Boot camp usb - MBAir will boot, iMac won't

Hi -
I have a 2011 model MacBook air. My dad has a 2011 model 27" iMac. When he bought it, someone had removed the optical drive and replaced it with a solid state drive.
Now he wants to install boot camp. I made a bootable USB copy of windows 7 on a windows machine. This works fine on my Air - it will boot from it, etc. But on the iMac, it doesn't work.
I have seen several messages in the forums about this, but they all seem to be from around 2011 and have conflicting informatio. I am wondering if there is any new and reliable information.
Any ideas?
Thanks!
PS: I am running OSX 10.8.4 (mountain lion) and am up-to-date.
- davevr

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
You can only install Windows on a Mid 2011 iMac using the original SuperDrive that came with your iMac. If you replaced it, you have to put it back, because you can't install Windows on your computer neither from a USB drive nor from an external optical drive.
If you haven't got the SuperDrive, you have to buy it again from Internet or take the computer to an Apple Store or reseller. Another option is to install Windows on a virtual machine, using Parallels, VMware Fusion or VirtualBox

Similar Messages

My iMac won't start normally it will start on safe boot unless I start in verbus mode single user mode or reset the pram but if I start this way it won't sleep

help mi imac won't start normally

Hello!
Can you tell us what happens?
I’ve offered the steps below to similar posts in the past and they helped out getting to the solution (or at least find the cause). I suggest them to you too in this case. It will take you about 30 minutes or less to do these, depending on how bad the problem on your Mac is.
The goal here is to boot your Mac to the so-called Recovery partition where you’ll have a chance to repair the disk and the disk permissions using the Disk Utility and Password Utility. This might solve your issue and even if it doesn’t- it’s still a decent maintenance step to perform. These steps won’t erase your data or reinstall your Mac in any way if you follow instructions carefully.
Here’s how:
1/ Make sure your computer is completely shut down.
2/ You’ll have to be quick next: Press the Mac’s power button. As soon as you either hear the loud chime, or see the display light up - usually after a second or 2 - on your keyboard press [cmd] + [r] Keep these keys on your keyboard pressed until you either see an Apple Logo with a loading bar or a spinning gear.
After a few minutes, you’ll be presented with a Utilities screen. This is the Recovery partition. If this step is already giving you problems, try using a USB-keyboard. It doesn’t have to be an Apple-keyboard. If you have a Windows-tailored keyboard laying around, use the “Windows-flag” key in stead of the [cmd]-key and it should also work.
3/ Choose Disk Utility and click [continue]
Disk Utility will display your computer’s harddrive in the left column. The default name for it is “Macintosh HD” and is usually the second one from the top. Click on it and click on the [verify disk] button. This will check your “Macintosh HD” harddrive partition for errors. If found, click [repair disk] unless you have a Fusion drive in your Mac and it says [fix] instead of [repair disk] please tell us before you continue! For a screenshot of what I mean, check this article from Apple: http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202574
4/ Once done with the verifying or repairing of your “Macintosh HD” click [repair disk permissions]
This will check your partition for permissions errors. A common myth about this feature is that it will fix all permissions issues on your Mac, which is not true, but it will fix most systemwide issues. Also, here is a list of error messages that you can safely ignore if they pop up:
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203172
5/ Lastly we shall do a permissions/Access Control List repair on specifically your user’s home folder with a somewhat hidden tool in the Recovery partition. Close Disk Utility and find the menu called “utilities” in the top left corner of your computer’s display. It’s in between the menus “edit” and “window” Don’t be confused with the menu called “os x utilities”
Choose Terminal. A somewhat old-fashioned looking window will pop up, waiting for a text command from you. This is the Terminal.
After the # type: resetpassword and press return. Note that there is no space between ‘reset’ and ‘password’
What you’ll see next is an rectangular window that gives you the option to reset passwords. We are not going to that, however. Instead, click on “Macintosh HD” at the top. In the pull-down menu below that, choose your user's accountname. Skip all the rest and at the very bottom click the [reset]-button.
A spinning gear will appear and may stay on for a second or several minutes. It’s hard to predict exactly how long.
If you have multiple users on your Mac, I advise you to repeat this step for all your users.
We’re ready to reboot your Mac now. Click on the Apple Menu and choose “startup disk” Choose to boot from “Macintosh HD” Please let us know if this solved your issue, or if the steps above did not work, or could not be performed for some reason.

