a mac pro.
thanks

Try the Parallels or VMWare forums:
http://forums.parallels.com
http://www.vmware.com/community/forum.jspa?forumID=371

3TB fusion drive and bootcamp

Hi everyone, I know there have be multiple posts on this, however I have a late 2013 iMac with OS X 10.9. I know Apple states support for bootcamp with a 3TB fusion drive from 10.8.3 fowards, however I wish to install Windows 8.1 pro from a full DVD using an external disk drive. All is good for partitioning and then when the mac reboots, it shows an apple (usual boot screen) and the a while after, it shows a "cannot do" sign that looks like (\).
Can anyone please tell me what I have done wrong or how to prevent this?
Thanks

Hi Chris:
I am afraid I can't help you, but I hope you can help me. I have been trying to install Win 7 using Boot camp assistant on my new iMac 27 (OS X 10.9) 1 TB HD and I haven't been able to get past the formatting. After 15 hours I still have a white screen, no Apple logo, or any indication that anything is running.
How long did it take you to format your 3 TB drive and what screen did you see when it was formatting? Did you also get a blank white screen?
Thanks.

Boot camp and 3tb fusion drive

I am planning on buying a new iMac 27" with a 3TB fusion drive. Will I be able to install Windows 8.1 64Bit using boot camp?

In theory yes. In practice there seem to be problems with 3TB drives. Have a mooch about and see what others have reported.

Bootcamp doesn't support on my iMac 3TB Fusion

My new Imac with 3TB Fusion drive, try to install windows by using Bootcamp, however it doesn't support. Will apple have a solution soon?

Double check that the card works in your camera.
Allan

Win 8.1, iMac Retina 3TB Fusion, Yosemite, Boot Camp fail!

I've got a new iMac Retina with the 3TB Fusion drive on which I wanted to install Win 8.1 using Boot Camp. I have VMWare Fusion installed and running, but figured Boot Camp might be better for my needs.
I read the Boot Camp Assistant instructions and it looked like it would be pretty easy to install Win 8.1. WRONG!
I hooked up a USB HD for the driver download, hooked up the USB Apple DVD drive with the Win 8.1 installer, and started up Boot Camp Assistant.
Assistant downloaded the drivers, created the BOOTCAMP partition, then I got into the Win 8.1 installer. Reached a screeching halt when the installer got to the point of selecting where Win 8.1 would be installed. Got the error message about BOOTCAMP partition not being an NTFS drive.
Only one button "Format" to click to make the format NTFS. Confirmed I wanted to format, saw a brief spinning wheel, then supposedly formatting was done. Now Drive 1 Partition 4 lost the "BOOTCAMP" name and displayed no name. The "Next" button wouldn't do anything. I was stuck!
So no go on installing Win 8.1! Booting back into Yosemite and opening Disk Utility I see the Boot Camp partition, now named "untitled," identified as an NTSF volume!
I see a number of posts here where by using Terminal it is possible to work around problems with Fusion drives and Boot Camp.
My solution was to start Boot Camp Assistant and select the third option on the first screen to remove the Boot Camp partition. Well at least that worked!!! So I'm back to ground zero!
For now I think I'll just surrender and wait for Apple to figure out how somebody, who doesn't want to dig deep into the bowels of Fusion drives via Terminal, can install Win 8.1 on a 3TB Fusion drive (or any Fusion Drive?).

