Installing Windows on existing bootcamp partition

Hi,
My iMac is 4 years old. When i first set it up i created a partition called BOOTCAMP 211 Gb in size. I was unsure how to run Windows products on my iMac but ended up buying and using Parallels successfully until now. But there have been so many updates to Parallels and each at a cost that i am trying to find another way to run windows cheaper and possibly faster.
I was going to install Windows to BOOTCAMP but I'm not sure how to of about it and if it will damage my OS in anyway now that it is not being done as part of setup. I don't have my windows disk but have my Windows 7 Professional Key that i was using with Parallels.
I was proposing to do the following.
1. Download from microsoft the iso image for Windows 7 Professional. How do i install to the BOOTCAMP partition if its a file of type ISO? Doing this won't affect my MAC OS?
2. I was then going to activate using my existing key.
3. It should run as with Parallels and possibly faster, correct?
Really appreciate your help with this.
Thanks,
Mike

If you iMac has a built-in Optical drive (or originally had one), you will need to burn the ISO you download to a physical DVD.
Use Bootcamp Assistant to partition (if necessary), or use the existing partition. If there is an issue, the partition can be manually cleaned up, if necessary.
I suggest starting at How to install Windows using Boot Camp - Apple Support .

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How to Reinstall Windows on Existing Bootcamp Partition

I've been running Windows 7 under Bootcamp on my 2011 MacBookPro. I've run into a situation where Windows7 will no longer install updates. I worked one day with Microsoft for over an hour but they could not find what was causing the problem. FYI, when looking into this problem, the error code that is produced is Error Code 8007010B. I have found nothing substantial online in regards to this code.
I've used Winclone (a Mac application) in the past without issues to restore a Boot Camp Windows partition. Since purchasing Winclone 3.4 I've made several backups, but now that I am actually trying to restore one of those backups I'm getting a message:
"the image you are attempting to restore does not contain the correct information".
So I am frustrated and have emailed twocanoes.com, the Winclone publisher and waiting for their answer.
Working with Bootcamp
I'm trying to figure out the steps I need to reinstall Windows from scratch in an existing bootcamp partition. Do I need to start from scratch with Bootcamp, or can I reinstall Windows from inside Windows? If I do the latter, how do I prompt Bootcamp to reinstall the Apple drivers?
Other Issues FYI
I'm having trouble locating the Windows 7 instal DVD I originally purchased. I do have the serial number. So I've downloaded a copy of Windows 7 from the MyDigitalLife Windows7 Repository.
I have burned the iso image to a DVD. I've got 2 versions, one is the .iso file burned onto the DVD, the other are the contents of the .iso file burned to DVD. I assume to install Windows, it will want the one with the contents of the Windows installer burned to it? Any other issues I may be unaware of regarding this kind of Windows install?
Is there any advantage of reinstalling Windows from a USB Flash drive as compared to a DVD? Just curious.
Finally, for Activation, because this copy of Windows is going back into the same Bootcamp partition on the same hardware, will I have to reactivate Windows? If so, suggestions appreciated.
Thanks!
-Dave

I appreciate the help. Can you tell me what are the steps to tell Bootcamp to install drivers into a Windows install? Thanks!
Update: I looked at the Bootcamp Assistant instructions and now I understand your answer. Info here:
"Step 4: Install the Windows support software
After installing Windows, install Mac drivers and other support software for Windows. The
support software installs Boot Camp drivers to support your Mac hardware, including AirPort
devices, the built-in camera, the Apple Remote, the trackpad on a portable Mac, and the function
keys on an Apple keyboard. The software also installs the Boot Camp control panel for Windows
and the Apple Boot Camp system tray item.
You can download the support software by selecting the “Download the latest Windows support
software from Apple” option in Boot Camp Assistant. The support software must be copied to a USB flash drive formatted in MS_DOS FAT. If the installer does not start automatically, doubleclick the setup.exe file in the Bootcamp folder."
If you or anyone have any other tips, they would be appreciated. As this appears to happen with Windows quite frequently, and I've had to do it multiple times over the years, I'm not looking forward to it.
Added Update info. Message was edited by: Dave Peck

Everytime I start to install Windows into my bootcamp partition the screen goes completely black after installing.

