How to clean install Win7

I would like to have a clean install Win7 to my thinkpad with original vista pre-installed.
I do not want to erase the F11 recovery function, that is keeping drive Q and S.
However, if I install win7 from the installation disc, the MBR will be erased.
Please give me some advice.

Unfortunately, with a clean install you will be reformatting the drive I assume, partitioning it and installing the OS. In this process you will loose the recovery drive. What you can do is back up SWTools, and the Recovery Partition to another source, and recreate the Recovery Partition once you have finished doing your clean install. The support article ishaan has pointed to is an excellent resource, which will also give you an indication of what folders to back up.
Edit: with some further research, you may be able to just delete the partition with the OS on it, repartition, and perform a clean install, on the new partition. I would still take all means to back up. Microsoft has an article here that may be of some assistance.
Good Luck, and keep us posted on your progress. Thank You.
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Similar Messages

How to clean install Maverick

How to clean install maveraick back from Yosemite.

If you reinstall Mavericks, yes; unless you previously downloaded it from your Apple ID, you won't be able to install it.
If you reinstall the computer's original OS, no.
(125481)

How to clean install Yosemite

How to clean install Yosemite on imac 10.9.5

Why?
Doing an erase and install of OS X is usually just a waste of time.
I recommend that you just upgrade and test it first.

How to Clean Install but then retrieve & restore my Keychain and Mailboxes.

For months now, there have been a large number of irritating problems with my system - and I'm not enough of a techie to resolve them.
It is as though my machine is stuck in the past.
Spotlight doesn't index well - and fails to find up to two thirds of my files - including most of the newer ones.
Dashboard remains at the point at which I upgraded my disk drive. I know this, because a clip from Safari (a web-page with drives for sale) comes up - laboriously slowly - every time I open dashboard; when I delete the clip, it simply reappears the next time I open dashboard after a reboot. Similarly, post-it-style notes made in the Stickies app just vanish after a reboot.
When I open TextEdit, the same untitled file I was working on back in the early summer opens with it; I close it, it's back again the next time I open TextEdit. Alterations I make to Text substitution disappear the moment I close the panel.
All new bookmark additions to Safari vanish from my bookmarks when I restart Safari.
Every time I open iTunes, it thinks I am opening it for the first time. I can't tell you how many times I have agreed to their Software License.
My iCal alarms go off ad infinitum even when I turn them off and for months after the event in question.
And so on, and so on. It's like living with an Alzheimer's patient who keeps asking you what day it is.
I have twice reinstalled Snow Leopard (and rebooted my way through all those software updates) to no avail. My system - or at any rate my applications - still think it's early summer 2010 and any changes since then are forgotten; and Spotlight continues to be virtually useless.
It seems intuitive that some of these problems might be associated with individual preference files and caches for the various applications. But, even if I knew how to correct such problems, I'm concerned it might take me days - even weeks - of messing around but without solving all of my problems.
I have to say, I am tired of having half a Macintosh at my disposal. And I'm inclined to do something drastic.
The obvious solution to these pernickety system problems is completely to reinstall Snow Leopard (onto an erased hard drive) and start from scratch. What has stopped me doing this so far is the fact that, together with the various keycodes that came with my applications, I would also lose all my e-mails and accounts from the Mail application - and all the various passwords in my Keychain.
Surely there must be some way to retrieve just these select items alone from backup after a clean install? (And - yes, techies - I KNOW that Apple doesn't offer a "clean install" these days but you know what I mean: I want to reset everything; then retrieve a few select items - but WITHOUT the complete migration - which would likely, in the process, reinstate all those corrupted preference files or permissions or whatever it is that is messing around with my machine's short term memory.)
So here's my question again:
How - following a "clean install" - do I locate and retrieve the specific ingredients that will restore my mailboxes and keychain to their current state, whilst leaving everything else "clean"?
Message edited by: Eric M Colvin
Message was edited by: Eric M Colvin

