How to install windows without destroying any existing data?

I would like to install windows on my macbook 10.5.8, however i dont want to lose any data. And i am thinking if i used boot camp or something similiar it may be destructive while resizing my osx partition. I am also thinking of a virtualization program, ironically ALL i need is IE to access my School website. I am a teacher and i cant get some features to work with Safari, and havent tried mozzilla but i assume it wont work.

ALL i need is IE to access my School website
Try running it through CrossOver Mac, and if that fails, using VirtualBox to run Windows in emulation. Boot Camp isn't really intended for your needs.
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How to install Windows without USB or DVD drive on 2009 MacBook

Problem
I have a MacBook Pro mid 2009 fitted with both an HDD and SSD.
Obviously I had to remove the DVD SuperDrive to fit in the HDD into the Optical Bay.
This is awesome big and quick storage, but you can't use it for BootCamp anymore, BootCamp Assistant says. Because it needs the optical drive for installing Windows and it won't accept it via USB.
The good thing is, that you don't need the Bootcamp Assistant for installing Windows.
So:
I have Mac Os:X Mavericks working from my SSD (which I fitted to the HDD bay for increased speed)
The HDD is installed in the former optical drive bay, with one MacOS Ext partition for Mac storage and the other one being NTFS with Windows.
Solution
The solution is a little bit tricky, needs either a virtual Windows machine or a real one and it involves removing and refitting your hard drive, but on an older MacBook Pro like 2009s that originally came with an Optical Drive there is no other way. afaik.
Step 0.5
Backup your Data
Step 1
Partitioning your desired drive
You can do this using Apples Disk Utility if you have installed either Tuxera NTFS or NTFS 3G. Or you do that in step 3 in Windows.
I'd recommend a size of at least 30 GB, Windows 7 alone takes up around 20 GB
Step 2
Remove the hard drive and connect it to a windows machine
Afaik the next step has to happen in Windows with full hardware access. If you want to use a virtual machine i.e. VM Ware or Parallels you need to connect it via USB as an external device, otherwise it won't have full access to the partitions. Obviously you can use a real Windows computer too. Still you're gonna need to remove the drive from your Mac.
Step 3
Re-format and set "active" partition state
Format desired partition with NTFS, quick format works fine. (just in case)
Open your Windows 7 Image (or Disk) and Copy the directories "Boot" and "Sources" as well as "Bootmgr" onto the partition
Make the Partition bootable:
Using Windows XP, Vista, or 7, open CMD as Admin (Windows key + R, type CMD, hit Enter)
Enter the following commands, (replace X with what applies to your hard drive):
diskpart
list disk
select disk X
list partition
select partition X
active
exit
X:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt60 X:
Exit and shut down
(Source and additional images: http://www.instructables.com/id/Install-Windows-7-without-USB-or-DVD-without-upg ra/)
(If this is somehow possible using Mac Tools, please let us know!)
Step 4
Fit the HDD back into your mac
Just that.
Step 5
Install windows
Start your Mac and immediately press and hold the alt (option) key until you can select the other drive to boot windows.
Install using advanced installation to select the same partition.
Step 6
Clean up
After the installation press cmd + r (in windows) and type and run msconfig
Click to the Boot tab.
Click 'Windows Setup (\windows)', and hit Delete.
Click OK.
Click 'Exit without restart'.
And lastly, delete the ‘Sources’ folder from your hard drive root (this will free up 2-3gb).
Final Step:
Install the Mac drivers (Get the right version here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5634 )
Recommendation: Use Winclone Pro to backup your precious installation.
On a footnote: This article was a big help to me: http://www.instructables.com/id/Install-Windows-7-without-USB-or-DVD-without-upg ra/)

Have you tried resetting the PRAM? http://gigaom.com/2011/07/26/when-to-reset-your-macs-pram-and-smc/
Which Windows version are you trying to install? If I remember right, you can't use windows 8 on these older machines.
Other than that it's hard to say what could have gone wrong. I can only suggest going through the steps again carefully and making sure everything worked the way it should.
Have a look at this article too for a slighly more verbose instruction on making a drive bootable: http://www.instructables.com/id/Install-Windows-7-without-USB-or-DVD-without-upg ra/

How to install windows without the cd drive?