Thanks Loner T for your response. I don't have any third party NFTS software. At this point I don't think it is worth the effort to attempt to do anything complicated.
I did take some screen grabs and photos as I went through the install for the fourth or fifth time.
1) Disk Utility before start:
2) Create the Windows partition:
3) Initial Windows partitions:
4) Windows message on why can't install
5) Hit the "Format" button, and get this confirmation:
6) Results in partition name getting wiped, and still no active "Next" button:
7) Still can't install Windows, hit "Show Details" and get this error message.
8) Another attempt to "Format" results in the same problem. Still can't install. Boot back into Yosemite. Here's what Disk Utility now shows -- an "untitled" NTFS volume:
Here's the finder window showing the "untitled" volume:
The NTFS partition is there, but the Win 8.1 installer can't use it. Yes, it makes no sense, but that's what is going on!
Here's info from Terminal on CS I see used here if it helps any:
iMac-Retina:~ victor$ diskutil list
/dev/disk0
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *121.3 GB   disk0
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
   2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         121.0 GB   disk0s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Boot OS X               134.2 MB   disk0s3
/dev/disk1
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *3.0 TB     disk1
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk1s1
   2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         2.8 TB     disk1s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk1s3
   4:       Microsoft Basic Data                         198.9 GB   disk1s4
/dev/disk2
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                  Apple_HFS iMac Retina HD         *2.9 TB     disk2
                                 Logical Volume on disk0s2, disk1s2
                                 5A16E295-8476-4500-A588-7DE44FE207B4
                                 Unencrypted Fusion Drive
iMac-Retina:~ victor$ diskutil cs list
CoreStorage logical volume groups (1 found)
|
+-- Logical Volume Group 26BFCEFD-67DB-4AAE-BA18-4CC5EC205697
    =========================================================
    Name:         Macintosh HD
    Status:       Online
    Size:         2921855311872 B (2.9 TB)
    Free Space:   114688 B (114.7 KB)
    |
    +-< Physical Volume 88BDD48F-B9A0-42F9-A05A-26B828B211C9
    |   ----------------------------------------------------
    |   Index:    0
    |   Disk:     disk0s2
    |   Status:   Online
    |   Size:     120988852224 B (121.0 GB)
    |
    +-< Physical Volume BEDB41F3-F2BC-4F31-B08F-A4B3E476A153
    |   ----------------------------------------------------
    |   Index:    1
    |   Disk:     disk1s2
    |   Status:   Online
    |   Size:     2800866459648 B (2.8 TB)
    |
    +-> Logical Volume Family 536F7EC4-2FC3-4878-989E-233DF25AE1E7
        Encryption Status:       Unlocked
        Encryption Type:         None
        Conversion Status:       NoConversion
        Conversion Direction:    -none-
        Has Encrypted Extents:   No
        Fully Secure:            No
        Passphrase Required:     No
        |
        +-> Logical Volume 5A16E295-8476-4500-A588-7DE44FE207B4
            Disk:                  disk2
            Status:                Online
            Size (Total):          2915999940608 B (2.9 TB)
            Conversion Progress:   -none-
            Revertible:            No
            LV Name:               iMac Retina HD
            Volume Name:           iMac Retina HD
            Content Hint:          Apple_HFS
iMac-Retina:~ victor$
Unless you see a simple solution, it's not worth the hassle at this point for me.
Thanks for your interest.

Can Windows 7 be installed using the latest version of boot camp on 3TB fusion iMac drive?

I have tried unsuccessfully several times to install an .ISO version of 64-bit Windows 7 SP1 on my late 2012 iMac, equipped with a 3TB fusion drive. My proposed Windows partition, set up under boot camp assistant from the utility folder, is well under the 2.2TB size limit. I have carefully followed all the prescribed steps using the latest available software mounted on a FAT USB thumb drive.
The install fails, however. early on when Windows fails to recognize the requested partition situated in the fourth slot. I get an error message that the partition can't be found. ("Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition.") I have picked the partition labled "BOOTCAMP."
After booting back on the Apple side, the disk utility shows the partition as being there formatted as a FAT install.
Apple has an update release with the 10.8.3 version of OS X that says this bug has been addressed and should now work.
I would greatly appreciate some help.

I have tried unsuccessfully several times to install an .ISO version of 64-bit Windows 7 SP1 on my late 2012 iMac, equipped with a 3TB fusion drive. My proposed Windows partition, set up under boot camp assistant from the utility folder, is well under the 2.2TB size limit. I have carefully followed all the prescribed steps using the latest available software mounted on a FAT USB thumb drive.
The install fails, however. early on when Windows fails to recognize the requested partition situated in the fourth slot. I get an error message that the partition can't be found. ("Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition.") I have picked the partition labled "BOOTCAMP."
After booting back on the Apple side, the disk utility shows the partition as being there formatted as a FAT install.
Apple has an update release with the 10.8.3 version of OS X that says this bug has been addressed and should now work.
I would greatly appreciate some help.