An alternative proposal I'm going to make is to set up a new user account. It seems highly likely to me that all, or almost all of these issues are related to the account preference files in ~/Library. Certainly the iTunes issue, Safari, TextEdit, iCal etc. suggest that your account is having trouble with saving any changes to its preference files which would result in anything you tried to do being forgotten the moment the application was closed.
So for a start, make a new account, log in to it and do a couple of experiments - make some bookmarks in Safari, change some TextEdit options, open iTunes - then close and reopen them, or even restart the machine. If the changes are saved, then it's definitely an account problem and there is no need to reinstall Mac OS. Worst case scenario then would be you might need to move your documents and settings over to the new account; however it's also worth taking a couple of steps to see if the original account can be fixed. Try the above step and if it works; if so, go to /Users and right click your home folder, then 'Get Info'. Under the section dealing with permissions, ensure that your username has both read and write permissions, then use the cogwheel to apply this setting to all folders and files inside your home folder (you may need to use your password to unlock the padlock for this).
There are other things that can be attempted even before moving to a new user (or reinstalling if the new user test failed) so it's still worth checking back here in case other people suggest steps, it just depends how much time you want to invest.
As always, back up all your data before troubleshooting.

How to clean install/upgrade from9.1/9.2.2 to Panther and make HD space

Dear group,
After reading many posts looking for answers to my iMac problems, I've decided to make a post. I've an iMac from the 500 series (which came with 128Mb, 20GB HD and 500MHZ and a slot for cd's) which I bought in 2001. From the start I prefered using OS9.1 instead of the OSX 10.0.3 that also came with it. But during the years there were many conflicts between programs and a lot of websites are not viewable now. I added 512mb to the 128mb working memory, but since I added more programs too, the 20GB HD was getting rather full:-(. Also upgraded Os 9.1 to 9.2.2.
My idea was to buy a external HD and to copy the intern HD to the external HD. This way I wouldn't lose any programs (of which 1 I broke the cd of) and then install programs I want to work with on the internal HD. After informing with several Mac-stores, they said this is not possible:-(. So I could only use an external HD for files and docs. When I finally saw an external HD of my choice (WD) it said that minimum OSX 10.3 was needed. This I don't have on my Mac, so didn't bought it. Also my HD was almost full. So I've been copying files to cd's to make some space. Here I read about "firmware" and found out mine does not need update anymore.
Online I bought the Panther software. It's Mac Os X 10.3.2 cd version however it says "eMac" on the cd. The person who sold it said it would be no problem to run on an iMac though. Reading some posts here, I wonder..
So to my questions:
How to proceed from here?
Did I understood right that Os 9.1 or higher is needed to upgrade to Os X (Panher) ?
Should I do a clean install of 9.1 again to avoid future conflicts? Or should I chose another type of install (or maybe remove parts or all and if so, how)?
And how to remove other programs from the HD without forgetting plugins or other files of that program that are spread in different folders on the HD?
Or was the Mac store wrong and is it indeed possible to move all to an external HD? And which external HD's are compatible with Os 9.1/Os 9.2?
I've many more questions, but since my post is already lenghtly I'll leave these for another time;-0.
Kind regards,
'Vonne