Hello,
I have a 2009 iMac that I want to install Windows 7 on. I have both a Windows 7 iso and a Windows 7 DVD. However, my cd drive is a mess, and upon trying to install Windows 7 from the DVD, the installation failed miserably 3 times at expanding windows files 0%. From there it just freezes for more than an hour and then gives me an error.
Now, my Bootcamp Assistant has an option to create a windows 7 install disk, but unfortunately it is greyed out.
My question to you guys: Is it possible to install Windows 7 on the iMac without using the cd drive?
I am using Lion, if that is helpful. Also, the Windows 7 DVD works fine, as I have already installed Windows on my 2011 iMac from it.
Thanks!

I'm in a similar situation. Attending an online university and I need to use Access. But of course, Microsoft doesn't make a Mac version. I can get Windows through the university discount program, but only as a downloadable .iso file and a verification key. My drive works fine, I just don't have an actual CD/DVD to put in there.

How to install Windows 8.1 without optical drive

I just got a ZBook 14 which was preinstalled with Windows 7. I want to use Windows 8.1 Pro which was alsp delivered on DVDs in the packages. However, this machine does not come with an optical drive. How can I install Windows 8.1 on this machine?
Thanks

Excuse me for being blunt but that is simply b***hit. Windows 8.1 comes delivered with the machine which is brand new and any reasonably new PC is fully capable of running Windows 8.x. The question was just how I was supposed to load it onto the machine as it lacks an optical drive. I suggest you do not give advice unless you know what you are talking about.
For all others thatwant to the same thing.
1. Make a copy of the Windows 8.1 DVD that comes shipped with the machine. See the following guide http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed-100-working-guide/
2. Set Boot mode in BIOS to UEFI instead of legacy BIOS.
3. Boot from the USB stick and install Windows 8.1, wipe all existing partitions. Please note that this will effectively remove any possibility to revert to Windows 7 by using the recovery partition but since Windows 7 DVDs are also delivered you can use the same procedure as above to install that. I guess that boot mode in this case should be set to legacy instead of UEFI.
Of course, you do the above at your own risk but it has worked successfully for me. You could copy the content of the Application and Driver Recovert DVD for Windows 8.1 to a USB stick as well and install that afterwards.

