Can I boot a Windows OS on my iMac from an external HDD?

I have two hard disk drives:
One is inside of my 2009 iMac, running leopard. Also on my internal drive is a Windows OS partition, currently running windows 7. One is a WD 1TB external HDD, which I boot Mountain Lion off of. The thing is, I'm running out of room on my internal hard disk drive. Since it is entirely possible to boot Mountain Lion from my external HDD, would it be a good bet that I can make my iMac do the same for a Windows OS? Or is this not the case?

Microsoft does not allow a installation of any version of Windows on an EHD. This is not an OS X or iMac issue,it's strictly with MS Windows.
However, some people have developed hacks to make installing Windows on an EHD possible, the keyword is hacks so you are left on your own to find out how to do it and support it.
Sorry for the discouraging news but unfortunately that's how it is.
As a work around I'd recommend moving large libraries to another EHD, examples of large libraries are iTunes, iMovie & iPhoto. Apple provides instructions on how to do this, you can find them at:
iTunes: How to move the library to an EHD
iMovie: How to move the Library to an EHD
iPhoto: How to move the Library to an EHD
If you make these moves then you can do a standard installation of Windows on your iMac using either Boot Camp or virtualization software such as Parallels or Fusion.

Similar Messages

  • Hi there can you help?looking to import my library from my external HDD ?i have my current library on my ipod right now from earlyer

    i recently needed to make more space on my laptop ,so i made a backup of all that was on my laptop with an external Hard Disk Drive, i was then told to reformatt my laptop (ie delete everything back to how it was when i bought it) big mistake . I lost all of my installed soft wear including windows 7 ( now stuck back down to vista) all of my itunes library was imported whilst i was opperating in windows 7 mode, could this be why i carnt seem to transfur my songs back to my NOW NEWLY DOWNLOADED ITUNS , a lot to get your head around i know , but any assistance would be much appriciated ....PS my windows 7 disk will not work now ether as yet so i carnt re-insall it....

    although i have it on ipod
    Connect the iPod to your computer.
    Launch iTunes.
    From the menu bar click File / Transfer Purchases From...
    SCARED TO PUT IPOD ON NEW LY DOWNLOADED ITUNES
    U.S. residents that have iTunes 10.3, iOS 4.3.3 or later, can re download iTunes purchased media for free.
    Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store
    Note. You may need to re authorize your computer from the iTunes menu bar. Click Store / Authorize This Computer.

  • Can't boot to windows, stuck at black screen (with cursor)

    Hi! I'll get straight to my problem: I can't boot to Windows (Windows 10 Technical Preview) anymore after installing VirtualBox (or rather, an Android emulator that installed VirtualBox) on my system. I get stuck, after the loading animation with the blue HP logo, on a black screen (I can move my cursor around) but the login screen never shows up.
    The problem.
    I'm currently dual-booting linux and windows for several purposes. My laptop came with a Windows 8.1 OS by default. Some time after the Windows 10 Tech Preview came out to public, I upgraded my system to Windows 10 (so my 8.1 is gone now). Everything's going well until I installed this Android emulator (which installed VirtualBox) on Windows 10. Everything seemed fine at first but after rebooting, Windows isn't working anymore. I can still boot to linux, but Windows just won't boot properly.
    What I've tried.
    I've tried A LOT of things. The problem actually happened twice already (at first I was able to fix it with System Restore but not this time around). I have a Windows 8 USB Recovery Drive at hand, just so I can access a Windows command line. It's not from my system, though. It came with a new windows 8 laptop of a friend so I just borrowed it.
    1: System Restore. This worked the first time. But now the restore won't finish and throws an error, telling me that it can't restore my system.
    2: Refresh PC. "There was a problem refreshing your PC. No changes were made." or something like that.
    3: chkdsk on C:\. It says it changed some files, but it doesn't really fix the problem.
    4: sfc /scannow. Again, something happened, but it didn't get fixed.
    5: bootrec.exe to fix BCD and MBR. Doesn't work. (as far as I know my sytem is using GPT)
    6: Hard reset (remove all power sources then hold power button). Still not working.
    7: System Restore again. All the restore points aren't working. It reaches a "Finished" state, but then an error comes up after. It says can't extract a specific file, and the restore point is damaged or might have been deleted during restore.
    8: checking and fixing bad sectors (nope, no bad sectors on my hard drive)
    9: built-in component tests. It passed all of them, except the battery test (my battery really isn't surviving for any duration longer than 30 minutes, but that shouldn't affect my OS). I didn't try the really long tests since I thought it wouldn't matter as my problem is most probably completely software (since linux is still working).
    10: cry. oh please. Windows isn't working. What should I do? (
    Things I haven't tried.
    1: RAM and CMOS battery reset.
    2: Reset PC.
    3: Format hard drive.
    4: Test hard drive on another laptop's system.
    If possible I'd like to avoid getting my hard drive wiped, since I have a lot of stuff to backup (more than 300 GB of files + dozens of linux apps and ppas), and I only have a 32GB USB drive to backup all the files I need).
    Thanks for reading.