Hi All,
I'm using an iMac late 2009 ( Processor 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, $gb 1067 MHz DDR3, ATI Radeon HD 4670 256 MB) with OS X 10.8. I've Boot Camped my Mac Book pro so I'm familiar with the steps to do it.
I've made a partition and downloaded the windows support data to an external hard drive. So I'm at the part where I'm installing windows (I'm installing Windows 7 Home Premium), everything goes smoothly and it installs everything but when it restarts and gets past the loading screen everything goes black and nothing happens. it doesn't get to the point where I put the serial number or set the time.
I thought it was an issue with my OS X so I removed the partition and re-installed my OS X 10.8. Then I've tried re-Boot Camping and installing windows but still no luck!
Anyone have any ideas on what I could do next? Any help is most appreciated

Why it would be OS X?
Helpful Apple Support Resources
Boot Camp Support
Boot Camp Manuals
Windows installed something.
There is an Apple support article under "Support"

Can i install windows 7 via bootcamp (MB Air) while using remote disc? I put the windows 7 disk in my macbook pro drive, and connect to my brand new macbook air. In bootcamp i allocate the partition then i click install and bootcamp will not see the disk.

Can i install windows 7 via bootcamp (on my MB Air) while using remote disc? I put the windows 7 disk in my macbook pro drive, and connect to my brand new macbook air via remote disk. In bootcamp (on my air) i allocate the partition, then i click install, and bootcamp will not see the disk from my macbook pro's drive. How do i get the bootcamp assistant running on my MB air to automatically find the disk in my macbook pro with the ISO image of windows 7? The remote disk on my air can find the cd but bootcamp will not begin installing it. Anyway to do this without buying the damned usb drive?

I don't know first hand if you can use the Remote Disk option with Windows but as of 10.7.2 you can now use BCAssistant to make a bootable USB (thumb drive or external disk) W7 installer with the Boot Camp drivers installed also. Have you tried that yet?

HT4407 Hey, I am unable to install windows 7 using 'bootcamp 5.0' . I have already partitioned the drive as (mac Os Extended Journaled) and yet it seems bootcamp won't acknowledge this?

Hey, I am unable to install windows 7 using 'bootcamp 5.0' . I have already partitioned the drive as (mac Os Extended Journaled) and yet it seems bootcamp won't acknowledge this?
My first thoughts were that 'bootcamp' was out of date...needed an upgrade to register windows 7. Since then I am once again met with the same problem... how can it not see the I have already have a paritioned drived ready to be used for installition, is there a way to fix this problem? I don't really want to pay out for 'i-parition' only to merge my 2 drives back into one and start again from scratch =/. Seems silly to do so...what are my options?
Regards Swishi...p.s If anyone can help me...it'll make my day :3.

ONE PARTITION.
You don't need to buy anything but you should have backups.
you can delete #2 you created. Then resize to full drive.
There are already
GPT
EFI
Mac
Recovery
and there needs to be Windows which cannot be higher ID
Reading the instructions first and just swallow whatever pride or inidignation. It is a "my way or highwar" setup and utility,.
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/boot_camp_install-setup_10.7.pdf
create a Windows support software (drivers) CD or USB storage media
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4407
The Boot Camp Assistant can burn Boot Camp software (drivers) to a DVD or copy it to a USB storage device, such as a flash drive or hard drive. These are the only media you can use to install Boot Camp software.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT4569
Installation Guide Instructions for all features and settings.
Boot Camp 4.0 FAQ Get answers to commonly asked Boot Camp questions.
Windows 7 FAQ Answers to commonly asked Windows 7 questions.
http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/

I want to instal windows 7 using bootcamp on my mac book pro and how large do i have to make the partition if i want to use it for gaming?

i want to instal windows 7 using bootcamp on my mac book pro and how large do i have to make the partition if i want to use it for gaming?

"At least 16 GB of free space on the disk onto which you’re installing for 32-bit, or 20 GB for 64-bit (for Microsoft Windows and Windows-based applications)."
That's what Apple proposes in here Boot Camp: System requirements for Microsoft Windows
Personally I would double these amounts and add to that the diskspace needed for your Windows games.
Stefan

Want to install windows 7 64bit only partitioned for 20mb in bootcamp can i increase bootcamp partition before installing?