How to Install Windows 7 Without the Disc

1a) Here is very useful article from PCWorld.com. The article is entitled "How to Install Windows 7 Without the Disc" and means just what it says. The article also has links to Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder and legitimate Windows 7 ISOs from Digital River, a licensed distributor of Microsoft software. The article lists "Step 1" as;
"Find your Windows 7 product key: Typically this 25-character alphanumeric string is printed on a sticker affixed to your PC or on documentation included with your PC. Alternatively, you can use a keyfinder program such as Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder to pull your product key from the Registry. You need your product key to reinstall Windows."
1b) Using a key finder, however, is only useful if the Windows 7 product key was printed on a sticker (Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity) affixed to your PC, on documentation included with your PC, or sent via email by Microsoft. Assuming your computer came from one of the big brand computer manufacturers... HP, Sony, Dell, Gateway, etc... as most do, it uses a generic "mass activation" OEM SLP key. Trying to use this key by itself isn't going to work. This OEM SLP key needs to be mated with an OEM SLP certificate and an appropriate OEM BIOS with a proper SLIC table.
1c) Here is where ABR Beta With Windows 7 Support comes to the rescue. Follow the "How to use it" section of ABR for Windows Vista for information and instructions on how to use ABR. The steps listed for Vista apply to Windows 7 as well. Perform the "activation backup" to "backup" and save the OEM SLP key and OEM SLP certificate. Save the entire ABR folder to an external location for later use. This will allow you to pre-activate your "clean" Windows 7 install on the computer you pulled the key and certificate from.
1d) Now install Windows 7 from your new "Windows 7" disc or USB stick, following all prompts as needed. Don't enter a Windows 7 product key if request. Also, don't allow Windows to try to auto-activate. Once Windows is fully installed, run ABR "activation restore" to "restore" the previously backed up product key and certificate to the new Windows 7 install. Verify that Windows is activated, repeat "activation restore" if needed.
2) Here is another useful article, this time from SevenForums.com. This arcticle is entitled "Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7" and provides detailed steps required to backup your computer, audit current hardware and software, locate software and drivers, install and activate Windows 7, and create a Windows 7 Backup Image of your fresh install.
Good luck.
Links to additional Windows 7 SP1 "Editions" and "Languages" can be found HERE and HERE.
Link to "ei.cfg Removal Utility". The "ei.cfg Removal Utility" is a simple tool that will remove the ei.cfg from any Windows ISO disc image, thereby converting the image into a "universal disc" that will prompt the user to select an edition during setup instead of being forced to use different discs for different versions of Windows 7.
Direct link to Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool.
<Cross posted to Notebook Operating Systems and Software for Notebook, Laptop, and Netbook users>
EDITED by Frank on 8/28/2013
Please click the white KUDOS star to show your appreciation
Frank
{------------ Please click the "White Kudos" Thumbs Up to say THANKS for helping.
Please click the "Accept As Solution" on my post, if my assistance has solved your issue. ------------V
This is a user supported forum. I am a volunteer and I don't work for HP.
HP 15t-j100 (on loan from HP)
HP 13 Split x2 (on loan from HP)
HP Slate8 Pro (on loan from HP)
HP a1632x - Windows 7, 4GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6450
HP p6130y - Windows 7, 8GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6450
HP p6320y - Windows 7, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GT 240
HP p7-1026 - Windows 7, 6GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6450
HP p6787c - Windows 7, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GT 240

ervis,
Before formatting the hard drive you should have been able to use the HP Recovery Manager to create your recovery discs or perform a system recovery. This is provided the recovery partition wasn't already corrupt or damaged. If the "D:" HP Recovery partition is missing or damaged and you don't have a set of HP Recovery Discs, you will need to use the information in my previous post to get your computer up and running again.
The information in the document referred you to applies to several different "types" of installations;
Using ABRbeta is only needed if you have an active OEM factory SLP (system locked preactivated) installation of Windows. You use ABR to pull the factory key and certificate off the computer, to reuse it on the same computer with a clean Windows install.
If you are just installing Windows and are going to use the Windows 7 product key on the COA on the side of your computer, all you need to do is download the same version of Windows that your key is for and burn the ISO. Now install Windows answering or following all prompts as needed (except do not enter the Windows product at this time... it will be entered later). Once Windows has completely installed, enter the key and activate it. Your Windows 7 OA key should work on a SP1 install without issue.
The only thing I see that could mess things up, is the language of the install. If you are still having trouble activating Windows, please reference the ISO you download and a post a photo of your Windows COA
with the key erased or Xed out.
Please send KUDOs
Frank
{------------ Please click the "White Kudos" Thumbs Up to say THANKS for helping.
Please click the "Accept As Solution" on my post, if my assistance has solved your issue. ------------V
This is a user supported forum. I am a volunteer and I don't work for HP.
HP 15t-j100 (on loan from HP)
HP 13 Split x2 (on loan from HP)
HP Slate8 Pro (on loan from HP)
HP a1632x - Windows 7, 4GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6450
HP p6130y - Windows 7, 8GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6450
HP p6320y - Windows 7, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GT 240
HP p7-1026 - Windows 7, 6GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6450
HP p6787c - Windows 7, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GT 240

How to install windows 7 on my macbook pro mid 2009 using usb. right now aim using mavericks 10.9 can any one please help me. I tried to edit plist in boot camp but it went wrong please help me

how to install windows 7 on my macbook pro mid 2009 using usb. right now iam using mavericks 10.9 can any one please help me. I tried to edit plist in boot camp but it went wrong please help me.
Iam new to coding. please help me.