    Sorry for the delay. Wasn't expecting the "road work" signs when attempting to check back with you in the AM here.
    As others have already mentioned, the prompt for file systems occurs during text mode setup. Quick or Full? FAT or NTFS? How do you know what to do?
    We'll start with file systems, short and sweet. Most any OS can read and write FAT volumes without fail which makes FAT ultra-portable, and the only choice if you want to let Mac OS write documents on your Windows volume. It's also more efficient on drives of 16 GB or less. However, FAT has no folder-level access control, so any file in the system can be manipulated by any user or by any system process. By contrast, NTFS is far more restrictive. It can only be manipulated under Windows, though other systems may be able to read it. Not only do you get the access control that FAT lacks, but you also get superior efficiency on large volumes, plus the power to compress or encrypt folders and files at will (in "business" flavors of Windows only--and yes, Vista Ultimate counts as "business" even though it will be supported much like a "consumer" version).
    On format speeds: A quick format is very handy if you have a large partition or a single drive completely dedicated to Windows. Because it completes in 30 seconds or less, it will go a long way toward completing your Windows install. However, in some cases, volumes formatted with a quick format may have reliability issues. They must have fixed this in Vista, because Vista can only format at the "quick" speed.
    A full format tests all blocks of a given volume (as opposed to testing an entire disk unless the volume itself is the entire disk) as the file system structure is laid down. Bad blocks are marked as "used" when they are found. This type of format takes much longer as a result of all the testing, but the result is a more stable volume from the start.
    Get past the formatting stage, and you'll be right as rain.
    Nate

  • When there will be a new boot camp version with Windows 8.1 support? I a floor of year can't already update Windows 8 on the iMac! ! !

    When there will be a new boot camp version with Windows 8.1 support? I a floor of year can't already update Windows 8 on the iMac! ! !

    Welcome to Apple Support Communities
    Boot Camp Support Software 5.0.5033 supports Windows 8.1 and can be used with that version. The Mid 2011 iMac is compatible with Windows 8, so you should not have any problem by installing Windows 8.
    Follow Apple's steps > http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1636/en_US/boot_camp_install-setup_ 10.8.pdf

  • Can't boot into Windows 8.1 partition after apple store repair

    Can't boot into Windows 8.1 partition after apple store repair
    I went to the apple store about a week ago to get my screen fixed, and when I get it back I don't have an option to boot into my windows partition. The bootcamp partition is still there, but I can't boot into it. I can still see all of the files on the drive. When I try to boot into windows from the startup disc setting I get "no bootable device — insert boot disk and press any key” on a black screen. I went in for a dead pixel, and the guy at the genius bar ran something on my computer and went into disk utility application. I’m not sure what he was doing, but obviously that’s what messed up my windows partition. How can I be able to boot back into windows? Here's what disk utility looks like on my computer.

