Windows 7 No bootable device problem

I am trying to install Windows 7 on my late-2009 27" iMac. I tried installing Windows two different times from both disc and ISO image and after partitioning, the iMac restarts and a black screen comes up with a message that says "No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key." What is the problem? Why won't it install?

Disconnect all USB devices except kb and mouse
You have to use the internal disc drove for install
Make sure the USB key you will use for the windows support software is only usb2

Similar Messages

Can't install Windows "No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key"

I'm running OSX 10.9.3 on my Macbook Pro 13-inch, Early 2011 and trying to install Windows 7 via Boot Camp Assistant and I'm using a flash drive loaded with bootable copy of Windows 7 Ultimate (legal, if that makes any difference).
Here's what I've been doing:
1. Plug in my flash drive, then on Boot Camp Assistant, click "Install Windows 7 or later version"
2. Set my Windows partition to 45GB and continue... so far so good...
Then the problem:
3. My computer restarts, goes to a black screen with the message "No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key"
The flash drive is still plugged in but is it not being recognized or something? Nothing happens when I press any keys.
I can use OSX just fine by holding down "Alt/Option" on restart, but in my case what can I do to continue further with the Windows install? It's basically an empty partition as of now. Any help appreciated!

Ive been having this problem and have been trying to figure out how to fix it for almost a week now. I have a 2011 17" MBP with the superdrive removed. Ive tried many different methods and many different methods to no avail. If anyone can help, please do!
xxzy, have you tried the KUNU method?
you can find it here:
Bootcamp without Optical disc drive
Scroll down to Kunu's post about his solution and see if it works for you.

After Update Mac from OS 10.7 to OS 10.8 No windows- no bootable device insert boot disk

Hi Please help.
I ve updated my mac from OS X [10.7] to [10.8] and then i tried to use windows but i get this error "No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key"
What could be the problem,
I can see my boot camp hard drive partion in mac and even i can see my stuff in it. but no start up with PC
iMac Intel, 20" 2007

I made the System Recovery Options and it is showing "Checking for rrors this might take more than an hour..."
finally i get this error "Startup repair cannnot repair this computer automatically"
then after this i tried to start up with holding option key and choosing the Bootcamp drive. winsows asked me to start up using repair tool or normally, I chose it "NORMAL" It came up but after showing Windows loading page it gave me this blure screen error "STOP .....FATAL error..... the system has been shut down"
:|
so any suggestion ???

No Bootable Device problem on MacBook Pro

Okay, so I wanted to try to install Windows on my device using Bootcamp assistant. I partitioned it, but did not continue with the installation because I found out about parallels Desktop and changed my mind.
After installing windows 7 using parallels desktop I remembered the partition and went to bootcamp again and deleted it and returned my device to one section.
My laptop kept working normally until the battery drained. No problem right? Wrong. I plugged it in and restarted and a black screen comes up saying "No Bootable Device" I googled this and figured out the "hold the option key down" trick.
This works and i was able to get back in, however i restarted it again and the problem is still there, how can i permanently get rid of the "No Bootable Device" screen?
I know the "No Bootable Device" screen is a somewhat common problem when bootcamp installation goes wrong but i didn't actually start installing windows through bootcamp, I just partitioned it then unpartitioned it.

zoobaaruba welcome to the disscussion forums. Are you saying after Option on restart you can successfully boot? If this is the case then go to +System Preference-->StartUp Disk+ and reselect your boot drive. Hope this solves your issue.