try the solution posted by kunu here and report back
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5105056?tstart=0

How to install windows xp on mac mini without cd rom support

How to install windows xp on mac mini without cd rom support. I have installed Bootcamp on my mac mini. And i was using windows xp on my mac mini before xp crashed due to a system file missing or corrupt.

usb optical drive

How to install windows server 2012 r2 without remove the current windows 8.1

how to install windows server 2012 r2 without remove the current windows 8.1

Use guide below to convert it to 'basic' disk, or install windows on another drive. The supported way is to delete all partitions and convert it to a basic disk.
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc755238.aspx
However, your windows 8.1 must be on another drive?, as windows cannot boot from a dynamic disk.
Best Regards,
Jesper Vindum, Denmark
Systems Administrator
Help the forum: Monitor(alert) your threads and vote helpful replies or mark them as answer, if it helps solving your problem.

Already i download driver for install the windows, i can get the drivers but i can't install windows, how i can install windows without downloads driver again

already i download driver for install the windows, i can get the drivers but i can't install windows, how i can install windows without download driver again

This seems to be a commercial product. For the best chance at finding a solution I would suggest posting in the forum for HP Business Support!
You can find the Commercial Laserjet board here:
http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Printers-LaserJet/bd-p/bsc-413
Best of Luck!
You can say thanks by clicking the Kudos Star in my post. If my post resolves your problem, please mark it as Accepted Solution so others can benefit too.

How to install window 7 without disk or usb

i'm not very used to using the mac os system, so I would like to install window 7 to my laptop(macbook pro)
I don't have a usb or a mac installation disk so is there any way to install it to my computer?
i have something to do (my career) that is associated with using a software and i was unable to install it because it was a mac plz help
i'm not sure what operating system it is i think this is something called lion

Hello Tckotaru,
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
If you want to install a Boot Camp partition on your computer in order to install Windows, then you can learn how to do this by selecting the link below.
How to install Windows using Boot Camp - Apple Support
Have a great weekend,
Alex H.

NB100 - How to install Windows 7 without CD drive

Hi. I wondering if some one knows how to install Windows 7 whit out a CD player.
I have an external HDD.
Is it posibel to do a image on that one to boot from?

I'm typing this on an NB100 (Upgraded to 2GB of RAM) running Windows 7 RC .
Make sure to update your BIOS to the latest version (1.9 I think) and then you can mount the Windows 7 .iso as a virtual drive using Daemon Tools in XP and run it and do a clean install.
Windows 7 will back up all your documents, music, videos etc in a folder called Windows.old and it will find all the new drivers you need all by itself (at least it did for me). If I remember correctly the only one I had to install again was the Bluetooth Stack.
All the Toshiba drivers and manuals etc will still be on your hard drive too, I think they're all stored on a small separate partition, which I think is pretty neat.
It took me a while cus I did as much research and reading up as I could beforehand but in the end it was really easy. Shouldn't take you more than an hour really.
Windows 7 is also running pretty damn well too. The only problem I have is that sometimes the taskbar disappears after the screensaver has been running, but a friend of mine is having the same problem on his Samsung netbook.

Can I install Windows without optical Driver

Hi!
I have a Macbook pro Early 2008 - MB134LL/A but its optical driver cannot read any disc. Now I want to install Windows via BootCamp but it cannot. Anybody know how can I install Windows without optical Driver? I tried to boot by USBflash, USB DVD Driver but it cannot boot.
I think that does external optical drivers via firewire work?
Thanks alot!

Thank you for your reply, and the information. This is what I came up with:
I added the strings as instructed, however when I went to sign the script in terminal, I was told:
/Applications/Utilities/Boot Camp Assistant.app: replacing existing signature
/Applications/Utilities/Boot Camp Assistant.app: code object is not signed at all
In subcomponent: /Applications/Utilities/Boot Camp Assistant.app/Contents/info.plist
Also, here are screen captures of the lines that I added. Mine are the top string entries:
Thank you for your help, thus far!