I had to replace my iMac due to hard drive and Logicboard failure, so I want to reinstall Windows 7 on a Boot Camp partition. Will there be a problem reactivating Windows 7 Home Premium?

I had to replace my iMac due to HDD and Logicboard failure, so I want to reinstall Windows 7 on Boot Camp partition. Will there be a problem reactivating Windows 7 Home Premium?

Hi,
should be no problem.
Best case is you can activate online via Internet.
Worst case is you have to call Microsoft and explain that it is the same computer after a mainboard failure.
Regards
Stefan

MacBook (not unibody) will not boot from Boot Camp USB Key

Hello
I have a MacBook Pro 2007 (17", 2.4GHz, 4GB RAM and SSD) with a defect SuperDrive, and I want to install Windows using an USB key instead. But the computer will not boot from the USB Key, even though the USB key works on my MacBook Retina. Also I was able to install Mountain Lion using USB Key, on the MBP 2007.
Here is a bit more details:
I've installed Mountaion Lion from the same USB Key (so boot from USB works).
I've installed a Windows 7 Boot Camp using the SuperDrive before (when it was not defected)
I've partitioned the harddisk using the Boot Camp assistant (this requires a Windows DVD in the SuperDriver... however it worked just enught to be able to have OS X recognize the Windows DVD, and create the Boot Camp partition). So far so good. Installing from the SuperDriver howerver does not work.
I've created an Windows USB Key using my MacBook retina. Because the Retina does not have a DVD, the Boot Camp assistant offers the creation of a bootable Windows USB Key from an Windows ISO file. I've used this USB key to install Windows on my MacBook retina.
When I try to boot my MacBook 2007 with this Boot Camp USB Key, it shows an "EFI Boot" option (with a orange USB logo) in the MacBook boot menu. When I select this nothing happpens. The mouse freezes, and the computer never boots.
Questions:
Shouldn't I be able to boot from an EFI USB Key on this MacBook 2007, when I'm able to install Mountain Lion using a USB Key?
When I installed BootCamp using the SuperDrive, I had to do som "magic" to make it bootable. Like this: http://www.logicalvue.com/2009/10/installing-window-7-x64-on-a-macbook-pro-using -bootcamp. I tried doing the "oscdimg -n -m -bc:\efi-dvd\boot\etfsboot.com c:\efi-dvd c:\efi-iso\win7x64.iso" trick and create a EFI bootable ISO and created the from this USB key using http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/. Same result... the USB key shows up in the boot menu, but nothing happens when I select it (except the mouse freezes).
Any suggestions? Right now it feels like I have a bricked computer, because my kids needs Windows to run their games.
: Thomas

Thanks... I just tried rEFIt... and it almost worked.
After installing rEFIt I got several different boot options:
Bootmgr.EFI - This failed quick with a "unsupported" message
Bootx64.EFI - This actually started the Windows installation with "Loading files.............". But after a few minutes when all files was loaded, the screen went black. I tried ataching an external screen, but the screen was still black.
Boot from "Bootcamp" drive... as this drive is empty nothing happend.
Boot from "USB Key"... I'm not sure how this is different from the first 2 options... but nothing happend. I belive this is what happens if I try selecting the USB key from the build in boot manager.
Ofcause, whan I saw the "Loading files......" I thought I solved the problem, but as you can tell, I'm still stucked.
Actually... I tried with both Windows 7 64 bit, Windows 8 64 bit and Windows 8 32 bit. Only Windows 8 64 bit, got me to the "Loading files.....". This was created with the Retina Boot Camp assistant.
I also tried my own home made Windows 7 and Windows 8 ISO (created with this link: http://www.logicalvue.com/2009/10/installing-window-7-x64-on-a-macbook-pro-using -bootcamp).
I guess my problem is another now. I'll continue my hunt... but I don't have more time right now. So I've installed Parallels and Windows 8 for my kids. Not optimal, but at least the can play their games.