How to reset 3TB fusion drive to original partition scheme

When I first purchased my 27" iMac in early 2013 I was unable to use Boot Camp to create a Windows partition (with the version of OSX it shipped with bootcamp was initially disabled but added in an update later). I found a guide online for untangling the Fusion Drive partitions and essentially setting up bootcamp manually.
However, a few days ago I had Windows 8 get screwed up and needed to reformat. I figured that since Apple now updated Mavericks to allow my machine to use bootcamp I would start from scratch and do it properly. The problem is, I cannot seem to get my machine back into a "factory default" setup. I tried removing the CoreStorage volume and letting the Disk Utility tool "reset" the drive, and that -seemed- to work. I had one 3TB partition (according to the GUI) and re-installed OSX. I used Bootcamp to split 2TB for Windows (games) and leave 1TB for Mac. Everything went fine and I restarted into the Win8 installer. However, at this point Windows refused to install to the 2TB partition. I tried formatting it, and delete/create but it said it couldn't install to that partition. The confusing part is that according to Windows I had about 8 partitions (EFI and Recovery I understand but the rest I don't know the reason for).
So now I'm back at the OSX Recovery and this is what "diskutil list" is giving me. Why are there all these 524.3 KB partitions? I can't seem to remove or merge them. I know I should have recorded what the original structure is, but it's too late now. Can someone tell me what the 3TB Fusion Drive *should* look like, and how I can get back to that?
bash-3.2# diskutil list
/dev/disk0
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *121.3 GB   disk0
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
   2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         121.0 GB   disk0s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Boot OS X               134.2 MB   disk0s3
/dev/disk1
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *3.0 TB     disk1
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk1s1
   2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         144.2 GB   disk1s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Boot OS X               650.0 MB   disk1s3
   4:       Microsoft Basic Data                         2.1 TB     disk1s4
   5:          Apple_CoreStorage                         801.4 GB   disk1s5
   6:                 Apple_Boot Boot OS X               134.2 MB   disk1s6
/dev/disk2
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:     Apple_partition_scheme                        *1.3 GB     disk2
   1:        Apple_partition_map                         30.7 KB    disk2s1
   2:                  Apple_HFS OS X Base System        1.3 GB     disk2s2
/dev/disk3
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh HD           *1.1 TB     disk3
/dev/disk4
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                            untitled               *524.3 KB   disk4
/dev/disk5
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                            untitled               *524.3 KB   disk5
/dev/disk6
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                            untitled               *524.3 KB   disk6
/dev/disk7
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                            untitled               *524.3 KB   disk7
/dev/disk8
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                            untitled               *524.3 KB   disk8
/dev/disk9
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                            untitled               *6.3 MB     disk9
/dev/disk10
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                            untitled               *2.1 MB     disk10
/dev/disk11
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                            untitled               *1.0 MB     disk11
/dev/disk12
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                            untitled               *524.3 KB   disk12
/dev/disk13
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                            untitled               *524.3 KB   disk13
/dev/disk14
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                            untitled               *1.0 MB     disk14
Also including what my CoreStorage structure looks like...

Since it won't let me edit my post, here is the text from the picture:
CoreStorage logical volume groups (1 found)
|
+-- Logical Volume Group CB783377-EA29-4751-B149-FE6B210648B5
    =========================================================
    Name:         Internal Drive
    Status:       Online
    Size:         1066587906048 B (1.1 TB)
    Free Space:   12288 B (12.3 KB)
    |
    +-< Physical Volume 0221F6E1-8EE1-453A-A0EB-B32348EB6E53
    |   ----------------------------------------------------
    |   Index:    0
    |   Disk:     disk1s2
    |   Status:   Online
    |   Size:     144162512896 B (144.2 GB)
    |
    +-< Physical Volume F74A0E21-6435-4CB2-801F-95682108A391
    |   ----------------------------------------------------
    |   Index:    1
    |   Disk:     disk0s2
    |   Status:   Online
    |   Size:     120988852224 B (121.0 GB)
    |
    +-< Physical Volume C2BD0D1A-7EA2-4E36-A3EF-82A7E63BE439
    |   ----------------------------------------------------
    |   Index:    2
    |   Disk:     disk1s5
    |   Status:   Online
    |   Size:     801436540928 B (801.4 GB)
    |
    +-> Logical Volume Family 9DD06D63-96CD-4088-8F0E-061026E68C29
        Encryption Status:       Unlocked
        Encryption Type:         None
        Conversion Status:       NoConversion
        Conversion Direction:    -none-
        Has Encrypted Extents:   No
        Fully Secure:            No
        Passphrase Required:     No
        |
        +-> Logical Volume A531CC02-E337-473E-8F1F-F462595E1354
            Disk:                  disk3
            Status:                Online
            Size (Total):          1060804022272 B (1.1 TB)
            Conversion Progress:   -none-
            Revertible:            No
            LV Name:               Macintosh HD
            Volume Name:           Macintosh HD
            Content Hint:          Apple_HFS

How to Repartition 3TB Fusion Drive?

