Installing Windows 7 from a disk image

In the Boot Camp instructions it states that Windows must be installed from a full, single-disc version of Windows 7 and that it must be from a properly licensed installation disc. (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1461)
The IT department where I work are able to provide me with a disk image for Windows 7, that I can then copy to DVD, to use for the installation.
My question is, that given this isn't an official disk - will it work? Has anyone got any experience of installing Windows 7 on a Mac in this way? Any advice or tips appreciated!
I'm yet to buy the Mac - it would be my preferred machine to get, but the ability to run Windows on it is a deal-breaker. If I can't install Windows in this way then I will have to find an equivilantly spec'd Windows laptop instead.
Cheers,
Andy

That is one of the long-lasting mysteries with Macs and BootCamp and Windows .iso files.
Up to now no one has come up with an explanation for this but in the past the 2x burning has helped getting such a DVD to work where a DVD burned at higher or full speed failed.
Lots of thread in here to find with this behaviour and "solution".
Stefan

Similar Messages

How to install OS X from backup disk image?

I created a disk image of my OS X Leopard disk as a backup, but later discovered that I could not boot from the mounted disk image, nor could I use it to burn a new bootable OS X disk. What did I do wrong?

Welcome To  Discussions alansky1!
Did you use the procedure posted below to create the Disk Image of the Leopard 10.5.x install disc?
Insert the DVD that you wish to copy.
Open Disk Utility, from the Utilities folder.
From the list on the left side of the window select the original DVD that you wish to copy.
From the DU contextual File menu select New: Disk Image from Disk....
Name the disk image and choose Image Format: DVD/CD Master.
Save to the Desktop.
When the Disk Image is finished, you can eject the original DVD.
Back in Disk Utility, from the list on the left side of the window select the new Disk Image. This may be a .cdr or a .dmg.
From the Images contextual menu, select Burn.
Insert a new blank DVD and click Burn.
ali b

Installing OS from a disk image

Hi,
I have quite a few systems that I need to rebuild. I've burned disk images of all the apps we need, onto a FW800 drive which has really sped things up. One thing I can't figure out though, is how to install the OS from a disk image. Each of these systems are getting a fresh hard drive with no OS installed. Booting off the install DVD works fine with fresh drives, but how does one boot into a FW800 drive with a disk image of the install DVD?
I thought cmd-opt-shift-delete was the key stroke for this, but it doesn't work for these systems, can anyone help out?
These systems are a combination of Leopard and Snow Leopard and are all Mac Pro's from the 2006-2007 to the early 2009 models.
Thanks
Stuart

Cool, thanks, I was kind of thinking along those lines, but couldn't quite put my finger on it/figure it out, that makes sense, appreciate it.
Thanks again for quick reply,
Stuart

Firefox won't insall into my applications folder. Says can't install because libsmime3.dylib is in use. I am running Mac Os 10.6.7 on a Macbook Pro. I can run firefox okay from the disk image but just won't install into the apps folder.

My system is a Macbook Pro running Mac Os 10.6.7 with a 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 duo processor with 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3 ram. The upgrade downloads fine, but when I try to drag the firefox image onto my appication folder, I get a dialogue box that says...Cannot install application because "libsmime3.dylib" is in use. I can run Firefox fine from the disk image.

Nope---didn't work. I've owned Macs for about 12 years so although I am brain dead on some things, I do have a working knowledge on most things. I only say that to say this--I did try holding down the mouse and choosing empty trash. It asks if I want to permanently delete what's in there. I say yes--and then I get the same identical message again-----'The operation can't be completed because the item "Firefox 8.0.1.dmg" is in use I can then click stop, or continue.' So apparently that complains the same way it does if I click it up on the menu :)))
As for item owned by---that's not an issue and isn't coming up. User is not a problem either as I am the only user on this system. There is only ONE file in my trash at the moment at that is this dmg file. Nothing Mac. Nothing owned by anyone other than Firefox. The problem seems to be that the dmg file and the original 4.0 FF file are working in tandem with each other--even though I have already drug the new 8.0 globe into the Apps folder and it updated the FF app with the new stuff. If I could force the dmg file to go away, I would do so, but at every turn the system is telling me it can't be done because it seems to think that dmg file is in use---even though everything is shut down and/or ejected. Hey--I'm getting ready to head out and won't be back till evening. I'll check back in this evening. Thank you again for your help.

