Mac Mini - Bootcamp; without CD Drive?

how do I install windows 7, through bootcamp, on my Mac Mini without a USB DVD drive. I've recieved an ISO file from Microsoft with Win7 on so would like to use bootcamp to mount this onto a partition. Help?

Just put the image on a USB drive
Install Win 7 on MacBook Air from a USB drive | How To - CNET
Also, have you looked at the previous discussions listed on the right side of this page under the heading "More Like This"?

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Mac Mini Restore without disk drive

I bought a new mac mini and used migration assistant to move my old macbook profile over. Now it is running just as slow as the old laptop. How do I restore the mini to factory settings without a disk drive? Is it even necessary or is there a better way to figure out and fix what is slowing it down?
2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
4GB memory
500GB hard drive
1 Intel HD Graphics 4000
OS X Mountain Lion

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
If you had problems with your old computer, you shouldn't use Migration Assistant to transfer your data or these problems will appear on the new Mac.
To restore your Mac to factory settings, follow these steps:
1. Hold Command and R keys while your computer is starting to start into OS X Recovery, and open Disk Utility.
2. Select Macintosh HD in the sidebar, go to Erase tab and erase the disk.
3. Close Disk Utility and reinstall OS X.
New Macs don't come with discs because OS X Mountain Lion is only available as a download, so you have to use OS X Recovery to reinstall OS X now > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718

Installing Win7 on a macbook pro using a mac mini as external optical drive

hi everyone,
My 2 year old son watches movies on my macbook pro. He stuck something in the optical drive making it unusable. Repairing it is 200 to 300 euros (ouch).
I want to install win7 via bootcamp and I'm using my mac mini (october 2009) as an external optical drive. These are my steps:
1.hold the "t" on the mac mini
2.connect it to the macbook with a firewire 800 to firewire 400 cable
3.Power up and hold the "alt" on the macbook
4.I see the optical drive on the boot screen and I choose it
5.Then I get a blank screen and a few seconds later the "missing operating system" message appears.
Am I missing something? Is it possible to install win7 using a mac mini as an external drive?
PS1:I already have partitioned the HD with bootcamp.
PS2:I've upgraded the hard disk drive of the macbook with a seagate momentus 500GB hard disk. Don't think this is the problem, thought I should mentioned it.

Hi Mike,
For reference it is called "IP over Firewire".
Connect the two computers with a fire wire cable. System Preferences > Network > Configure IPv4: > Manually > IP address: 192.168.3.1 (and .2 on other) > Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0. Leave the other fields blank. Do this on both computers on the computer you want to allow access to or both for two way access go to System Preference > Sharing > Select a service to change its settings. Turn remote Login on.
On the MBP go to the Finder Menu > Go > Connect to Server > Type in the IP address of the Mini 192.168.3.2 (Whatever you gave it)
With this configuration you still have full use of the Mini and certain apps can use Xgrid and use the processor of the mini when it is not doing anything. I would keep the Mini as 10.4 unless you really need both machines running Leopard. As noted before you cannot boot the MBP from a HDD that is Apple Partition Scheme and vice versa you cannot boot the PPC from a Guide Partition Table.
Sweet Polly

Can I use my old MAC MINI as a hard drive, or do I need to transfer all the data to a new Mini?

I would like to get the new MAC MINI, but I was wondering whether I could somehow just keep my old mac mini as a storage drive and continue to use its DVD drive since the new mini doesn't have one. Has anyone out there done this? If not, what is the best way to transfer data from one mini to another?

See Here for Transferring from Old to New...
http://web.me.com/pondini/AppleTips/Setup.html

What's the easiest way to add storage to a mac mini. (1TB hard drive but only 32G of real storage). External device, internal or partitioning?

What's the easiest way to add storage to a mac mini. (1TB hard drive but only 32G of real storage). External device, internal or is there some way to partition? I tried doing so but received a message that there wasn't enough free space to partition. Seems like a 1TB drive should have more storage than my Ipad

Its worth confirming what free space you have on your drive:
go to: Apple Menu > About this Mac > More Info > Storage
The bar chart shows how much free space there is on the drive:
Please realise that partitioning does not create extra space so this wont help you.
If your free space is less than 20 % you should get extra storage with an external USB or Firewire drive, any make or model will work.

Mac Mini Server w/DVD drive?

I'm considering adding a Mac mini with Snow Leopard server to my home setup, and I have several questions about the mini, since it looks like I might have to do something custom to get the setup I want...
1. Is it possible to change the OS installed by Apple when ordering? They don't offer the Mac Mini with Super Multi drive with an OSX server option, and I'm a little wary of having a server I have to use an external drive for to install from DVD or rip music or movies.
2. How large a single HD will the Mac mini support? If I'd only have one HD, I want to make it a big one...