IMAC won't boot with USB card reader attached

My quite new 24" iMAC won't boot if I have a USB card reader attached:
I get to the white screen with the apple logo, but it gets stuck there and the little spinning gear below the apple logo never appears (I've waited several minutes). (In all my test cases, there is no card in the card reader.)
I've tried two different card readers with the same results ("iDOTconnect" brand and a brand new Apacer unit, both are USB2.0 multi-format card readers).
The 1st one I tried via a USB hub, the second one I tried via a new hub and also directly connected to the mac (both of those hubs work fine).
Anyone have any ideas?
Regards,
Strathglass
Message was edited by: strathglass

Hello strathglass
The same thing can also happen with other connected devices such as external HD's and iPods, the Startup Manager is lost and searching for a boot volume.
1. You may be able to fix it by going to: *System Preference / Startup Disk* and select the *Mac OS X 10.5.5 on Macintosh HD* then *Click the lock to prevent further changes.*
2. Leave those devices that cause boot issues disconnected until the iMac is up and running!
3. Only sleep the iMac, and be sure to disconnect those devices be for shutting down or updates that require a restart!
As a habit, I have always ejected and disconnected all mounted USB devices (flash driver, iPods, cameras, card reader, etc.) from my hub be for sleeping, restarting or shutting down...
Dennis

Is it possible to boot to a Windows 7 install DVD from an external USB drive on current iMacs?

On the iMac I'm currently using, a mid-2007 24-inch, it's impossible to boot into a Windows install DVD from an external drive: I can hold down option on boot, and all my hard drives come up, but if the Windows disc is in my external DVD drive, it won't show up. I'll soon be upgrading to a late 2012 iMac, and I'd like to be able to install Windows 7 for a boot camp partition. Since that iMac has no built in drive, I'd like to know if using an external DVD drive will work on that model. I'd like to do that, seems easier than messing around with disk images. But we'll see...

You can use an external optical drive to install Windows without any problem with a Late 2012 iMac.
The reason that you couldn't install Windows from an external optical drive on the 2007 iMac is that it has got an internal SuperDrive, so Apple only allows you to use it to install Windows on your iMac

My iMac won't boot past grey screen and it didn't come with a os x disk

My iMac won't boot past grey screen with apple. I've tried booting in safemode but that didn't help and my iMac didn't come with a os x disk.

Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a startup failure is to secure the data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since the last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Start up from the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
b. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
c. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
Step 2
If the startup process stops at a blank gray screen with no Apple logo or spinning "daisy wheel," then the startup volume may be full. If you had previously seen warnings of low disk space, this is almost certainly the case. You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use either of the techniques in Steps 1b and 1c to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.
Step 3
Sometimes a startup failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 4
If you use a wireless keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, replace or recharge the batteries. The battery level shown in the Bluetooth menu item may not be accurate.
Step 5
If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.
Step 6
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to start up, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can start up now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
Step 7
If you've started from an external storage device, make sure that the internal startup volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Start up in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know the login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you start up in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, the startup volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 10. If you ever have another problem with the drive, replace it immediately.
If you can start and log in in safe mode, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on the startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then restart as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the startup process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 8
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select the startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then restart as usual.
Step 9
Reinstall the OS. If the Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 10
Do as in Step 9, but this time erase the startup volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically restart into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer the data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 11
This step applies only to models that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery: all Mac Pro's and some others (not current models.) Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a startup failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
Step 12
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

IMac Won't Start Up/Boot

My iMac won't start up. I've tried holding all kinds of key combinations while I turn it on, but it doesn't even get that far. It gets stuck on a folder with the Apple picture alternating with a question mark. It doesn't do anything else for a while, and then the fan turns on (???).