Hi, I've noticed an interesting phenomenon of my iMac, which has a 3TB fusion drive. The phenomenon is that the fusion drive has a 2.2 TB + 800GB partitions. I understand fusion drive is actually a 128GB flash drive plus a 2.87GB hard drive. Then why is the fusion drive divided into a 2.2 TB and a 800 GB partitions?
Anyways, that was just my curiosity. I have a practical question. I am trying to install Windows 8.1 on this iMac to do some development/environment testing works. I realized when I use Boot Camp 5.1, it will not let me install Windows 8.1 successfully. The error is when I head to Windows installation, formatted the Boot Camp partition to NTFS (or simply just format it), it will keep telling me:
"Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed GPT disks"
I then tried making a USB bootable disk through UNetBootin. It tells me the same thing. I don't have a CD or DVD drive on my iMac, so I cannot try burning a DVD. So then I started my research about this error.
And it seems to be a common error based on my research. The solution is that I should remove the bootcamp partition from Boot Camp Assistant and then use the Disk Utility to create a new partition for Windows. I did the first part, but then I head to the Disk Utility, it says:
"The full size of the Fusion Drive is not available for repartitioning."
I restarted the computer, and it tells me the same message.
Now I guess I have two questions, answering either one can help me through my goal.
1. How to create partitions on a 3TB fusion drive?
2. How to install Windows 8.1 on a Boot Camp partition?

Hey I meant to answer my own question! Thanks for reminding me.
A good reference link is on Super User where some other users already answered methods for Macbook Pro. Here is the link:
http://superuser.com/questions/481650/cant-use-bootcamp-partition-for-windows-8- installation/846439#846439
I am going to copy my reply from the thread. Here we go:
I was stuck with this challenge last night as well. After 10 hours, I finally have resolved this. As it turns out, not all OSX are the same. For example, I have Macbook Pro Retina, iMac, and Mac Pro. ClaitonLovatoJr's solution works on Macbook Pro Retina but not iMac or Mac Pro.
Here is why:
iMac (2014) and Mac Pro (2014) have different types of hard-drive. So far I haven't gotten Mac Pro to work, because it has the most particular type of hard-drive, perhaps Windows simply does not support. But again, I haven't tried for very long.
On iMac, here is how you can get Windows 8.1 (Professional) to install.
Since late 2012, iMac have fusion drive, which means its hard-drive is combined with SSD and traditional hard-drive. As a result, Apple has an interesting way to manage it. I am not going to the details. In short, EFI would not work with the hardware, so we must go through Apple's Boot Camp.
The first thing to do is to find a USB flash drive. Many people including me failed because we try to use SD card. This won't work because SD card is too advance for what we are doing. It will load the install program, but after loading it becomes all Windows, and then it will fail the installation. So what we need is an old fashion flash drive. I tried using SD card adapter, it failed too. It might have something to do with the type of adapter I have. But to be safe, we should USE FLASH DRIVE.
Then we will create an installation stick with Boot Camp Assistant. Be sure to use the latest 5.1 version. And we must check downloading from Apple, because it will give you drivers you need to complete the installation. If downloading failed for some reason, we can download the files here:
http://supportdownload.apple.com/download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Appl e_Software_Updates/Mac_OS_X/downloads/031-3384.20140211.Xcc3e/BootCamp5.1.5621.z ip
And then manually place the files to the installation disk.
I suggest not to check install just yet, in case you need to manually place the file.
Now we can finally use Boot Camp Assistant to install Windows. We must use it because Boot Camp is the only application that can create usable disk space for the installation. Disk Utility or other type of applications will not work. Apple has a very specific design for the hybrid EFI-MBR system for iMac's fusion drive.
Then the computer should restart, and very likely to stuck in black screen. Don't panic, this is because there is a bug in Apple's Boot Camp loading system. The wait time is too short, if you have many devices connected it will not load correctly. We can power off the computer by holding the power button and then power up while holding option key.
Now we cannot choose EFI-Windows when booting up, we must choose Windows. EFI is faster and more advance, but we cannot use it.
Now we should be able to boot into the installation interface, a very lowres one. If you see a highres interface it means it went to the EFI. Power down and try again. If you don't see the lowres interface, something went wrong. Boot into OSX and remove Windows through Boot Camp Assistant (actually just to kill the new partition), and then redo everything.
If you are in lowres interface, it's not all done yet. You still need to format the new partition, either just by clicking on format or using command center. Now you should be able to install!
After installation we can set up Windows, but it will die and reboot. Don't panic, because iMac is not design for Windows. Windows thought it had some hardware failure. And then we will be able to login after rebooting, but it will stuck for a long period of time - like 20 to 30 minutes. This is because it needs to download and set up some drivers for the odd environment it encountered. Finally, we will see pop up to encourage us to install Boot Camp on Windows. We don't have to. We can always use option key went starting the computer. But it's up to you.
When shutting down Windows sometime it will fail and give you errors, this is because Windows ultimately does not work with Apple's driver very well (fusion drive or other hardware). No worry, just power down by holding the power button.
Hopefully this help!