1. I don't think it's possible to order it that way. You'd have to order the regualar mini and buy OSx Server separately. I recommend getting the server hardware. The faster processor, more memory and an additional 500G disk makes it most cost effective. I have the $99 external superdrive and use it on my MBair as well as the mini. I bought it 2 years ago with the MBair and it works just fine. No failures on either machine. Also, if it did fail, it's $99 to replace and just plug it in.
2. The largest drive Apple supplies is 500G for the mini. There might be something larger by 3rd party vendors but with 1T in my machine, I didn't need to go there.
Hope this helps...

Mac mini solid state hard drive does that replace the 2 by 1T hard drive

mac mini solid state hard drive does that replace the 2 by 1T hard drive

There wouldn't be enough room in the Mac Mini enclosure for 2 Fusion Drives since they are really just a SSD and a Platter HD working in conjunction. Could really be smoking in a 4 Drive RAID box though. I am speculating here but there is only 1 additional partition allowed in the Fusion Drive. My thought is that the current Management Software would get thoroughly confused with multiple partitions probably due to mount points not being able to register in a normal manner. IMHO the Fusion Drive is another crutch for the normal/average user that doesn't want to be bothered with file management protocols.

HT5446 If I buy a mac mini with a fusion drive and add windows using boot camp, can I make the SSD function be dedicated to the windows partition?

If I buy a mac mini with a fusion drive and add windows using boot camp, can I make the SSD function be dedicated to the windows partition?

Additional information from Linc's post. Basically, only one additional partition can be added to a Fusion Drive and it resides on the HDD.
Do computers that come with a Fusion Drive support Boot Camp?
Yes. Use the Boot Camp Assistant to create a Windows partition and install Boot Camp. The Windows partition will exist on the hard disk drive, not the Flash drive, and is not part of Fusion Drive Logical Volume Group. 3TB Fusion Drive configurations need to update to OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.3 or later to install Windows 8. See iMac (27-inch, Late 2012): Boot Camp alert with 3T hard drive for more information.

Install snow leopard on mac mini with broken DVD Drive

I want to upgrade the OS on my mac mini but the hard drive keeps kicking out the disk - I read that I "might" be able to fix this by using a DVD cleaner but I am not overly optimistic about this fix. I have an external USB drive and a Windows PC to work with so I am wondering if I can use the DVD drive of the PC to copy the install disks to the external drive and then perform the instal from the external drive. I have been reading posts and can find advice on how to copy the Leopard install discs using another Mac or by using the remote disk feature - but since I don't have another Mac, these are not currently options.
Thanks

1. Clean your drive and reset the > PRAM, then try upgrading with the Mac Mini's drive.
2. Try out that external USB DVD drive, some will work if they are not OS X compatible.
3. Your PC might work, see > DVD or CD sharing: Using Remote Disc

Does Windows 2008 Server run ok under Mac Mini Bootcamp?

Does anyone have any experience of installing and running Windows 2008 Server on a Mac Mini (of which has either Mac OS or Mac OS Server installed), under Bootcamp?
I currently have an old Dell with Windows 2008 server which acts as my Domain Controller, Exchange Server for a small home-office network. It's due an upgrade as the hardware is so old (and noisy!) and like the idea of having a nice compact, quiet Mac Mini, but want to make sure it can carry out the same duties under bootcamp on Win2008?

Windows 2008 can be installed in Boot Camp. However I don't believe it is officially supported by Apple so there may or may not be issues with installing the Boot Camp Drivers (or future updates to the Boot Camp drivers.) Not something I'd be recommending for a "production" environment. If this is a test/dev system, then probably worth trying, depending on how critical your network uptime is.
Also, you didn't mention if your Dell came with Windows 2008 preinstalled, but if it did, then likely it has a "branded" version of Windows that won't activate correctly on non-Dell hardware. (If your Windows disks have "Dell" on them, they won't work with the Mac.) So you may need to purchase a retail or volume license copy of Windows 2008.
In general, for a server running as a DC & Exchange, you'd want RAID1 as a minimum so that would be the Mac Mini Server, not the "desktop" Mac Mini. Unless you have one lying around, you're looking at something around $1500-$2000 to start, depending on whether you can transfer your existing Windows 2008 & Exchange installations. (Another $500-$2000 depending on what vesions of Windows & Exchange.) And probably 8GB of RAM since Windows 2008 & Exchange on 4GB is pushing it. Considering the costs, I suggest you look at the Dell T110 series or the HP Proliant 110 series. Both lines are very quiet and are supported for Windows 2008 from the factory, including Windows Small Business Server, which includes Exchange. While not as small as a Mac Mini, they are mini towers and about the size of a typical PC desktop.
If you really wanted a small footprint, then HP has a "microserver" series. You'd probably need to call HP to get the build you want as the online ordering is limited for that model. From Dell, there is the Zino model desktop. Again, not supported for a "server", but you were going to consider a the non-server version of the Mac Mini, then the Zino has at least a chance of you reusing your existing versions of Windows if they're Dell branded, thus saving your something in the range of $500-$2000 for new software. (But I would NOT recommend a non-server chassis without RAID1 hard drives, so the Zino is not my choice. I just offer it as a possibility if you accept the risk of an unsupported installation, as would have been installing Windows 2008 in Boot Camp.)
So yes, it will work. But I wouldn't recommend it for a production environment, especailly if you have the "desktop" computer without RAID1.