Want to install windows 7 64bit only partitioned for 20mb in bootcamp can i increase bootcamp partition before installing?

Yeah, just open Boot Camp Assistant, restore the hard drive to a single partition and then redo the partitions again. You should have a bare minimum of about 50GB as @The hatter said. You might want to just divide equally, that's usually the easiest thing to do.

How can I install Mac Mini drivers for Windows 7 32-bit if I didn't install Windows 7 using bootcamp?

Hello. I have a mac-mini (mid 2010) and with bootcamp, was successfully running XP.
I then decided to upgraded to Windows 7 had lots of trouble installing it on my existing bootcamp partition.
I finally was able to install Windows 7, by just booting off the CD and letting it install that way.
But reading more on it, I think I was supposed to use Bootcamp to do it for me...
I had thought the Bootcamp Assistant was for only fresh installs of a Windows O.S. where no partitiion existed previously.
I had a partition so thought Bootcamp wasn't required for my needs.
But now, inside Windows 7, I have 0 drivers installed. I have an AirPort Express, so on the Mac side, I downloaded
and installed the Windows version of AirPort Utility and copied it to my USB stick. Then
I exported my settings to a text file on a USB Stick, then on Windows was able to successfully install AirPort Utility and import the settings.
But it still doesn't find my network. I am pretty sure I'm broadcasting my SSID...
So I need to know the following:
1) How to know I'm broadcasting my SSID - where do I find this in settings?
2) How I can install my mac-mini drivers on Windows 7 so I can use my existing wireless network, now that I've gone through the installation without using Bootcamp?
3) Do I need to set up network adapters and all that stuff in Windows 7 first? If so, how and what drivers do I need?
One other thing I tried was downloading Bootccamp 4.x and installing that on Windows 7 to see if it gives me the drivers that were supposed to be written to my USB stick if I had installed Windows 7 using Bootcamp in the first place... However I think the message it said was that it couldn't install as it was the wrong version. So I'm still stuck without drivers and therefore no internet.
And that is my main task - getting the Internet up and running in Windows 7.
Other Info:
I'm running Mac OS X 10.6.8 with 2 GB of memory.
I installed the 32-bit version of Windows 7 and I don't know what version of Bootcamp I'm running...
I can tell you that BootCamp Assistant is v3.0.4, but don't know if that means Bootcamp is also 3.0.4.
Hope you can help.
Thanks.

I tried something that worked for me...
Knowing that after my install of Windows 7 wasn't the correct method (didn't go through bootcamp), and the BootCamp 4.x package wouldn't install under windows 7, I tried reinstalling Bootcamp 4.x in Windows 7 to see what the exact message was it gave me. The message said it couldn't install because of a 32-bit O.S. vs a 64-bit version of the package.
So that got me thinging - my XP version was 32-bit, and so is my Windows 7 installation. So I tried installing the bootcamp that came with my Mac OS X installation CD. This is bootcamp version 3.1.
Not only did it install, but it practically took care of everything driver-wise for me. I was then able to see my wireless network, enter my password and I was connected. The only thing else I had to do to get on the Internet was bring IE8 online (guess it ships offline by default). Firewall and Antivirus are now installed, just a few more things to go.
That's one thing that's just not clear that I'll be sure to note for next time... The Bootcamp packages you download are actually driver packages for Windows. That is where the Windows drivers exists that are necessary to make your Windows 7 PC work on a bootcamp partition!
I didn't need the AirPoirt Utility at all (at least, I never went into it).
Thanks VikingOSX for your post. I will not need to follow the steps you provided, but they may help someone else as all of these bootcamp issues I've been reading seem to be very unique per installation.
Hopefully my solution helps others.

How to install windows xp on bootcamp on new Mac mini?

How can i install windows xp on bootcamp on new Mac mini?
I know that i should get an external usb optical drive, but buying such hardware for one use is a waste of money. Is there any other method?
I currently own a MacBook white, and really like the configuration. I it possible to copy the image of bootcamp to new mac mini? If so, what will happen to hardware and drivers?