Installing Windows 7 on Mac - no bootable device error

Hello,
I recently purchased Windows 7 Ultimate and am trying to install it on my MacPro running Lion and Bootcamp 4.0. I spent the last couple of days looking online at other fourms and YouTube videos to no luck. I installed Windows 7 and can get it to boot successfully using the Option Key when restarting, but only when the Windows 7 disc is in the drive. When the disc is out of the drive I get the following error when booting into Windows: "no bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key" and basically freezes. Does anyone know how to fix this error?
Thanks in advance,
Chris

I ran Bootcamp, first downloading the the apple install files for windows and then creating the partition. I choose to partition my hard drive 60 gB. Then I installed the 64 bit Windows 7 Ultimate and ran though the standard process, including choosing the reformat to NTFS file system. I then installing Windows using the defaults, and ran thought the defaults. I remember then installing Apple "setup" from the install files I downloaded. I also remember setting the startup disc to "Macintosh HD" in the Windows 7. Basically I ran though the bootcamp installation guide. I sorry if this isn't that technical, I not a techie. If there is more info that helps, let me know.
If it helps my laptop is:
MacBook Pro 15-inch, Late 2008
Mac OS X Verison 10.7.1
Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 6 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB
Thanks, Chris

Windows install problems, "No bootable device. Insert boot disk and press any key" and general wrongness

Hi,
I've been having this issue with a Windows 7 install.
Firstly, I have successfully installed Windows 7 before. I partitioned my HDD, held down option when booting up, booted off a USB and after a few goes it all worked fine. I didn't use boot camp assistant to install. I then proceeded to remove Windows a little while later. To do this I used disk utility to erase the partition on my HDD and but afterwards discovered my imac would continue to try to boot off the now non existant Windows partition. I solved this problem by using boot camp assistant via the "Remove Windows 7 Install" option. My imac booted up exactly as I would like it to from then on.
I am now trying to reinstall windows. I tried the way that I did it the first time but after partitioning my HDD via disk utility, inserting my USB and rebooting with option held down I am only given the option of my main HDD and my recovery drive. I have tried burning the files on the USB to DVD and booting off the disk drive by holding down C while starting up. Neither the USB or DVD are visible to be selected when I hold down option during startup.
When I try to use boot camp assistant to install I get a "No bootable device. Insert boot disk and press any key" error after the step where it partitions your HDD you. Also, my option to create an install USB via boot camp assistant is greyed out and unavailable for clicking.
Help?

Fix your superdrive.

"No bootable device found" Windows 7 Installation Problems

Hello. I am very sorry if this has been asked and solved but I have looked through the forums and cannot find anyone who has.
Here is my situation:
MacBook Pro late 2011 running OSX 10.9.2 Mavericks. I am trying to install Windows 7 using Bootcamp and a usb as I replaced my optical drive with a hdd. My BCA (bootcamp assistant) originally did not have the option to create a bootable install disc with USB but through the info.plst and terminal I was able to fix that. I have partitioned my bootdrive (120gb ssd) successfully through BCA and created an install USB with a Windows 7 ISO through BCA. I have another USB with the Windows Support for Apple. My problem is when I get to the reboot screen, it says that there is no bootable device even with my USB connected. I tried shutting down and using the Alt/Option method and the USB simply doesn't show up on the options screen.
My question:
I read that perhaps it is just my particular USB that will not work as a boot device. Could this be true? If so then does anyone know which brand or USB will work?
Is there some fix for this?
Is the USB formatted correctly? Before installing the ISO onto it with BCA I went into Disk Utility and partitioned it into one partition with the Mac Journaled format and the GUID partition table. Is this wrong? Also after putting the ISO file on it with BCA I looked at it again in Disk Utility and it was back to FAT format.
Anyway, I apologize again if this has been explained or if it is impossible to install windows without a disc on mavericks. All help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Didn't work for me ,but I installed a free app/utility called ReFit ( Google it ) which creates a little win/ Mac choice at boot. It sees the win boot volume even though the Mac can't. Works Great.
Hint: after installing ReFit you have to reboot Twice before it kicks in.