How can I play Windows games that require CD on mac mini bootcamp?

Hey!
So have a brandnew optical drive-less mac mini, and have Windows 7 installed as bootcamp partition. Want to play a game on the Windows side but it requires a CD be in the drive to play - which, obviously, I don't have. I tried Carbon Copy Cloner to a USB stick - it worked for the installation but not the game play. Any suggestions how I get an image to mount that the Windows Bootcamp will recognize? Is it possible to mount the CD as a shared disk on my G5 elsewhere on my network or should I just stick to Daemon Tools or MagicISO stuff on Windows. If the latter - how do I get the data from a USB stick mounted as a disk image then (do I need to copy it to the local, then create a disk image and then copy to that image for example?)
I can see this is going to be a problem for all sorts of other things I still have "legacy" I can see so any help on this will carry forward, thanks.

Yeah, I know, but the whole idea of moving away from disks isn't such a bad one - so I'm wondering if I can implement it someway - I have the original copy disks so it's not about pirating them to play games but ripping them the right way so they work... hmmm.

Slow boot up on 2012 Mac mini with DIY fusion drive

Hello everyone, I bought a Mac mini (2012) 2 months ago with a stock 500GB HDD.
I added another SSD to make a DIY fusion drive, and everything is working fine, except that I'm experiencing a very slow boot up.
I have confirmed both by information from the OS and some tests with command line tools, that the fusion drive itself is a success and absolutely working fine.
The slow boot up happens on cold boot only (a reboot does not have such problem).
Symptom: the Mac mini is stuck on the gray blank screen for about 40 seconds, and then finally shows up the apple logo.
Everything after this is pretty fast and fine.
I have tried the following methods and none of them seems to help:
1. Go Preferences -> Startup Disk, select the Machintosh HD. (Suggested by Apple in the Fusion Drive FAQ)
2. Verify the whole disk along with the partition with Disk Utility.
3. Reset NVRAM by holding Command+Option+P+R during boot up.
4. Reset SCM/PMU.
Does anyone have an idea on the cause of my problem?
Best regards and thank you.

If you have more than one user account, these instructions must be carried out as an administrator.
Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.
Step 1
Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left. If you don't see that menu, select
View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar.
Enter "BOOT_TIME" (without the quotes) in the search box. Note the timestamps of those log messages, which refer to the times when the system was booted. Now clear the search box and scroll back in the log to the last boot time when you had the problem. Select the messages logged after the boot, during the time something abnormal was happening. Copy them to the Clipboard (command-C). Paste into a reply to this message (command-V).
For example, if the problem is a slow startup taking three minutes, post the messages timestamped within three minutes after the boot time, not before. Please include the BOOT_TIME message at the beginning of the log extract.
If there are runs of repeated messages, post only one example of each. Don’t post many repetitions of the same message.
When posting a log extract, be selective. In most cases, a few dozen lines are more than enough.
Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
Important: Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.
Step 2
Still in Console, look under System Diagnostic Reports for crash or panic logs, and post the entire contents of the most recent one, if any. In the interest of privacy, I suggest you edit out the “Anonymous UUID,” a long string of letters, numbers, and dashes in the header of the report, if present (it may not be.) Please don’t post shutdownStall, spin, or hang logs — they're very long and not helpful.