Admiralali wrote:
Let me get this right:
1- copy the exact image of the winxp installation dc to USB
2- start bootcamp assistant, go through everything, till rebooting
3- boot from USB (hold ALT and select the USB volume)
4- go through winxp setup and done!
Am I missing anything?
I think that USB would be readable only on Mac os or winxp, but will the winxp installer read from USB?
Correct me if wrong.
Having read further websites, I am now a bit more dubious you can do this, at least with an XP installer.
However if you have a USB memory stick and an existing Windows computer (even a Boot Camp one) or can borrow one you could try using the free WinToFlash utility to make a supposedly bootable USB memory stick of the installer. See http://wintoflash.com/overview/en/
The problem is XP predates EFI firmare and XP only really knows BIOS firmware. As such (supposedly) XP would have problems booting from a USB device fully - it might lose connection part way through. Windows Vista and 7 do support EFI firmware.
The other approach I mentioned of temporarily moving the hard disk from the Mini to the MacBook so you can use the MacBook internal CD/DVD drive would work - be careful of the cables. Fortunately a new Mac mini and an old MacBook are two of the easier models to get at the hard disk. See http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook-Core-2-Duo-Hard-Drive-Replacement/514/1 (they also list other MacBook models) and http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing-Mac-Mini-Mid-2011-Hard-Drive-Replacement/ 6422/1
Regardless of which method you try, the first step would be on the Mac mini to run Boot Camp Assistant and to create the partition for Windows. Then via either method try booting from a Windows XP installer.
As I have taken Macs apart many times, I personally might go the swapping the hard disk over route.

Cannot install Windows 7 with bootcamp

Ok, I am getting really frustrated at this point with bootcamp. I have previously installed win7 on this same computer I'm working with, I reformatted the drive and uninstalled windows with bootcamp, the reason I did this was because I needed more space on my windows drive. I have followed all of bootcamp's directions and I keep getting stuck on the same spot. After creating a win7 install usb stick (with the same oem copy of win7 I used last time), downloading the drivers, and getting thru the partioning steps, the computer reboots into windows install. I see "disk 0 partition 4: bootcamp" after clicking format (to get it to be formatted to ntfs) I click next, then I keep getting the following error. "Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition. See the Setup log files for more information."
I have tried installing with bootcamp a few different times, even with a different copy of windows 7 and keep getting stuck here. I have installed it just fine before, I dont know why this is happening now. I am on a 15" 2012 rMBP 500gb model