This is indicative of a corrupted system or drive. The first thing to try is:
Repairing the Hard Drive
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now shutdown the computer for a couple of minutes and then restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger) and/or TechTool Pro (4.5.2 for Tiger) to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
If this doesn't solve the problem then you will have to reinstall OS X. If the drive tests out OK per the above then you can reinstall without erasing the hard drive:
How to Perform an Archive and Install
1. Be sure to use Disk Utility first to repair the disk before performing the Archive and Install.
2. Do not proceed with an Archive and Install if DU reports errors it cannot fix. In that case use Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro to repair the hard drive. If neither can repair the drive, then you will have to erase the drive and reinstall from scratch.
3. Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When you reach the screen to select a destination drive click once on the destination drive then click on the Option button. Select the Archive and Install option. You have an option to preserve users and network preferences. Only select this option if you are sure you have no corrupted files in your user accounts. Otherwise leave this option unchecked. Click on the OK button and continue with the OS X Installation.
4. Upon completion of the Archive and Install you will have a Previous System Folder in the root directory. You should retain the PSF until you are sure you do not need to manually transfer any items from the PSF to your newly installed system.
5. After moving any items you want to keep from the PSF you should delete it. You can back it up if you prefer, but you must delete it from the hard drive.
6. You can now download a Combo Updater directly from Apple's download site to update your new system to the desired version as well as install any security or other updates. You can also do this using Software Update.
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Members may reward you with 5 points if they deem that your reply is helpful and 10 points if you post a solution to their issue. Likewise, when you mark a reply as Helpful or Solved in your own created topic, you will be awarding the respondent with the same point values.

How can I retrieve my files when my iMac won't boot?

My iMac won't boot up, which may be related to a recent update to Mavericks. I've tried repairing the disk from the DVD startup - it finds invalid volume file counts and says it's repaired them, but the same thing happens when I try to boot, the screen goes dark, the cursor is still visible and movable, but that's it. Foolishly, I didn't make a back-up so I'm now trying to retrieve some files at least. Using disk utility I've been able to copy everything to an external drive but I still can't get access to the files because it won't boot from there either, same old volume errors turn up when I try to repair it. Will I have to buy another mac just to access the files?

Assuming you are running OS X Mavericks (10.9.4), try booting into your Recovery HD by pressing/holding Command+R at startup. When you see the OS X Utilities Menu, plug in a USB external drive with an empty partition. Select Reinstall OS X from the menu and install Mavericks to you external drive. After the install is completed, your system should boot to your external drive to completed Setup. You might be able to use your internal iMac drive and Setup Assistant to bring over you User accounts and Apps to the external.

Creating a Mavericks USB boot drive after the horse has bolted. Can I create a bootable USB drive from my iMac after installing Mavericks without saving the Install OS X Mavericks.app file? Do I need to re- download the whole 5.29 Gb again?

Creating a Mavericks USB boot drive after the horse has bolted. Can I create a bootable USB drive from my iMac after installing Mavericks without saving the Install OS X Mavericks.app file? Do I need to re- download the whole 5.29 Gb from the App Store again? My problem is my 4Gb/month allowance on a 12 month contract. I cannot purchase a data block from my ISP and although my speed is theoretically slowed to 64k after reaching my 4Gb, it actually ceases to download in reality.