Hi, Vonne -
Now how do you 'boot' /make an ext. HD a boot drive?
A boot drive is the drive containing the OS from which the the machine boots. If you install a valid OS (an OS of adequate version and one whose install is compatible with that machine) on a external drive, and the machine is capable of booting from that kind of drive, all you need do is one of the following -
• select the OS on that drive in Startup Manager (control panel in OS 9, or control pane in System Preferences in OSX) and Restart.
• use Startup Manager to select the OS/drive which you want to use for that startup at the start of the boot process. This article describes using Startup Manager -
Article #HT1310 - Startup Manager: How to Select a Startup Volume
I used the phrase "one whose install is compatible with that machine" carefully. It is certainly possible to replicate (via copying in the case of OS 9, or cloning in the case of OSX) an OS from another machine onto an external drive, and then connect that drive to your machine. However, if the machine that was used as the source for the replication is not the exact same model as yours, it is unlikely that the OS will be viable - although the OS may be of adequate version, OS installs are usually tailored by the installer to match the hardware of the machine upon which it is being installed. A different model will probably have different hardware, and so the replicated OS will not have files in it to support the different hardware.
So I can also chose to remove the whole Os 9 and only put Os X on it? I thought I read somewhere you need to have Os 9 on it before you could
Correct. An install of OSX is stand-alone. Using a full-install disk set for OSX, there is absolutely no requirement at all that any prior version of any OS already be there.
Note, though, that most OS 9 programs are not compatible with OSX. This means that if you remove OS 9, you will not be able to run those programs which are not OSX-native. Some few are compatible with both OS's, such as later versions of AppleWorks 6.
The reason for this is that OS 9 and OSX are not written in the same language, do not have the same roots. OS 9 shares its roots with previous OS's, all the way back to OS 1. OSX is a new critter, written from scratch (although it is, I understand, based somewhat on Unix). The way OSX handles stuff (processes, routines, toolbox calls, etc., as well as the concepts of extensions and control panels and more), are not at all like OS 9 and earlier.
There is a solution for that - OS 9 can be used in the Classic mode under OSX. As Classic, OS 9 is used as a program (not as an OS) in order to provide an environment in which many OS 9-only programs can be run. To be used as Classic, OS 9 must be OS 9.1 or later, preferrably OS 9.2.x.
An install of OS 9 can be used for Classic and still retain its ability to boot the machine as an OS. Many folk have found that when possible it is better to have two installs of OS 9 - one dedicated for use as an OS, the other dedicated for use as Classic. This necessitates having more than one volume available. since it is near impossible to have two installs of OS 9 on the same volume and have them usable without conflict. In this context, a "volume" = an unpartitioned drive, or a partition of a partitioned drive.
Do you've brand names for me? The Mac stores only have the newest types that go from Os X 10.3 or greater
The brand names I have are somewhat outdated. At present I have four bootable firewire drives, three connected full time (the fourth is set up as an emergency boot-and-repair drive for both my G4s). Of those, three are VST brand; VST was bought out several years ago by SmartDisk. The fourth is even older, a FireDrive from MacTell - I have no idea what became of that company.
I have a hunch that most any drive that is connectable via FireWire 400 will be suitable for OS 9, provided that it is reinitialized after receipt. The requirement for OSX 10.3 may pertain to any formatting or backup software that is bundled with the drive. With regard to compatibility with OSX, I understand that using a drive with an Oxford chipset is preferred.
Perhaps someone else more familiar with current drive offerings will post in with more specific info.
How do I verify the drive works as a boot drive?
Same way any piece of hardware is verified - by trying it out. Boot the machine to the drive to verify it is bootable.
They said drag and drop can't be done.
They're wrong, with regard to OS 9. They're right, with regard to OSX.
OS 9 stuff - programs as well as OS's - is eminently copyable via drag and drop.
OSX stuff needs to be cloned using a cloning utility.
Have you experience with booting an internal drive to an ext. drive?
Yes. As I mentioned, I have four bootable firewire drives. Three are connected full time to my G4/500 AGP model; the fourth is an emergency disk. All have bootable OS's on them, of various kinds - a recent duplicate (via drag and drop) of the OS 9.1 on my primary internal drive; OS 9.2.1; and OSX 10.1.5 (which I have rarely used); and (on the emergency disk) a universal install of OS 9.2.1. How do I know they are bootable? Because I tested them by booting the machine to them.
Os X 10.0.3 is on my internal drive, so why should I use the OsX install CD to boot? Or do you mean the install cd of the new OsX (Panther) version?
Because the later versions of OSX have a better version of Disk Utility. The one that came with OSX 10.0.3 may be adequate; however, OSX 10.0 was a public Beta version - the first real release (one classed as a complete OS, not a Beta, i.e. trial, version) of OSX was 10.1.
I wasn't able to see the new cardreader I bought (which should be for Os 8.6 and higher). Could it be something is broken within Os 9.1/9.2.2 and it would be wise to do a reinstall anyway so to fix bugs like that?
If the card reader was not connected when the OS was installed or updated, the set of drivers needed by the card reader were probably not installed. OS 9 installers are sometimes too clever - they read what hardware is available, and install any software available which is needed by that hardware. This means they often do not install software which is not needed at that time; later changes or additions to the hardware can result in an apparent incompatibility, but that oes not mean something is broken. A re-install of the last version installed will sometimes take care of it.
Specifically, see this User Tip (although it addresses USB PCI cards, the same set of extensions is often needed for things like card readers) -
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=607556&
Ok, so it looks like I don't the right Panther software. So maybe good reinstall Os 9? In the 'Help' I find the option to re-install parts or remove parts of the systemprogram. Another option is the so called 'clean install'. And there's the possibility to use the recovery cd. I've no clue which option is best.
As Allan mentioned, it is unlikely that the eMac OSX 10.3.2 disk you got will work - disks that are shipped with a machine are usually model-specific to that machine model. If a disk states a model name on it, it is intended for use with that model. The retail disk sets, those for both OS 9 and OSX, contain a universal installer, one which has assets available to it which allow the installer to place a full, complete OS on any machine model supported by Apple for that OS version.
A Clean Install of OS 9 can be performed only using an original Software Install CD for a machine, or by using a retail OS 9 Install CD of adequate version. A Clean Install neither disturbs nor removes anything - it installs a brand new OS 9 System Folder, renames any previous one to Previous System Folder, installs a standard set of utilities if those are not already present, and does little else. A Clean Install is the only relatively convenient way to change the inherent language of an OS 9 install, or to downgrade the OS version. This Apple KBase article disusses it further -
Article #TA43881 - Mac OS 8, Mac OS 9: Performing a Clean Installation
A Software Restore CD can be a dangerous disk to use. The primary purpose of an OS 9 Software Restore CD is to return the drive to its original "as-shipped" configuration. Although its installer can be set to retain all info already on the drive, it is very easy to accidentally erase the entire drive. I do not think that a Software Restore CD will serve the purposes you have described.
The main difference between a Software Restore CD and a Software Install CD is that a Software Restore CD uses a disk image of the drive as originally shipped as its source, while a Software Install CD uses a library, an archive, of individual software components from which the installer selects as needed to match the machine's hardware configuration. In this context, a retail OS 9 Install CD is much the same as a Software Install CD, except that its archive of software somponents is usually more extensive.
A Software Install CD (and a retail OS 9 Install CD) can also be used to install or re-install individual OS software components. This is accomplished by selecting the Custom button on the Start page of the installer, then the group, then individual items as needed. The requirement here is that the version of the OS 9 on the hard drive must match the one the CD is intended to install.