Hi All-
I know this post is dated slightly but I wanted to chime in with some Bootcamp help on the newer vintage MBP laptops.
Just to throw it out there - nearly every Mac I purchase gets hardware hacked the minute it comes out of the box. RAM/SSD upgrades are usually the first on the agenda. The SSD/drive upgrades can tend to muck-up the process of using Apple's standard BootCamp tools for loading Windows.
Here is a very simple way to accomplish the same things that BootCamp does only the right way so Windows will be happy alongside OS X.
1. Download your Windows ISO (stop making DVDs!) and make a USB bootable stick. You can do this in a number of ways - on the OS X side use Disk Utility, on the Windows side use the Microsoft Store USB download/create tool. Just make sure you have a -known- good working USB bootable Windows 7 install media (or Windows 8)
2. Once you've done this you will want to get the WindowsSupport folder for your model of Mac, so launch BootCamp, un-check the top and bottom options so that only the Download Support Files option is selected, indicate that you would like to copy to an external drive. Tell it to place the folder either on your Desktop or in your Library somewhere. Let it do its thing and then copy those files onto your newly created USB Windows 7/8 install media. Now you have the Windows installation media as well as the Apple BootCamp drivers for Windows all on one single USB.
3. Partitioning - instead of using the flawed BootCamp software to do this, we'll use Disk Utility in OS X. Launch Disk Utility and highlight your primary hard drive. Click the 'Partition' button at the top. Now click the '+' button to add a partition, name it WINDOWS or something so you can identify it easily later. Use the slider to create the size of partition you would like for Windows - this will auto-resize your OS X partition. On the right-hand side of the Disk Utility window use the drop-down to change partition type from Mac OS X Journaled to MS-FAT. Once you have done all of that use the Apply button to let it do its thing and re-size/create partitions. This takes about 3 minutes tops.
4. Install Windows! - Be sure your Windows 7/8 USB bootable install media is inserted in a USB slot on the system. Once you have completed the re-partitioning action, simply shut down your machine, and restart it holding the Option (Alt) button. The alt button will cause the system to eventually show you a choice of bootable disks. The USB disk will be easily identified because it will have an orange colored icon with the USB symbol on it. Click this to boot from the USB Windows 7/8 install media.
5. Windows Installer - the Windows installer will launch after a period of time, use the 'Next' button and accept the license terms and you will be brought to a window to select the destination for the Windows install. You should automatically see the WINDOWS (or whatever you named it) partition that was created during step 3. Highlight this partition and the 'next' button should un-grey and become available, if it does, click it and the Windows installation will proceed. If the 'next' button does not un-grey you will want to highlight the partition and select 'Format', once that completes it will un-grey the 'next' button and the install will proceed.
6. Once the installation is done it will need to reboot a few times (normal Windows install procedure at this point). You will need to hold down the 'alt' key during each reboot and now select the 'WINDOWS' hard disk partition (not the USB one) from the boot menu to continue going through the motions of Windows installation.
7. BootCamp Driver Install - once you have finished all of the reboots and motions of Windows installation you will want to boot into Windows, and once at the desktop make sure your USB install media that was used previously is inserted into the system. Go to My Computer, find the USB drive, open it, and navigate to the WindowsSupport folder that was saved during step 2. There will be an application called Setup , double-click this and choose 'Allow' during any security warnings. Click 'next' once the installer loads and it will automatically install every Mac device driver needed on the Windows side.
7 steps and approximately 45-minutes later you should be sitting with a fresh installation of Windows on a bootcamped partition.
Hope this helps somebody out - it took me quite some time and research to figure out the "cleanest" method for bypassing the flakey BootCamp application for installing Windows.

Trying to install Windows 7 with Bootcamp on my Macbook with a faulty CD drive

I am trying to install Windows 7 with Bootcamp on my Macbook A1278 (OS 10.6.8) with a faulty CD drive (CDs and DVDs get stuck in it and I had to get it removed in an Apple store, so I don't want to use it anymore). I have got a licence for the product but I am only in possession of the ISO, is there any way to install it using a USB stick?
I don't have many options while launching Bootcamp, only
"Download the Windows support software for this Mac" but when I try I get a message explaining me that the download could not continue as the software is not available,
or
"I have the Mac OS X installation disc [...]" but obviously I can't use my CD drive so this is not an option. I tried it anyway and I created a Windows partition but when asked to "start the Windows installer", I can only continue by insering a CD.
I tried to use a USB stick and added the ISO on it but nothing has changed.
How can I install my copy on Windows?...

BobTheFisherman > Hem, yeah, that is stating the problem and not working toward resolving it.
Turbostar > I checked the link and it seems to be relating to the first video I have seen on the subject. I tried to install Tuxera then to work with rEFIt, but I did not get any result yet (I don't know if I am doing something wrong during the USB writing process as many different ways are explained on different websites).
So far my last try was to launch Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool on VMware Fusion but it the only disk shown is A:\ Removable disk (not the name of my USB) and it is stated that the disk is being used by another program, even though it's not open on the Mac side.
Some websites are advising to write the copy of windows on a USB via a PC and then launch it on the Macbook, so I might try that in the next few days. I will keep you updated.
If anyone has another option I might not have think about, or an advice on how to efficiently create a bootable Windows setup USB with my Mac, please let me know!