    Here's the output
    00000000  eb 52 90 4e 54 46 53 20  20 20 20 00 02 08 00 00  |.R.NTFS    .....|
    00000010  00 00 00 00 00 f8 00 00  3f 00 ff 00 00 b0 0e 2b  |........?......+|
    00000020  00 00 00 00 80 00 80 00  ff bf 2e 0f 00 00 00 00  |................|
    00000030  00 00 0c 00 00 00 00 00  02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |................|
    00000040  f6 00 00 00 01 00 00 00  05 92 d3 74 c4 d3 74 aa  |...........t..t.|
    00000050  00 00 00 00 fa 33 c0 8e  d0 bc 00 7c fb 68 c0 07  |.....3.....|.h..|
    00000060  1f 1e 68 66 00 cb 88 16  0e 00 66 81 3e 03 00 4e  |..hf......f.>..N|
    00000070  54 46 53 75 15 b4 41 bb  aa 55 cd 13 72 0c 81 fb  |TFSu..A..U..r...|
    00000080  55 aa 75 06 f7 c1 01 00  75 03 e9 dd 00 1e 83 ec  |U.u.....u.......|
    00000090  18 68 1a 00 b4 48 8a 16  0e 00 8b f4 16 1f cd 13  |.h...H..........|
    000000a0  9f 83 c4 18 9e 58 1f 72  e1 3b 06 0b 00 75 db a3  |.....X.r.;...u..|
    000000b0  0f 00 c1 2e 0f 00 04 1e  5a 33 db b9 00 20 2b c8  |........Z3... +.|
    000000c0  66 ff 06 11 00 03 16 0f  00 8e c2 ff 06 16 00 e8  |f...............|
    000000d0  4b 00 2b c8 77 ef b8 00  bb cd 1a 66 23 c0 75 2d  |K.+.w......f#.u-|
    000000e0  66 81 fb 54 43 50 41 75  24 81 f9 02 01 72 1e 16  |f..TCPAu$....r..|
    000000f0  68 07 bb 16 68 52 11 16  68 09 00 66 53 66 53 66  |h...hR..h..fSfSf|
    00000100  55 16 16 16 68 b8 01 66  61 0e 07 cd 1a 33 c0 bf  |U...h..fa....3..|
    00000110  0a 13 b9 f6 0c fc f3 aa  e9 fe 01 90 90 66 60 1e  |.............f`.|
    00000120  06 66 a1 11 00 66 03 06  1c 00 1e 66 68 00 00 00  |.f...f.....fh...|
    00000130  00 66 50 06 53 68 01 00  68 10 00 b4 42 8a 16 0e  |.fP.Sh..h...B...|
    00000140  00 16 1f 8b f4 cd 13 66  59 5b 5a 66 59 66 59 1f  |.......fY[ZfYfY.|
    00000150  0f 82 16 00 66 ff 06 11  00 03 16 0f 00 8e c2 ff  |....f...........|
    00000160  0e 16 00 75 bc 07 1f 66  61 c3 a1 f6 01 e8 09 00  |...u...fa.......|
    00000170  a1 fa 01 e8 03 00 f4 eb  fd 8b f0 ac 3c 00 74 09  |............<.t.|
    00000180  b4 0e bb 07 00 cd 10 eb  f2 c3 0d 0a 41 20 64 69  |............A di|
    00000190  73 6b 20 72 65 61 64 20  65 72 72 6f 72 20 6f 63  |sk read error oc|
    000001a0  63 75 72 72 65 64 00 0d  0a 42 4f 4f 54 4d 47 52  |curred...BOOTMGR|
    000001b0  20 69 73 20 63 6f 6d 70  72 65 73 73 65 64 00 0d  | is compressed..|
    000001c0  0a 50 72 65 73 73 20 43  74 72 6c 2b 41 6c 74 2b  |.Press Ctrl+Alt+|
    000001d0  44 65 6c 20 74 6f 20 72  65 73 74 61 72 74 0d 0a  |Del to restart..|
    000001e0  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |................|
    000001f0  00 00 00 00 00 00 8a 01  a7 01 bf 01 00 00 55 aa  |..............U.|
    00000200
    Here's a better screenshot.

  • Hi, can anyone help with the problem I am having with pro book 4440s? I can't boot into windows 7.