How to Clean Install Mac OSX

How can I clean Install a Macbook Pro running OSX Mountain Lion?

Restart with the Option key held down, tab to the recovery partition, press Enter, and use the Disk Utility to either erase or repartition the internal drive. Install the OS onto the blank partition or an external drive.
(71312)

How to clean install os x on macbook pro late 2013 using usb (offline) (without recovery direct download)

hi,
Im trying to clean install OS X from last month using inbuild recovery partition method. Due to slow internet connection Im unable to complete the installation. I tried many times using this intallation process but it failled to complete the installation. My internet connection is steady but due to "time out" the whole installation process is skiping. So Im not able to use my brand new macbook pro late 2013 from last month beginning. Please provide an alternative solution to install os x.

For several years now, Apple has acted as if everyone on the planet has high speed Internet access. That is obviously not the case for many people, and for them installing or reinstalling any OS X version since Lion has been a problem.
I can only suggest that you take your MacBook Pro to a location that has a faster, publicly accessible Internet connection and download it there. An Apple Store would be ideal, but if that is not an option, a public library may offer high speed Internet, as do many hotels, coffee shops, or similar locations where you may have to pay a small fee.
When the download completes, you can copy the Install OS X Mavericks icon to another folder or an external storage device such as a flash drive, where it will remain available to use again, as often as you wish. Do that before proceeding with the Mavericks upgrade, otherwise the installer will erase the file.
The installer icon resembles the following
(Launchpad)
The following will also appear in /Applications:
Copy that to another location, such as Documents, by holding an option key while you drag it there.
Of course, every time Apple releases an OS X update you will need to download another, rather large file.