Mavericks, 3TB Fusion Drive, Windows 8 (again!)

I am so confued now, my head is spinning.
I have read probably 18 different posts now on how to install Windows 8 on a 3TB fusion drive, and none of them are complete, or give a step by step. I'm on a new late 2013 model iMac running Mavericks 10.9.1.
Is there a way to just wipe the whole thing, (after creatin a Mavericks boot disc, I would assume), blow away the current configuration and just re-set it up so that windows gets 4th partition on "core data" volume?
Here's my rundown:
- Boot camp assistant runs, creates windows partition, but then partition is inaccessible for install by windows. (GPT)
- Disk ultility fails to create a new partition if the first mac partition (the main one) after downsizing the main OS X partition
- No further partitions can be created beyond a second Mac partition in disc ultilty.
Fortunately my OS X Mavericks is still working, but my partitions are now what looks like a mess.
In the debug mode of disc utility:
Macintosh HD (Mounted)
EFI (unmounted)
Macintosh HD (Mounted)
BOOT OS X (Mounted)
EFI (unmounted)
Macintosh HD (unMounted)
Recovery HD (unmounted)
I'm about ready to take it to the apple store and jusrt ask if they can thrown in a regular drive, or if they can fix it. My fear is that if I can't fix it, neither can they.
Anyone find a way to do this?
I found one article that showed an unsupported methog using a time machine backup, but Mavericks has already failed to use my Mountain Lion backup (I had to recover the data manually) so I can't really use it to re-setup this mac.
if anyone has a "clean" install method, please do share! I'll buy you beer. Seriously.
Thanks!

OK, I managed to get the computer back to "stock".
I had to used system rescue CD (it's a Linux tool with Gparted) to blow away all the messed up partitions on the 2.7GB hard drive (part of the fusion drive).
Next, I created a bootable USB by downloading the Mavericks installer app from the app store, and then reloaded OS X. I had to use disc utility to do this, and disc utility picked up the missing and incorrect partitions, and recreated all of it. (There are a lot of steps involved here...)
Anyway, I got back to square 1.
Again, I tried to use bootcamp assistant to install Windows 8, and now it is failing on the partition selection screen. Windows can't install because the bootcamp partition is labled as disc1, and windows can only install on disc zero.
Next?

Can I partition a 3tb fusion drive on a 2014 imac27", with boot camp, to let me install windows 7?

I have used boot camp to create a partition for Windows 7 on 3 earlier Macs (iMac 24" 2007 / Mac Pro 2009 / Macbook Pro 2009) as well as a recent Macbook Air 2012.
My main reason for this is to use Sage Account/Payroll, and also a couple of other Windows-specific programs.
I have just replaced the old iMac with a new iMac27", with a 3tb fusion drive, and want to partition it to install a new oem copy of Win 7 sp1.
However, I found an article on this (link: http://twocanoes.com/winclone/support/installing-windows-on-a-boot-camp-partitio n-on-a-3-tb-fusion-drive) implying this might not currently be officially supported by Apple & boot camp assistant, and providing a workaround procedure to create 3 partitions. The article begins with this note: "Important Note: This help document is for reference only, superceded by updates to OS X that include support for 3TB drives and Fusion drive in Boot Camp Assistant. Use Boot Camp Assistant to create the Boot Camp partition."
I have two questions:
1 - Can anyone advise if updates have now been made, to provide this support for partitioning the 3tb fusion drive?....and if not, is this likely to change soon?
2 - If this is still not officially supported, can anyone advise if they have successfully created a Windows partition on the 3tb fusion drive & installed Win 7?
Thanks in advance.