Partitioning Mac for Bootcamp Without Reformatting HDD

Hello, I hope this is the correct area to start this discussion.
I'm trying to figure out how I can install windows via boot camp, without reformatting my HDD (or use of installation CD).
I'm currently on tour around the U.S., and my installation disks are at my home address.
As a roady photographer, access to my computer and Photoshop is essential to me, and its very important that i can continue to use my mac pro through out the remainder of this year, it is how I make most of my living wile out on tour, so I hope this explains how important it is that i do this right the first time.
Its kind of overwhelming, and I don't know where to start.
I am Tech savvy, but not qualified, my experience has been the above average consumer working around tech problems since AOL launched, so I will try my best to explain what I can, and understand what anyone here try's to offer.
First off, here are my specs:
Processor 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 3000 512 MB
Software Mac OS X Lion 10.7.3 (11D50b)
Reason for Boot camp:
I work with Final Cut, Photoshop, Adobe Aftereffects, and a few other heavy duty programs, I'm an Artist and love working with Music and Media.
Some may say that my specs can handle all this, but if it where up to me I would rather have a Tower, but traveling on the road limits me to using the Pro.
On my free time im an avid gamer, At first I was ok with apps, later on I wanted to play some old games like LOTR Battle for Middle Earth, I know my laptop was good enough to play, but I had to get windows so it would be compatible.
I have Parallels 7 from my work, and a copy of Windows 7, and i was able to create a virtual machine to play some PC games.
All was fine until I got into bigger games like ARMA2,
It felt like my laptop was going to die from parallels, so i decided to install Windows on bootcamp because i use it very often. (best of both worlds)
Because of the programs i use on OS, i don't want my computer to Run a virtual machine anymore, i feel like its very unhealthy.
I want my OS to run full power flawlessly without the stress of virtual machine, and i want Windows to run full power flawlessly without stressing out OS,
so I am going to use Boot Camp.
How i will go about:
I Have Decided i will attempt to Clone my mac to my External Hard drive.
I have an External 2T Lacie Drive that has lots of space.
Can someone explain to me in light detail how cloning works when you try to reformat your mac off an external Hard drive?
From what i understand you can do it this way.
Also, If i can manage to Clone my mac to my ExHD, will i be able to partition my hard drive for windows, and Re clone my mac back onto one of the partitions?
If this process will work, what steps should i take first?
Clone, then Boot camp?
can i partition my hard drive, add my Mac back onto a partition, then add Windows CD at a Later time? (i dont have the CD on me atm)
i apologize for the length of this post. Its very important that I can continue to access everything on my laptop, i wont be able to have my installation CDs until this October.
Thank you.

you are fine.
Upgrades from 10.6 to Lion with existing XP or Vista present was/is/can be an issue.
Lion 10.7.0 and Boot Camp 4.0.0 were not working (why? oh, "never use dot zero?)
Lion adds Recovery Partition.
CCC now can clone that partition as well as your HFS volumes.
Lack of contiguous free (unfragmented) storage, with no "locked" files or that fragment the free space.
Shrinking the HFS volume and then stretch it back out to consolidate to get around the free space issue.
Not realizing just how large to make Windows volume (double best estimate rule) or aim for 60GB.
XP only needed 10-16GB or 32GB at top usually. Microsoft and Apple have this "16GB for 32-bit Windows 7" is the OS size, not the size of the partition needed to function (20GB for the base OS for 64-bit).
Add in page, hibernation, temp, cache, and that 10GB just for 'shuffle" files around during updates.
SSDs need space to allow for good background garbage collection and TRIM (a month's worth of writes is a good rule there).
Not documented: you need to get the audio driver on your own along with current graphic driver after you install the OS and Apple drivers.
"Boot Camp" is overused, misused, treated as if people are running BC instead of just running Winidows natively, with all that entails.
Apple Software Update for Windows will update everything except Boot Camp drivers, whereas it could update itself like it has in the past, and could have been the avenue for getting all the drivers into Windows itself.

Initial setup on mac mini server without monitor?

I have bought a mac mini lion server today. I do not have desktops in home, so no monitors.
How can I setup/login into it? I tried Server Admin Tools, but I do not have root password (tried blank and serial number).

I have a MBA late 2010. So, no thunderbolt.
I was hoping connect to it using ssh to execute initial setup to be abble to use remote admin tool.
The problem is that ssh do not accept root connection.
Since I do not have any display at all, the idea would be to turn the server on and setup it. Since it is a server I thought I could do this without any issue.
Linc. In your idea. How should I start mac mini in disk mode and how can I boot the MBA using mini internal drive?
Any ideas?

Moving files from mac mini to external hard drive

I am trying to move some files off an iMac onto a FREECOM HDD. (external Hardrive) When I attempt to drag the files off the mac into the hardrive window, I get the error message:
"File" could not be moved because " FREECOM HDD "cannot be modified
This is also the case with a Mac mini that I have. Files can be dragged off the hardrive into a finder window but not the other way round. This is frustrating as I can move files between PC laptop and hardrive without any error messages.
Im guessing that my permissions on mac systems are read only, but I dont know how to change them. Im desperate to get some old photos off the iMac onto the hardrive and would really appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks kindly

Hi
I installed the NTFS-3G drive on my mac mini. It has worked, i can now transfer files to the hardrive.
Im still having trouble with my iMac.
NTFS-3G drive requires minimum requirements of mac osx 10.4 operating system. Unfortunatley my G4 iMac is running Panther, version 10.3
I tried installing Tiger, version 10.5 off the install discs but got the following message:
"Mac os x cannot be installed on this computer
This software cannot be installed on this computer"
how can i solve this problem?
Many, many thanks

Mac Mini - Bootcamp; without CD Drive?

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