How to Install Windows 7 on an HP Pavilion g6 g6 -2200ee

Hi, sir, i bought a new HP Note Book Yesterday it as Loaded with Win-8 OS and i want to Change the OS to Win - 7, while i enter to the booting option .i cant see any bootdevice from CD/DVD Option . will you please help me to find a solution .. .. .. .. Thanks & RegardsShan

*****Disclaimer*****HP doesn't recommend the installation of Windows 7 on a computer shipped with Windows 8, nor will it support the installation of Windows 7. HP will not provide Windows 7 drivers and suitable drivers may not be available for the hardware in the computer. Also, Windows 7 may not support some of the hardware or software features designed for the computer. Make sure you create your HP Recovery Discs or USB Flash Recovery media before modifying or changing ANYTHING. You will need to DISABLE "Secure Boot" and maybe ENABLE "Legacy Support" in the "BIOS Secure Boot cofiguration" on the settings page shown below before you can attempt to install Windows 7; or Additionally, as the hard drive is partitioned as GPT, you must boot the computer using the "UEFI - CD/DVD drive" or "UEFI- USB Flash Drive" options in the "F9" boot menu. If something to that effect doesn't exist in the boot menu, please post a screen shot and/or describe the listed boot options. I suggest using Windows 7 SP1 for the best intallation experience. If you need Windows SP1, please see "How to Install Windows 7 Without the Disc" to download and create your own. If the DVD refuses to boot as UEFI, you may need to use a USB Flash drive (may require DISABLING "Fast Boot" in the BIOS) as the installation media. Please download the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool to create a Windows 7 SP1 USB Flash drive. The USB Flash may not be recognized as a valid UEFI boot source by some computers if it is formated as NTFS and may require some modifications to work correctly. Here are the specs for your HP Pavilion g6-2200ee Notebook Computer. The HP Pavilion g6-2200ee Notebook PC Drivers page for your computer, appears to only have drivers for Windows 8 and 8.1. Please post the Windows Device Manager's "Hardware Ids" for any additional missing or unknown devices, as shown in the example below; If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Please click the white KUDOS star to show your appreciation

How to install Windows on a SATA boot drive

Here is how to install Windows XP on a SATA boot drive. This procedure was first developed by syar2003 and has been used by many iusers ncluding myself. Although it was originally developed for Neo2 mb's and Windows XP Pro, it has general applicability to systems as well.
1. Have only the SATA drive you want to be the boot drive active in your system. Disconnect the power to all other HDD's if any.
2. Have only one optical drive active. Disconnect the power to the other opticals if any. (Best to have a burner optical as master on IDE1.)
3. Plug SATA drive into SATA 1 on the mb. (it may show us as an IDE drive somewhere down the list in BIOS. That's okl)
4. Enable appropriate SATA options in BIOS. Set boot order to floppy, cd, SATA drive. Set boot priority to SATA drive.
5. Partition and format the SATA HDD using the utilites CD that came with the SATA drive. (If you don't have an HDD utilities disk, download one from the website of your HDD manufacturer.)
6. Run Windows setup. No need to load drivers at the F6 promt unless you are planning to do a RAID configuration.
7. Windows XP should install without incident.
8. After you are up and running, plug the power back into your other HDD and optical drives if any.
If you have a board older than the K8 series, it may be necessary to load the SATA drivers at the F6 prompt. If the above procedure does not work, than try it again loading the SATA drivers.
If this procedure does not work for you, it is likely that your particular SATA HDD has some compatablity problem with Windows setup and/or your motherboard. The solution to this is to try another SATA drive. In general, most failures using this procedure have been traced to certain WD, Seagate and Hitachi SATA drivers of smaller capacities. Fewer problems seem to have occured with Maxtor HDD's.