Installing Windows 7 Using bootcamp 5.0 on MBPr OSX 10.8.2 Black Screen Not Loading Windows 7 Install on Boot

I am trying to install Windows 7 using Bootcamp Assistence 5.0 on a MacBook Pro Retina OSX 10.8.2, I went through all steps on Creatting the Windows 7.iso into a bootable USB Dirve 16GB I use a separate USB Drive 2 GB and download Windows Support Drivers Step 2 on bootcamp assistence. I run into the problem in step 3 when the computer reboot I just get a black screen the back display still on like I can still see the apple on the back lit up, but the screen is black and wont load the window installer, if i shut it down and bring it back up i get error saying IOS not found so then i have to shut it down, enter recovery and restart on osx partition, i can see that the bootcamp partition was created but cant load windows to it. Please can anybody help me or guide me on what i am doing wrong? thank you so much in advance

this will install as normal. before installing however you will need an activation key cos in win 7 this is one of the first pages that is presented before instalation.
the key from your relative could possibly work especially if he used your internet connection to register. but this could cause problems with his/your authenticity after 30 days.
the only other option is to purchase a key.
you say a 30 day trial, does it give you a temporary key for this?

After i install windows 7 in bootcamp my mac turns off, but i can...

Hello everyone, this problem y very weird.
I installed windows 7 with bootcamp and everytime y try to boot from windows it shuts down my mac. Th weird thing i that i installed parallels 6 in my mac and i can go inside my windows 7 partition.
When i run the windows 7 installer cd and run the trouble shooter its say that maybe i have installed a camera or something like that, remove it and restart, if the problem persists contact apple support.
Hope you can help
Thanks

Look here for a way to do it like a 2011 MBAir is set up for.
If you get it to work it will un-dim the option to create the W7 installer and Boot Camp drivers on the USB drive automatically.
I got it to un-dim for my 2010 MacPro.

I need help on my MacBook Pro. Recently I've deleted another partition of my disk from the disk utility and I found out that my disk capacity wasn't get into the normal one which is 750GB. Meanwhile I installed window 7 into the partition disk.

I need help on restoring my disk capacity back to normal. I installed window 7 into the partition disk through bootcamp and I deleted it from disk utility. After I erase the partition disk,I get my capacity to 499GB but not 750GB. Do I need to reinstall my MacBook or something to do with the restoring?

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
Rodney Lai wrote:
I installed window 7 into the partition disk through bootcamp and I deleted it from disk utility
You shouldn't do it. You have to erase the Windows volume with Boot Camp Assistant, so it will restore the space onto the OS X volume and that volume will have 750 GB.
As you did it with Disk Utility, you have to resize your OS X partition manually:
1. Open Disk Utility, select your hard disk at the top of the sidebar, and go to Partition tab.
2. You will see a bar with Macintosh HD. You have to click it at the bottom right corner and drag it to the end of the bar, so Macintosh HD will use all the space of the hard drive, and press Apply.
3. Close Disk Utility and your OS X partition will have 750 GB

Unable to install Windows 7 via Bootcamp on MBP mid-2012

Posted here from my original, since the old one was basically in the wrong thread. https://discussions.apple.com/message/25097756#25097756
I have a mid-2012 Macbook Pro 13" with the 2.9ghz i7 configuration, 8gb ram, intel HD 4000, Crucial M4 256gb SSD, and the original 750gb hard drive that was included in the computer. I made the SSD my boot disk.
I've been trying to install Windows 7 via bootcamp for a few days now. The first time I tried it I walked away from the computer after it got to the "Copying files" part of the windows 7 installation so I wasn't able to see what went wrong. When I try to start the computer it goes to the blank DOS screen (or terminal, whatever you prefer to call it) with the flashing cursor for text but I cannot enter anything and it just sits there. So I figured something may have gone wrong with the installation and I tried to do it again.
I re-wiped my 8gb flash drive, redownloaded the boot camp support files, and again started the installation with windows 7. The first time I tried it I had to reformat the "BOOTCAMP" partition that it had created on my SSD because it wouldn't write to it as it was not formated in NTFS. I spared 60gb for the Windows boot. So after reformatting I went through with the installation again. Now I get to the screen where it asks me what username, etc. After I finish entering in my credentials it starts to say "preparing desktop" and then I hear a loud CLICK and the entire machine just reboots and takes me back to the blinking cursor. Is this a common problem when trying to install windows? Thanks!

Have you modified BC Info.plist? Can you verify that you a valid ISO using Microsoft FCIV tool?
Your Windows 7 USB should have a directory structure similar to the following.

Installing Windows on existing bootcamp partition

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