HI tasclix, it depends what you mean by an OS X boot drive.
If you want a recovery disk from which you can reinstall (by re-downloading) or recover from a time machine backup, then nbar is correct.
If, however, you want to boot and run the OS X installer from the USB drive (so that you don't need to download again), then you will need a copy of "Install OS X Mavericks.app"; see this article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5856
Before downloading again, search your system to see if the installer is still there - it's usually in the /Applications folder unless it has been deleted, but check your whole system for it anyway, you never know, you might still have it somewhere.
Message was edited by: SilverSkyRat

"Non-System Disk" Boot Camp Windows 7 on 5K iMac

I've been trying to install Windows 7 as a Boot Camp partition on my 5K iMac for a few days now. It's driving me crazy.
I've tried:
Installing from multiple different USB devices – all USB 2.0, 16gb or 32gb. I've tried 4 different sticks now. I just tried a Sandisk 16gb as someone here pointed out none of theirs worked except their Sandisk drive, but no luck with that either.
Using multiple different ISO's, all x64 – all Windows 7 but different versions (Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate). These are all downloaded from the Digital River sources.
I contacted Apple Support and they advised attempting the Boot Camp setup while in Safe Mode. With this method, I was unable to even begin the process as the error message 'Must be Windows 7 or higher' comes up instead. I'm pretty sure this is just because I can't mount drives in Safe Mode.
Here's what happens:
Format the USB drive with 1 partition, set it to Master Boot Record, FAT32.
Run Boot Camp Assistant.
I leave all three options selected: create USB, download Windows software from Apple, and then create the partition.
Select the x64 Windows ISO.
Select the USB drive. Actually, there are no other drives connected, so it just auto-selects.
Hit 'go'. Let it do its thing. It asks for a password twice during the process, and takes about 20 minutes.
I then create a partition. I've been using 96gb, but have tried going up to 128gb to see if that makes any difference. Nope.
iMac reboots when that's done. It sits there for a little while with the backlight on and a black screen, then shows "Non-system disk. Press any key to restart.".
I hit my head on the desk a few times.
I try restarting the iMac and bringing up the boot manager to see what disks are available. There's only one: Macintosh HD. No recovery HD, and no 'Windows' drive I've seen on some other posts.
I restart the iMac and let it try booting normally again. This time, and all subsequent attempts, I get a "No bootable disk" error.
At this point I find some sorta-relevant post that recommends trying something else, so I remove the partition and try that – a different USB, a different ISO (of the same thing). I do not have a disk drive of any kind and cannot use Windows that way.
I've updated to the latest version of Yosemite, but that changed nothing. I've also tried inserting the bootable USB in my rMBP 13", but that doesn't show it as a boot disk either.
Not sure if maybe I'm missing a step? I've been following Apple's step-by-step guide in their Support pages.
If anyone has any experience with this problem, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Ok. I've created a Boot Camp partition, and WININSTALL is the USB drive I've created via Boot Camp Assistant.
disutil list:
/dev/disk0
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *500.3 GB   disk0
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
   2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         371.4 GB   disk0s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk0s3
   4:       Microsoft Basic Data BOOTCAMP                128.0 GB   disk0s4
/dev/disk1
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh HD           *371.1 GB   disk1
                                 Logical Volume on disk0s2
                                 9559D7F7-15A3-43F4-9DB0-04AC36197E53
                                 Unencrypted
/dev/disk2
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:     FDisk_partition_scheme                        *16.0 GB    disk2
   1:                 DOS_FAT_32 WININSTALL              16.0 GB    disk2s1
diskutil cs list:
CoreStorage logical volume groups (1 found)
|
+-- Logical Volume Group CF98980E-1B0A-484F-9EFB-65B047F4DD7A
    =========================================================
    Name:         Macintosh HD
    Status:       Online
    Size:         371418034176 B (371.4 GB)
    Free Space:   0 B (0 B)
    |
    +-< Physical Volume 4357254B-9237-4328-A90C-10C90ABA1107
    |   ----------------------------------------------------
    |   Index:    0
    |   Disk:     disk0s2
    |   Status:   Online
    |   Size:     371418034176 B (371.4 GB)
    |
    +-> Logical Volume Family 084DA53D-4F5B-4A6C-9A9E-047CA2895641
        Encryption Status:       Unlocked
        Encryption Type:         None
        Conversion Status:       NoConversion
        Conversion Direction:    -none-
        Has Encrypted Extents:   No
        Fully Secure:            No
        Passphrase Required:     No
        |
        +-> Logical Volume 9559D7F7-15A3-43F4-9DB0-04AC36197E53
            Disk:                  disk1
            Status:                Online
            Size (Total):          371082489856 B (371.1 GB)
            Conversion Progress:   -none-
            Revertible:            Yes (no decryption required)
            LV Name:               Macintosh HD
            Volume Name:           Macintosh HD
            Content Hint:          Apple_HFS
sudo gpt -vv -r show /dev/disk0:
gpt show: /dev/disk0: mediasize=500277790720; sectorsize=512; blocks=977105060
gpt show: /dev/disk0: Suspicious MBR at sector 0
gpt show: /dev/disk0: Pri GPT at sector 1
gpt show: /dev/disk0: Sec GPT at sector 977105059
      start       size index contents
          0          1         MBR
          1          1         Pri GPT header
          2         32         Pri GPT table
         34          6
         40     409600      1 GPT part - C12A7328-F81F-11D2-BA4B-00A0C93EC93B
     409640 725425848      2 GPT part - 53746F72-6167-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC
725835488    1269536      3 GPT part - 426F6F74-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC
727105024        512
727105536 249999360      4 GPT part - EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7
977104896        131
977105027         32         Sec GPT table
977105059          1         Sec GPT header
sudo fdisk /dev/disk0:
Disk: /dev/disk0 geometry: 60821/255/63 [977105060 sectors]
Signature: 0xAA55
         Starting       Ending
#: id cyl hd sec - cyl hd sec [     start -       size]
1: EE 1023 254 63 - 1023 254 63 [         1 -     409639] <Unknown ID>
2: AC 1023 254 63 - 1023 254 63 [    409640 - 725425848] <Unknown ID>
3: AB 1023 254 63 - 1023 254 63 [ 725835488 -    1269536] Darwin Boot
4: 0B 1023 254 63 - 1023 254 63 [ 727105536 - 249999360] Win95 FAT-32
Thanks for taking a look at this. I haven't been able to find a Windows 8.1 ISO to try as I don't have a license for that, only Windows 7.
Also, the USB stick I'm using now is a Sandisk Cruzer. I've seen it used elsewhere here with success, so figured it must be a suitable device.
Any ideas of what else to try?