Kaplan, from an earlier post of mine regarding sata2 hdds - I have them plugged into the sata1&2 ports, installed the nvidia raid first and then installed winxp (in both raid 0 and raid 1). My bios is 3.1 and its a known problem that bios 3.3 & 3.4 have nvidia raid problems but seems to be fixed in the beta bios 3.53:
I just purchased 2 hitachi deskstar sata2 80gb hdds ($60 each at zzf) and the interesting thing about them is that you have to "enable" sata2. I have been testing the performance of sata1, sata2, raid1 and raid0 and the results are below.
The drives themselves are factory default set at sata1. Since I purchased OEM, no software or instructions were included. I had to go to the hitachi website download section to download a dos based program (the features program) to enable sata2. After enabling the hdds to sata2, they were recognized in winxp in the nforce ADMA controller device driver and the screen reads with the primary channel as Serial ATA Generation 2 - 3G...and all 4 boxes below it are checked (the boxes enable bios select xfer mode, enable read caching, enable write caching and enable command queuing are checked). An interesting thing about the sata2 spec is that all sata2 hdds must come standard with NCQ...its not advertised on these 80 gb hdds on the hitachi website (unlike the larger hitachi sata2 hdds) but its a standard sata2 spec and these 80gb hitachi hdds are recoginized in winxp as sata2.
The other interesting feature about the hitachi sata2 hdds is setting them up to operate in an adjustable "performance" to "silence" mode. The hdds are default set at high perfromance but you can manually lower the performance to increase the silence of the hdds which is fully adjustable to your liking. I tested the highest silence/lowest performance setting and you cannot hear the hard drive at all.
Testing - I tested the 2 hitachi sata2 deskstars with the first result in sata1 mode, the second in sata2 mode, the third in raid1 mode and the fourth in raid0 mode.
First, a significant increase in raid0 over sata1, sata2 and raid1 with sequential reads and writes (PC Wizard).
Write: 28mb/s vs 29mb/s vs 27mb/s vs 53mb/s
Read: 45mb/s vs 46mb/s vs 43mb/s vs 83mb/s
Second, significant increase in sata 2, raid 1 & raid 0 over sata1 with buffered reads and writes (PC Wizard).
Write: 104mb/s vs 176mb/s vs 165mb/s vs 266mb/s
Read: 123mb/s vs 200mb/s vs 200mb/s vs 293mb/s
Third, significant increase in sata 2, raid 1 & raid 0 over sata1 with burst reads (HD Tach).
Burst Read: 133mb/s vs 225mb/s vs 219mb/s vs 334 mb/s
It is interesting to note that raid1 is better than sata1 but marginally slower in all tests over sata2. Raid0 is significantly faster on all tests.

How to install Windows 7 from a USB drive!

This is even easier than installing Windows XP from a USB drive, and will also reduce the time taken to install Windows 7, it took me about 15 minutes!
The advice in the guide is also applicable to installing Vista.
You need basically:
a USB flash drive at least 4GB in size
a Windows 7 DVD
To sum up:
Format your USB drive, with the NTFS filesystem
Open Command Prompt as an administrator, and run the Bootsect.exe program off the Windows 7 CD to make the USB drive bootable
Copy the contents of the Windows 7 DVD to the USB drive
Restart your PC, press F11 (or whichever key it is) to access the Boot menu, and select your USB drive to boot from
Full guide here:
http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed-100-working-guide/

Quote from: bnborg on 16-February-11, 10:28:04
I have done this and it is simple.
I cleaned and (re)formated an 8GB flash drive under Windows7 using diskpart. I chose quick format and a fat filesystem. It doesn't need to be ntfs. I had diskpart mark the partition active. I copied the DVD contents to the flash drive. I also made a folder on it for motherboard drivers.
After that, I booted the drive on a new machine. Windows7 setup came up, and didn't find any hard drives, other than the USB flash drive. I clicked the button to load drivers, and pointed it to the folder I had copied them to on the flash. Windows installed without problems.
Hi bnborg..Do u mind sharing with me your motherboard driver folder? I have the MSI U135DX Netbook and each time I hit the button to install Windows 7 it asks me for some mobo driver...Think i might need it to get tru with a successful install..

How to install windows without destroying any existing data?

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