    Hi, can anyone help with the problem I am having with pro book 4440s?  I can't boot into windows 7, nor can I enter the bios cause i fogot the password. the error I am getting says "windows failed to start. a recenr hardware or software change might be the cause.   it then gives me options to boot from a disc but I can't do that cause I am unable to get into the bios to change it to boot from a disc.
    The error message goes on :
    File: \Boot\BCD
    Status: oxcoooooof
    info: An error occurred while attempting to read the boot configuration.
    the only two options on the screen are enter=continue and ECS=exit
    I just can't get pass this screen.
    Please help.
    Thanks

    Hi,
    If you don't already have one, use another PC to create a Windows 7 Rescue CD.  Download the relevant ISO from the links below.
    Windows 7 32bit
    Windows 7 64bit
    You should use an application such as ImgBurn to burn the ISO to a CD - a guide on using ImgBurn to write an ISO to a disc is Here.  Once created, or if you already have this, tap away at the esc key as you start the notebook to enter the Start-up Menu.  Insert the Rescue CD.  Select Boot options ( usually f9 ), use the arrow keys to select the CD/DVD drive and hit enter.  You may also get a prompt to 'Press any key to continue' - do this if asked.
    When loaded, select Repair Your Computer and choose the Command Prompt.  When this loads, enter the following commands and hit enter after each one - include spaces as shown.
    Bootrec.exe
    bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
    c:
    cd boot
    attrib bcd -s -h -r
    ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old
    bootrec /RebuildBcd
    bootrec /fixmbr
    bootrec /fixboot
    Remove the Rescue CD and try rebooting the notebook.
    Regards,
    DP-K
    ****Click the White thumb to say thanks****
    ****Please mark Accept As Solution if it solves your problem****
    ****I don't work for HP****
    Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience

  • Can't boot into windows 7 anymore......

    Hi all, I have a Mac mini late 2012 with windows7 installed through bootcamp5. It has worked flawless until recently, now I can't boot into windows anymore. I've checked in finder and the bootcamp partition is present and also all the files. Before that, I did have some trouble with my LaCie 2big thunderbolt hdd, it kept on saying I had to reformat one of the discs in the drive, but only when used in windows, in OSX there was/are no problems reading the hdd .......
    Any idea of how I can make windows bootable again?, do I really have to make a fresh install of windows to make it work??
    Any help is very much appreciated
    Kindly
    Jan

    You might want to visit the Boot Camp forum where the Boot Camp gurus hang out. https://discussions.apple.com/community/windows_software/boot_camp

  • Windows die out because of battery, can't boot to windows again

    Windows die out because of battery, can't boot to windows again

    Windows die out because of battery, can't boot to windows again

  • How can I boot to a fakeRAID -Raid0 set drive from a non-raid hdd

    Hi all,
    First of all, my English is bad and I hope I can explain it what my problem is. Secondly, I need your expert help with my problem right now.
    I'll just layout some hardware information and some history before I start. Currently, my motherboard has 3 hdd controllers which are:
    1) Intel - 6 ports --> contains 2 sets of RAID drives = 2 x 60gb SSD (boot drive) and 2 x 500gb HDD (data drive) both in RAID 0
    2) Jmicron - 2 ports --> 1 port is used by the DVDROM
    3) Marvell - 2 ports --> I don't use these ports as they are slow and are so bad - currently disabled in BIOS
    HISTORY: Before, my 2 x 60gb SSDs (RAID 0) contained Arch 64 + Windows 7 64 with Grub as the main bootloader. I remembered having a hard time setting up intel fakeraid with Arch linux + Win7 dual boot before, but fortunately, with your help, I found the solution and I've been using it ever since until today.
    NOW is kind of a different issue. I bought a new 60gb SSD (just one). I totally reformatted everything with my 2 x 60gb SSD Raid 0 and I decided to just use that exclusively for windows, still in RAID 0. My brand new SSD will ONLY have Arch64 on it. So I installed Windows 7 first on my Raid SSD set. I plugged my new SSD to the Jmicron port so I can take advantage of AHCI. I don't want to mix my new SSD to the Intel Controllers since its not RAID anyway. Anyway, I installed Arch 64 on the new SSD in the JMicron Port fine.
    Now here comes the problem, I set the Jmicron port where the Arch is installed to be the primary boot in the BIOS (since GRUB is there) and I can't boot to Windows! It gives me an error that It can't find the target drive (Win7 in the Raid 0 - intel ports). I've tried modifying the menu.lst and trying so many combinations and It still fails. Of course, I can boot to Arch fine since the drive is independent. It looks like grub legacy can't boot to fakeRaid drives if its not installed on that same drive.
    Can you give me advice on how to fix this issue?
    Also, I was just thinking, is there a 3rd party Windows Bootloader, that can be installed in Raid 0, that can pick up Linux and boot from it. I was thinking of just making the Windows 7 as primary boot in BIOS, with a 3rd party bootloader, then just boot to Arch.
    Thank you!