IMac won't boot to OS 9, boots Panther fine

Bought an iMac G3/500/128MB/CD-RW off Ebay for super cheap (this is the Indigo 500 with 64MB base RAM). Loaded OS 10.3.3 with no probs, tested it out with no probs. (I know the 128MB RAM is less than recommended/required for Panther, the machine was supposed to have 256MB and the seller is sending that to me). Next step was to load OS 9.1 from the CD. The iMac won't boot from the OS 9.1 CD (It boots fine from the Panther CD). Also tried booting from a firewire CD drive, same result. The result is a folder with a question mark, then a folder with a smily face, repeated twice before it aborts the OS 9 boot and goes into Panther.
Repaired permissions, no luck, wiped Panther off the drive and tried booting to OS 9 with blank drive, and still no luck.
As stated above, the machine was supposed to have 256MB RAM, and it also has a 20GB HD when it was supposed to have a 30GB HD. I declined a new HD as the seller offered me $20 as an option (bringing the total shipped down to $69.00), but now I'm wondering if I should replace the HD with the 30GB he offered? I don't think it's an HD issue though and replacing it looks like more trouble than it's worth.
I'm not too bummed if I have to stick to Panther, I just have a few OS 9 apps that I'd like to have access to.
iMac G3/500/128/CD-RW Mac OS X (10.3.3)