Based on Apple's knowledge base. this configuration is supported for Windows 7 x64 and 8 using Mountain Lion 108.3 or higher. Simply use BootCamp Assistant to set it up.
See here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5639?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
and here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4441
For your application, you might also consider virtualization software like VMWare Fusion or Parallels.
I use both BootCamp and VMWare Fusion. Fusion is much easier to install, more flxible, runs at the same time as your Mac applications etc. For typical applications, there is no notable performance degradation.
If you need high performance graphics for gaming, BootCamp is still the best way to go. For all other applications, I prefer VMWare.

Windows 8.1 on 3TB Fusion drive

Hello,
i want to install Windows 8.1 on 3TB Fusion drive iMac 27 Late 2013. I intended once but have only problems. I have a 64 bit version of Windows 8.1 on a USB 2.0 Stick and run Bootcamp. At the weekend I want to intend one more time, after a crash of the Fusion Drive and reinstall of Yosemite, but my question is if it will work on my system? I have found some comments on the web that its very difficult to install Windows 8.1 on a 3TB Fusion Drive.
You have some suggestions I have to do?
This time I will reconnect all USB devices and put only the USB Flash direct into the Mac.

Hello,
i want to install Windows 8.1 on 3TB Fusion drive iMac 27 Late 2013. I intended once but have only problems. I have a 64 bit version of Windows 8.1 on a USB 2.0 Stick and run Bootcamp. At the weekend I want to intend one more time, after a crash of the Fusion Drive and reinstall of Yosemite, but my question is if it will work on my system? I have found some comments on the web that its very difficult to install Windows 8.1 on a 3TB Fusion Drive.
You have some suggestions I have to do?
This time I will reconnect all USB devices and put only the USB Flash direct into the Mac.

Is it possible to partition a 3TB fusion drive?

Hi, i'm a bit of a noob when it comes to the new technology. I searched for the answer, but it didnt quite answer my question.
I have new iMac with a 3TB fusion drive. I would like to create a small *backup* partition where i can create an installer version of mavericks so when i do a clean install, i can select that drive from the bootable disk selection menu and it runs the mavericks installer from that partition, rather than a USB thumb drive. I looked at the recovery mode option however it appears to download a new 5gb installer of mavericks instead of using an already downloaded version of mavericks (updated version).
I dont want to split the SSD/HDD components of the fusion drive so they are seperate, i just want to add a small partition to be partitioned as a mavericks installer drive.
I hope someone can answer if this can work. Thanks in advance

Yes, you can do this. You can partition the drive using Boot Camp Assistant. Then instead of installing Windows, quit the Boot Camp Assistant and then use Disk Utility to reformat the BootCamp partition to Mac OS X Extended.
After you do this, you will have to install Mavericks on the drive. Then after Mavericks is installed, you can then copy the installer over to it. I would also recommend that if you have DiskWarrior, Drive Genius, or TechTool to install them on that partition as well.

Will VMware or Parallels work for a 3TB fusion drive?

I'm in the market for an iMac but I need windows for work-related stuff (and some games)
I have an older macbook pro (13" the first year the 13" went pro, 2009 i think) and I load windows through bootcamp, so no problems there.
I understand that the 3TB fusion drive won't work with bootcamp so my only option seems to be either VMware or Parallels (i haven't used either of these) to load Windows 7.
Just wanted to ask to make sure that there is no limitation with a 3TB fusion drive and VMware or Parallels.
Thanks in advance for any help,
Scott

There are limitations with either choice you make.
With boot camp, that is where you partition the drive to install windows and have a dual boot system, and a fusion drive windows will be installed on the rotating standard drive only. Not utilizing the ssd flash storage at all.
If you go with a virtual machine install of windows in either parallels, vmware fusion or the free vm program virtualbox from oracle the limitation are in the virtual hardware used. Most specifically in the virtual video card all of the virtual machine program use. So if you are using graphic programs the preformance in a vm will be lower then if windows was in it own partition and using the real hardware in the system. On the plus side for a virtaul machine install of windows is that you can run both os x and windows at the same time, windows and the virtaul machine program might be placed on the ssd part of the fusion drive and will actuall run faster then if it was in its own partition on the standard rotating hard drive.

3TB Fusion and Bootcamp?

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