    Yes, I have redirected my User folder to the D: drive.
    I know that some shared components must reside on the C: drive; that's fine. I just don't have room for the entire installation on there.
    The real issue here is that, when a drive other than C: is selected as the destination, the CS6 package installs into a broken state every time, out of the gate, on my system. Some components get installed to D: and some to C:, but the various components of the programs seem confused about what exists where, as shown below:
    I select a folder on D: as the destination folder for the install, and here is what I get:
    64-bit versions of the package -- Program files are installed to the D: drive as specified, but attempting to start them results in a configuration error message stating that the program must be uninstalled and reinstalled, and lists "Error code: 1".
    32-bit versions of the package -- Program files are installed to the C: drive against what I specified. The shortcuts installed in the Start menu for the 32-bit versions point to the locations where these program files SHOULD be, on the D: drive. If the Adobe folder containing the program files is copied over to the correct location on D:, these programs function normally with no errors.
    I have the 32-bit versions working by copying the program files from C: to D:. I just want to get the 64-bit versions working as well.
    Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated; I'm really looking forward to testing the CS6 suite on my system!

  • I want to dual boot Windows 8 on my 20-inch, Mid 2007 iMac, from an external USB drive.

    I want to dual boot Windows 8 on my 20-inch, Mid 2007 iMac, from an external USB drive. The internal drive is completely dead, it doesn't even show up in Disk Utility.  I'm running 10.8.2 from the external drive.  When I start Boot Camp Assistant, at the Introduction page, when I press the continue button nothing happens.  Do I have to have internal drive to run Boot Camp Assistant?  Can anyone provide me with the steps to dual boot, with his setup?  Thanks in advance!

    Hi maczimillon,
    Only follow these steps, it works for my:
    Open "System Information" and note your "Boot ROM Version" (some like MBP51.007E.B06)
    Navigate to "Utilities" in Finder and open the package contents of -BootCampAssistant.app- with right click. Duplicate the "Info.plist" file to the Desktop e.g. and open that with Text Editor.
    You must locate the keys "DARequiredROMVersions"and "USBBootSupportedModels"
    Add new strings with the information of your machine under booth keys (step 1), always respect the format, such as: <string>MBP51.007E.B06</string> for the frist key and <string>MBP51</string> for the second key.
    Save changes and replace the original plist file (it may ask you to enter admin pass)
    If you proceeded correctly you will see the checkbox "Create a Windows 7 USB install disk" enabled in Boot Camp Assistant.
    Then you can follow the usual Boot Camp installation using your WIN8 DVD iso image . The assistant program will proceed resizing your disk partition and installing necessary drivers for your iMac.
    I strongly recomends you to use thirld party's bootloaders like rEFInd (rEFIt) because of the Apple SMC versions of some old machines should not be able to boot properly from external devices like USB drives.

  • Can I store the apps in my iTunes library on an external hdd but keep my music on my mac

    can I store the apps in my iTunes library on an external hdd but keep my music on my mac?
    thanks

    I don't know if this is me adding files to iTunes when the external wasn't connected
    it is.
    is it OK to just keep deleting that library on the Air?
    i wouldn't - at least not until i
    mount the external
    point iTunes media folder location back to the external via preferences > advanced
    consolidate my library via file > library > organize library
    The ntfs hasn't seem to be causing any problems, but I've always wanted to know.
    in order for your Mac to write to NTFS drives, it needs some help by installing e.g. the NTFS 3G driver. apparently that or something similar is installed on your Mac already. preferably, it would be formatted for Mac but then windows machines would need to have e.g. MacDrive installed to recognize the drive.

  • How can I migrate an Aperture library from an external HDD with Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted) format?