How to clean install

Hi there,
With Lion coming soon I though it would be a good time to ask what is the right/best way to do a clean install on an existing Mac? This is what I think it is:
1. Choose option to do a clean install or erase and install
2. Install the OS
3. Using migration assistant copy over all my stuff (from a SuperDuper clone should work right?)
4. Ready to go!
Is this correct? And is this really better than just doing an upgrade? Thanks!
rc

10.5 - 10.6 installation instructions (wipe and install method)
Make certain you have backed up your vital data onto
another drive or cd/dvd's before proceeding.
Disconnect all other drives, hold c and boot offthe 10.5
disk that came with your computer (free iLife included),
and select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu, selecting
your internaldrive,Erase> Format HFS+ Journaled (> Security
Option > ZeroAll Data is optional and cleans all old data off,
takes longer).
You may need a wired USB keyboard
When it's finished, Quit Disk Utility and your back into the OS X
Installer, install OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Once that's finished, reboot and do the setup like a new machine.
When that's done and your in, stick in the OS X 10.6 disk and run
the installer to upgrade you to 10.6 Snow Leopard.
When that's done, do a Software update. We are at 10.6.8 now.
note: if you don't have the 10.5 disk that came with your
computer, then repeat steps above with the 10.6 disk.
Retail OS X disks you don't get the free iLife, it's aseparate
purchase. iLife comes free on 10.4, 10.5 and 10.6 install
disks that come with the computer only.
Note: 10.7 upgrade occurs from the MacAppStore.
http://eggfreckles.net/tech/installing-lion-clean/
http://www.eggfreckles.net/tech/burning-a-lion-boot-disc/
After all this is done, don't take any chances, install
programs from fresh sources once they are stable with
OS X Lion. As well as printer drivers, third party software,
etc., etc. Copy files from backup manually via drag and drop.
Then use a (updated verison) of Carbon Copy Cloner to
clone the new drive to another HFS+ Journaled drive.

How to clean-install Mavericks to a fusion drive?

Because I cannot find a complete answer here or anywhere else, I seek information about reinstalling Mavericks on a 1TB fusion drive on my late 2013 iMac. I see discussions about reinstalling, backing up data, Boot Camp issues, rebuilding a fusion drive, making a fusion drive from scratch, and the like; but I do not find the level of detail I am seeking about starting over with a fusion drive. I upgraded to Mavericks from Mtn Lion and now see hints that I needed to do something special to take advantage of the properties of this drive.
That said, here are my questions:
(1) When I "Command-R" reboot to Recovery and get to the Disk Utility, I see a separate 1TB HD as an extended partition as well as a 125GB drive that is root (/), which I presume is the SSD. To accomplish the clean installation, do I format BOTH? Or will formatting only the 1TB HD suffice? Does formatting only the 1TB HD also take care of formatting the SSD? Maybe it's not advisable to format the SSD ...?
(2) Does the downloaded Mavericks installer loaded onto a USB stick using DiskMakerX have the capability to do this clean install properly? or is it necessary, in order to take advantage of the fusion drive properties (SSD+HD), to download Mavericks Installer after wiping the HD so that support for the fusion drive is maintained?
(3) Because I am curious, where does OS X (I mean the OS, not data) reside after the installation is done? on the SSD? on the HD? I ask this because I have read that "the OS remains on the SSD," but, seemingly in conflict, that the SSD is for quick access to frequently used programs and data. Both could be correct.
Sorry for the length of this. And thanks.