Attempting to install Windows 7 from USB drive keep receiving "No Bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key" usb drive with windows 7 iso is inserted

As the topic says, i am trying to install windows from a usb drive, when i click install windows and the computer reboots to install a black screen comes up with "no bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key" the USB drive is inserted and pressing any key does nothing. Help?

You need to follow these guides to install from USB drive
http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed -100-working-guide/
good luck

Can OSX 10.4.3 Be Installed From A Disk Image ?

I am getting OSX 10.4.3 on a DVD.
If I decide to install it on my old G3 iMac instead of my eMac can I use a disk image.
The iMac only has a CD burner so I thought I could make the disk image on my eMac and transfer it to the iMac for installation.
Will this work OK?
Ian.

You can't boot from a disk image. Put the DVD in the eMac and boot it in Target Disk Mode (hold down T while booting). Connect the iMac with a FireWire cable (if it doesn't have FireWire it can't run Tiger) and boot it with the Option held down. Select the DVD and click the right arrow on the screen.

Can I install Windows 7 from an SD card on my 2011 Macbook Air 13"?

This morning I purchased a digital copy of Windows 7 from Microsoft, and created a bootable SD card for installing the operating system. My problem is that Boot Camp Assistant will not allow me to partition the drive without the install media present. The install media is present, but because it is not in the form of a USB drive, it does not detect it. I'm wary of manually partitioning the drive using Disk Utility, is there a way I can trick it into thinking I have a USB plugged in? I don't have any USB drives big enough to install Windows 7 from and I don't look forward to having to drive to the store and pay for a USB stick I'll use once. Thanks in advance.
-Aaron

Windows must be installed from a DVD in the internal optical drive. Burn your digital image to a DVD using Disk Utility, Toast, or similar utility. You can also use the Apple external USB optical drive for the MBA.

Can you install Windows 7 from an *.iso file on the Bootcamp partition?

G'Day Everyone,
I have an ISO disk image on my Mac hard drive. (en_windows_7_professional_with_sp1_x86_dvd_631025.iso)
Has anyone had a successful experience installing Windows 7 from an ISO disk image rather than from an installer disk?
If so, what's the process?
Thanks and Cheers,
Rich

I'm running Boot Camp 3.0.4 on Mac OS 10.6.8
Here's what I see:
Screen One
Screen Two:
Screen Three:
I don't see the screen you shared!! :-(
What version of Boot Camp Assistant are you running? What Mac O?
Thanks & Cheers,
Rich

Install windows 8 from USB on X1 Carbon

I am trying to install windows 8 from the 3 disks that came with the X1 Carbon. There is no DVD drive and we have no external disk drive, so I need to create a bootable USB for this. The laptop came with windows 7 on it.
It is easy to use DISKPART to ready the USB as a bootable device, but how to I take the data from the 3 DVDs and put it onto the USB so that it works? The first one only has drivers but the OS install is split onto two disks. I referred to a KB article but it was talking about autorun files that are not present on these DVDs.
The DVDs I have are labeled as (1) Applications and Drivers Recovery Disk, (2) OS Recovery Disk Windows 8 Pro [Disk 1 of 2], and (2) OS Recovery Disk Windows 8 Pro [Disk 2 of 2].
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi,
Sorry I don't have a solution for you. I've tried to do what you're attempting without success. Tried every trick I could think of. The best I could do was getting "disk" 1 to boot but it could never find the rest of the image from the other disks whether they were on separate USB drives or all on one. It can easily be done with Microsoft install media, but not recovery media.
My efforts were with Win 7 Lenovo media. It's possible that things have changed w/Win 8.
My only suggestion is to use an external DVD drive.
Z.
The large print: please read the Community Participation Rules before posting. Include as much information as possible: model, machine type, operating system, and a descriptive subject line. Do not include personal information: serial number, telephone number, email address, etc. The fine print: I do not work for, nor do I speak for Lenovo. Unsolicited private messages will be ignored. ... GeezBlog
English Community Deutsche Community Comunidad en Español Русскоязычное Сообщество

I did not realize Ilife was already on the new mac, and installed I life from a disk. Now Iphoto has a circle with a slash, when trying to open is says (you can open iPhoto because is may be damaged or incomplete. ?