    How can I migrate an Aperture library from an external HDD with Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted) format?
    I used to store my pictures on an external hard drive using the latest version of Aperture. Now I tried migrating my Aperture library to Photos. However, after a short moment an error message popped up telling me that "Photos was unable to make a copy of your library before preparing it. Photos does not have the necessary permissions...".
    My external HDD doesn't need any permission repairs nor is the system prohibited to read from or write to it.
    Thanks for any advice in advance!
    Gohtac

    My guess is that the encryption is the problem for the new app.

  • I have an IMAC and I'm running OSX 10.9.2.  I'd like to store my Aperture /IMovie Libraries to an external hard drive.  In addition, I'd like to partition the external hard drive so that Time Machine can use it to both back up my IMac and the externa

    I have an IMAC and I'm running OSX 10.9.2.  I'd like to store my Aperture /IMovie Libraries on an external hard drive.  In addition, I'd like to partition the external hard drive so that Time Machine can use it to both back up my IMac and the external library drives.  Is this possible? Can I set up a RAID 5 format for redundancy?

    I'd like to store my Aperture /IMovie Libraries on an external hard drive.
    That is fine and recommended.. use the fastest disk you can afford.. ie Thunderbolt>USB3>FW800>USB2.
    In addition, I'd like to partition the external hard drive so that Time Machine can use it to both back up my IMac and the external library drives.
    Let me be clear.. you want to partition the one disk.. use it for TM and move your files to the external disk.. and then backup to the same disk.. You can do it.. but that is not a backup.. that is an experiment in how long you can get away with running files and backups on the same disk before you lose everything.. like Russian Roulette.. pull the trigger enough times and laws of probability will do you in.
    You must have backups on a different disk .. otherwise it is pointless.
    Can I set up a RAID 5 format for redundancy?
    No.. you can buy special USB and Thunderbolt external drives that support RAID..
    BUT that is still not a backup.. let me show why.. you make a silly move and corrupt your file in aperture.. it is not that rare.
    Raid will corrupt all copies of the files.. it is replicated across all disks.
    Delete a photo it is deleted across all disks.. you have no recovery.
    Alway, always consider RAID system one disk.. backup onto another disk.. and if the photos or movies are at all important to you.. ie your family .. make another copy and store in a relatives house.. There is no such thing as too much redundancy.

  • I am new with iMac and I am trying to copy some file from my external HDD but it does not let me also I can't delete anything from this HDD using the finder. Can somebody help me , please?

    I am new with iMac and I am trying to copy some file from my external HDD that a used with my PC but it does not let me also I can't delete anything from this HDD using the finder. Can somebody help me , please?

    No, unfortunately, when you format a drive, it will erase all the contents. So you will need to find a temporary "storage" place to put the stuff using a PC so you have access to it. Then reformat using Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities). If only using with mac, format Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and use GUID Partition scheme under Partitions/Options. After formatting, you can drag the files back.

  • Itunes and all my movies have disappeared,i can no longer add to library from my external hdd which ive always used and can only add from the laptops own hard drive,any ideas what the issue could be?

    ive recently updated, itunes and all my movies have disappeared,i can no longer add to library from my external hdd which ive always used and can only add from the laptops own hard drive,any ideas what the issue could be?if i transfer the movies from the external to the laptop they will add to the library without any problem so theres no issue with the laptop but when i go to add file in itunes i can path to the external but as soon as i select the file nothing happens, just goes back to itunes

    This happens if the file is no longer where iTunes expects to find it. Possible causes are that you or some third party tool has moved, renamed or deleted the file, or that the drive it lives on has had a change of drive letter. It is also possible that iTunes has changed from expecting the files to be in the pre-iTunes 9 layout to post-iTunes 9 layout,or vice-versa, and so is looking in slightly the wrong place.
    Select a track with an exclamation mark, use Ctrl-I to get info, then cancel when asked to try to locate the track. Look on the summary tab for the location that iTunes thinks the file should be. Now take a look around your hard drive(s). Hopefully you can locate the track in question. If a section of your library has simply been moved, or a drive letter has changed, it should be possible to reverse the actions.
    Alternatively, as long as you can find a location holding the missing files, then you should be able to use my FindTracks script to reconnect them to iTunes .
    tt2

Maybe you are looking for