The screenshot of DU within the booted Mavericks, not Recovery.
/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                        *1.0 TB     disk1
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk1s1
   2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         999.3 GB   disk1s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk1s3
/dev/disk2
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh HD           *1.1 TB     disk2
/dev/disk3
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *500.1 GB   disk3
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk3s1
   2:                  Apple_HFS LaCie                   499.1 GB   disk3s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             784.2 MB   disk3s3
And you know what this is, per your request. It shows the OS on the SSD portion, the Recovery partition on the HD, etc. It's a little confusing because the disk reference numbers do not agree with those in the screenshot below, but that probably is because the shot below results from booting from a USB stick.
Now to your comments/answers/thoughts:
(1) Issue of number of drives. This is a fuzzy iPhone screenshot of DU after booting from a USB Mavericks installation stick:
Looks like I cannot format the SSD directly, if that is what disk5 really is. Below I mention another possibility for getting it formatted (third paragraph from the end).
(2) Which source for new installation of Mavericks
I agree that it's probably best not to use the USB stick I have but to use the Recovery method to download a fresh copy. I'm not sure about the reliability of the USB vs downloading, either, but there is some evidence out there (somewhere -- I've seen it but I don't recall where) suggesting it.
(3) Where OS X is installed -- fusion drive portion or HD portion of the Macintosh HD:
From the information given with "disk5" in the screen shot just above, it does appear that after a USB boot, DU sees items separately, including the main storage (Macintosh HD), the Recovery partition (disk4-used also for creating the USB stick installer), and OS (disk5). Some of this layout may hold true with a "Command-R" boot from the Recovery partition, and I know I've looked at it but for the moment cannot recall the information.
Further, it appears the OS is on the SSD. It also appears it cannot be formatted UNLESS such formatting occurs when the target for the formatting process is "Macintosh HD." I am inclined to believe now that when I make this clean reinstallation, the new copy of OS X will be put on the SSD portion, as you state. I am aware that the moving of data back and forth from SSD to HD is outside user control.
Lowluster, thank you for answering my questions in such an organized fashion (that I can follow!). I feel confident now about proceeding even though not all questions are answered definitively.
Allan, I'm glad to know about fusing separately an SSD with an HD. It will be useful should I run into another user's desire to create a fusion drive. Thank you again.
David

How to clean install OS Lion, downloaded from Apple App Store???

I upgraded the OS on new 13" MBP i-5 online via Apple Store.
Need to do a clean install of OS since my MBP takes 112 seconds to boot, and i found out that the only remedy is to clean install the OS.
Install file is gone from the Applications folder.
Please advise. On App Store shows that the OS Lion is instaled (true).

You can redownload the Lion installer by holding "alt" while clicking on the small "purchased" symbol in the window frame of the AppStore. The "installed" button should then turn into "install". You can then either extract the InstallESD.dmg image from the installer and clone it to a 8 GB USB stick via Disk Utility (there are zillions of tutorials for this on the web, just google for "Lion USB boot stick") or simply copy the whole installer.app to another bootable OS X SL or Lion volume and run it from there.
The other way is to boot the Mac from it's recovery HD by holding cmd+R at boot, then selecting Disk Utility to reformat your HDD and then downloading and installing Lion from there.

How to clean install Mail application? (due to regular Mail crash)

Friends:
My Mail app crashes all the time. I do not wish to reinstall my whole mac all over again. What should I delete from the present system and how do I go about getting a clean Mail app to install in its stead?
I take the opportunity to thank you in advance,
Migs

First quit Mail. Then delete this file:
/Users/you/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist
...and this folder:
/Users/you/Library/Mail
Then relaunch Mail. It should be just like new. NOTE: All your e-mails will be gone; vaporized.

How to clean install from upgraded window 8.1 SL via window store

Hello friends, I am not that much expert in computer field. Please help me to solve my below mentioned problem.
I purchased and hp laptop with window 8 preinstalled 1.8 Years ago. and i have updated my laptop to window 8.1 via window store, and everything is working fine till now. Now i want to know is there any way to keep a copy of my window 8.1 (I have
already created recovery drive of window 8 of 21-22 GB, 8 months after purchasing my laptop). So that when i reset my laptop, again i dont have to download this large file of window 8.1 from window store. As i have searched on net regarding this and found
that when i am going to reset my pc with my recovery pendrive, the default/preinstalled OS i.e window 8 is going to be installed on my system and not the window 8.1. Anyone please tell me how to keep my window 8.1 copy, so that i can reinstall
the same in future winthout downloading the same. Thank you in advance for your help

Assuming you can get your PC to boot from a USB memory stick, create a Recovery Drive.
You can make a System Image backup that can be accessed and restored from the recovery environment you can get to when you boot up.
Open the File History control panel look for the link to the lower-left...
-Noel
Detailed how-to in my eBooks:
Configure The Windows 7 "To Work" Options
Configure The Windows 8 "To Work" Options