Does the CD drive boot from the Panther installation disk? I'm wondering if the CD drive is faulty, and it's not a Mac OS 9 specific issue.
Also, in combination with that problem, the hard drive may have been partitioned without the Mac OS 9 drivers. If you haven't tried already, use Disk Utility to partition the drive. You can keep it at one partition, but be sure that the "Mac OS 9 Drivers Installed" check box is installed. [NOTE: partitioning will wipe the drive clean.]
Other than that, I don't have a clue...
If you can't boot directly from Mac OS 9, most "classic" apps will run fine under Mac OS X in the "Classic" environment. If that works, it's actually a better way to access to Mac OS 9 programs.

27" iMac won't boot from anything BUT the main drive

Hi all,
My lovely 27" iMac is in perfect working condition, but I thought I'd try to install a OS on a large SD card to see if I would gain any speed.
In the process of doing that (cause I never got that far) I discover that the iMac won't boot from the original install DVD. It simply spits out the DVD when I try to insert into the drive. I'v managed to make an image of the DVD (in a different mac) onto the SD card in order to try an boot from that. No luck. I've tried to insert a original install DVD from my Mac Pro into the iMac, which it reads fine and well, and when I tap the restart button it restarts, but stop with a white screen doing boot up.
If I try to hold down the option key during startup, the iMac WILL let me choose which OS to boot from, but if I choose anything else than the OS already installed it freezes.
I've even tried to boot my Mac Pro from the iMac install DVD - no problems.
I've even run a hardware test on the iMac - no problems.
I am running out of options fast! Please help a devoted Mac-friend.
Take care.
Peter

I WAS using the DVD that came with the machine, but I fear Apple may have sent me the wrong one?
In trying to solve the issues I'd tried other OS disc's (A Mac Pro install DVD and a OS X Leopard DVD) - but none of them would even boot, nor install of my iMac. I always end up with a white screen during boot up.
As I described, the original iMac install DVD would indeed boot my Mac Pro, do the disc seems ok?

My iMac won't boot....Msg says "NO BOOTABLE DEVICE--INSERT BOOT DISK ...

I don't know how to start my iMac up. I don't even know what a boot disk is! Several days ago I tried to run Boot Camp but couldn't continue because I didn't have a Windows program to install si I'm not sure what happened. Can somebody please help me out? Thanks.
Dman- [email protected]

My iMac won't boot....Msg says "NO BOOTABLE DEVICE--INSERT BOOT DISK ...
Posted: Jan 17, 2011 11:44 AM
I'm getting this message again. When I restart using the option key everything is ok. When the computer goes to sleep it has the above message. Is there a setting I need to turn off so this doesn't happen all the time? Thanks.
Dennis

IMac won't boot up after latest update. Any suggestions?

I just updated my software (the latest from apple), then my iMac won't boot again.

There you go. Your HDD is failing hence its not booting. You need reformat the HDD
To reformat, same steps: Boot to the install disc > get past the language selection > You will see Welcome to Blah Blah Blah > just hit continue > There should be something there called erase and install
BUT
1. if you are absolutely sure that Time machine has BACKED-UP all of your files then proceed above
2. If not, if you have another mac: connect it via firewire then google Target Disk mode. Basically you want to copy all your files from the damaged machine to the new mac to serve as a backup
3. if yo dont have another mac: get an external HDD, install Mac os X on it, boot to it then back up your files
to do this
a) Plug external HDD
b) Boot to the CD restart and hold C
c) Get past language selection and keep hitting continue
d) when it asks you where you want to install Mac os X > select the external HDD
e) once its installed. Restart the computer and hold "Option" key. You should now see your external HDD as one of the boot drives. Select that and you'll boot into it
f) once inside the external HDD OS, you will see the internal HDD(damaged drive)browse/navigate through it and start getting your important files

Boot camp usb - MBAir will boot, iMac won't

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