I did not realize Iife was already on the new mac, and installed I life from a disk. Now Iphoto has a circle with a slash, when trying to open is says (you can open iPhoto because is may be damaged or incomplete. ?

This sounds different than with my IOS devices, since I am able to see the photos even with a connection to the Internet.
Do you mean without a connection to the internet? With a connection it's logical you would be able to see the PS.
The following is from iCloud: Photo Stream FAQ
Can photos be saved or downloaded from a shared photo stream?
Yes. Once photos are shared, anyone who can view the shared photo stream can download and keep the photos permanently.
On a device using iOS 6 or later, you can save photos to the Camera Roll. On a Mac, using iPhoto 9.4 or Aperture 3.4, you can save photos from the shared stream to your local Photo Library or any other location on your Mac. On a Windows PC, you can copy photos from a shared photo stream to any folder. On the web, photos can be downloaded directly to your computer from the detail view of each photo.
This tells me that the image files are not on the HD unless the subscriber chooses to download them.

Installing windows 7 from USB to vaio VPCf13

hi all,
the HD of my vaio broke, so I replaced with a SSD and I was trying to install windows 7 from a USB.
after the first step of the installation, I got this message:
A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing
I tried several tricks suggested in the forums:
-check the USB image of windows, works ok in another computer
-change USB port (tried the 2 available), nothing
-change BIOS features to enable UEFI, the computer is too old for that and doesn't have this option
-install the intel SATA/RAID drivers after the error (as indicated here http://pcingredient.blogspot.com/2014/01/repair-error-windows-7-required-cddvd.html), error "The intel 5 series port 6 sata AHCI----, device driver could not be istalled.
contact your vendor for updated driver
-install USB 3.0 driver, after the missing message I get no new devices could be found...."
please help me!!!

Hi,
Have you tested in other computer with this bootable usb drive?
Return back to installation UI, and press Shift+F10 simultaneously, then it will open cmd window.
Run those commands below:
Diskpart
List disk
Check if it shows your USB drive. If you cannot usb drive, it indicates your usb drive is not detected by Windows PE. So, please just plug out and then re-plug in your usb drive to view if usb drive shows.
and then reinstall Windows 7.
Andy Altmann
TechNet Community Support

Installing Windows 7 from external DVD drive

I removed the internal DVD drive and replaced it with an OCW SSD on my 15" MBP. I used Disk Utility to format it to MS-DOS(FAT). I bought Windows 7 and downloaded the .iso file from the website. I used Disk Utility to burn the .iso image onto the disk. Since BootCamp won't recognize my external DVD drive I installed rEFIt, so after I restarted twice it came up with a prompt to boot from Windows install CD. I click the the icon, the screen goes black, and then the DVD drive stops spooling and I have to hold the power button down to restart it normally. What way is there to install WIndows 7 from an external DVD drive?

Maybe use Winclone (Mac app)? Others here know more about using Winclone than I do.
I use Casper (Windows app) for cloning an internal Windows partition to an external drive, so a Casper restore would be just the opposite, but requires a CD drive which you are now lacking.

Install Windows 7 from a USB on mid 2011 15" MBP

Hello all,
I have a problem. My Optical drive is not working at all, so I can't install windows from the disk. Is there any way that a 2011 MBP can install windows 7 from a usb or by some other means.

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
Only Macs without a built-in SuperDrive can install Windows from a USB drive or an external optical drive. In your case, unfortunately you can only install another SuperDrive and use it to install Windows in Boot Camp. There isn't any other option because it's restricted by firmware

Boot from local disk image ?

Hi there,
I would like to now if it's possible to install snow leopard on my macbook air from a local disk image (.iso)
as anyone done it ?
Cheers,
Antoine

You cannot start up your computer from a disk image without cloning, burning, or restoring the image to an internal drive, external FireWire drive, or optical disks first, as disk images are not usable until the necessary drivers are loaded, and the drivers aren't loaded until Mac OS X has started up.
(16438)

Install Windows XP from external DVD

Hi all. A question: I can install Windows XP from an external DVD drive (usb)? My original superdrive is dead from long time ago. Thanks a lot.

If you use something to make a ISO of the Windows disk it might be possible to load it into a virtual machine software running in OS X.
Haven't tried it.
Interesting Idea.

Installing Windows 7 from a disk image

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for