MBP Late 2010, How can I install Win7 Boot Camp using External Optical Driv

Hello:
I have a new MBP purchased in February. It's not the 2011 model. I replaced the Optical drive with an SSD drive and put the optical drive in an external enclosure. The Optical drive works great, reads, writes, etc. My Windows 7, Pro 64bit DVD works also, tested on a PC.
I use the Boot Camp assistant to create a partition. It them reboots and never starts up from the optical drive. I get an Apple logo alternating with a stop sign.
I have got back to OS X by starting with the Option key and choosing my OS X volume.
I tried booting to the DVD by using the option key, that did not work. I then choose the EFI option which allowed me to hit any key and appeared to boot from the external optical drive. Windows setup screen came up and I hit enter to start the file loading process. It eventually stopped when the progress bar was all the way across the screen. Then nothing.
Questions {Please give definitive answers, not guesses, thanks :)}
1) Is it possible to setup a boot camp Windows installation without an internal optical drive? Yes/No.
2) If yes, how?
3) I see the rEFIt utility has helped some but I read mixed reports. Will this help me boot and run Windows setup from an external optical drive? I don't want to install it if it's not known to be a certain fix.
4) Is my only options to reinstall the optical drive?
I chatted to OWC the vendor that sells the bracket. They had no idea how to install a Windows BC partition without an internal drive.
I am seriously discouraged by what seems to be Apple wanting to control everything. I had a Mac Pro and Air book in my future but now, it's on hold.
Thanks in advance,
Kevin

I tried what you are doing with a 2007 MBP, and could not get any Windows CD s to boot from an external optical drive, firewire or USB.
I think this is fundamental to Windows which won't boot from an external USB drive either even on a Windows machine (although I believe there may be complex ways of achieving this). I don't think this is Apple trying to control the world.
I ended up taking the MCE Optibay out and putting the original optical drive back in.
Just possible that something has changed between a 2007 MBP and 2010 MBP, but I doubt it.
If you want the second internal HD, you have two options:-
1. Put the Apple optical back in, install Windows, then take out the optical and refit the SSD. The external optical will still be able to install windows apps and data etc, just not boot any windows install CDs or utilities (like Paragon rescue disks). You will not be able to do a Windows repair install without refitting the optical.
2. Parallels, which has come a long way in the last two years. I am 99% certain that Parallels will install from an external optical.
Message was edited by: Mike Boreham
Message was edited by: Mike Boreham
Message was edited by: Mike Boreham

How can i install Win7 Pro x86 on MBP with OS X 10.8.2 (Bootcamp), How can i install Win7 Pro x86 on MBP with OS X 10.8.2 (Bootcamp)

Need help on this one. Keep getting prompted to use x64 bit version of Windows. MS stopped the sales of Windows 7 lisences. All i got is x86 lisence. Trying to push that Windows 8 garbage down our throats. Please help guys

Check this: http://www.bdts.com.au/tips/54-apple-osx/124-windows-7-boot-camp-install.html
Download the Boot Camp drivers updates from the Apple site.
The 3.1 x64 version is here: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1336
The 3.1 x86 version is here: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL996
The 3.2 x64 version is here: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL979
The 3.2 x86 version is here: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1333

How to Clean install Windows 7 on my S12 ion

exactly what the title says. I think my s12 is a bit slow compared to what people are reviewing it as. I want to remove the preinstalled software and be able to properly install the nvidia drivers and adobe flash, as i have run into some problems with that...

Hi and welcome...
but there is no way to make a pure windows 7 DVD ...and loose the possible one key recovery ...
if you want to have these ..
you have to make a Backup before you do something wrong... there is no possibility to get needful things back when partitionized the hdd.... Even One Key Recovery will be lost in space...
No, there is no possibility to made a Windows 7 Disk of hardisk content ...
If you have a full Windows 7 HP DVD and a key (and a USB-DVD
(dont know the OEM key works which is sticked on the bottom case)
should be no problem ...to install a fresh windows 7 with fresh downloaded driver ...
Windows 7 driver for your S12 ION you can found in the sticked area above
sincerely KalvinKlein
Thinkies 2x X200s/X301 8GB 256GB SSD @ Win 7 64
Ideas Centre A520 ,Yoga 2 256GB SSD,Yoga 2 tablet @ Win 8.1

How to clean install Win7

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