Windows 8.1: no bootable device--please restart system

I know that there have been several posts like this before, but none that exactly fit my situation.
So I have a satellite c875-S7303 that was running windows 8.1. Today when I went to turn it on I got the message:
Checking media [fail]
then: No bootable device --please restart system
I am able to access the setup utility, and I have tried changing the boot mode from UEFI to CSM with no luck. I also dont feel like it is a physical problem with my HDD or the cables because the make and model of the HDD shows up in the main and boot tabs of the sutup utility.
Of course I didnt make a recovery disk, and there isnt a recovery option (that I'm aware of) anywhere in the setup utility.
I feel like the problem is that the boot files are corrupted somehow but the HDD is otherwise ok. Is it possible to boot windows 8.1 with a generic boot file that I can burn to a CD or put on a USB stick?
Any help would be extremely appreciated

I'm planning to get hard drive usb adapter cables to see if I can get any of my data off of it.
I don't have any ideas better than that.
You may need to take ownership of files and folders, BTW, when you access from another Windows installation.
-Jerry

"No bootable device ..." Trying install Windows (Flashdrive + Optical drive install)

I tried to install Windows 8 64-bit and Windows 7 64-bit on a seperat partition on My MacBook Pro 2011 15" using Boot Camp-assistant on Mountain Lion.
I got some errors like when rebooting and trying to enter the install-disk it says: "No bootable device ..."
I have already tried solutions with different flashdrives it did not work for me. I also tried with a optical drive - Windows 7 DVD install-disk - which also did not work for me.
It has worked for me before some time ago but that time I had Lion or SnowLeorpard on my Mac.
I don't know if there is a bug or something like that in the new OS - Mountain Lion?
Thanks.
For more details about my error go to: Mac How To : Bootcamp Windows Partition Problem

I found the SOLUTION to my problem on this post:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15940863#15940863
The problem is that you have to use a certain DVD-drive(dual layer) to install/boot Windows and since my MacBook Pro's internal DVD-drive does not work I have used an external DVD-drive which is much likely causing the problem. Therefore the only solution (in my case) is to use a proper DVD-drive(from Apple) or repair the internal drive.
See also this post:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/apple-mac-os-x/707240-boot-camp-assistant-proble m-windows-partition-mountain-lion.html#post9069614

Problems with Bootcamp Assistant: no bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key

Hello Guys,
I got a problem setting up Windows 7 on my recently bought 13" MacBook Pro (2,3Ghz Core i5).
I used the bootcamp assistent to create a partition of 50GB on my Mac, everything is fine until now. I insert the Windows 7 disk and follow the instructions. But when I restart in spite of starting the installation of Windows 7, a black screen appears with a note saying "no bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key". To exit this screen I then have to restart my Computer again, holding down the alt-key. In the following window I can just chose my Mac-Harddrive to boot from, the partition is not shown.
I used the software actualization tool to update to version 10.6.7 which is the most recent one i think.
The Windows 7 CD I use is actually a burned one. My University is a member of the msdn academic alliance and therefore offers me to download microsoft software for my work. I stress out that this is absolutly legal, I will only be allowed to use the software unitl I finished my studyings.
So as I said, I downloaded the Version of Windows 7 Professional with Service Pack 1 (x64) on my computer and then burned on a DVD. I want to add, that the file I downloaded turned out to be an iso file. At first, I just burned this file on a DVD but since it turned out that i got the above mentioned message, I burned a second DVD with the actual files of the iso (with foldernames like autorun.inf, boot, bootmgr, bootmgr.efi, efi, setup.exe, sources support, and upgrade)
I dont know if these details are of any relevance, but i guess it may be useful since I believe that the burning thing could cause the problems.
I have already browsed the Forum for quite some time now, but I didnt find a case with the exact same problem that I have, so I decided to rather ask you for help now instead of killing my brain like I did before (and I dont really have a clue neither of Macbooks nor of Windows-Computers, its always try and error for me)
I hope somebody can come up with some helpful ideas or a solution.
If you need further details on my system or anything, please feel free to ask
Thank you very much,
David

The Windows 7 CD I use is actually a burned one. My University is a member of the msdn academic alliance and therefore offers me to download microsoft software for my work. I stress out that this is absolutly legal, I will only be allowed to use the software unitl I finished my studyings.
Apple Disk Utility won't do a proper job and won't work (and it varies, some can start the install but fails later) Has to be burned at 2X Reduced Burn Speed
Also check the support articles for bootcamp
Apple Boot Camp Support

No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key - problem

Hi,
I'm running an early-2008 MacBook (13-inch) that has previously had Windows Vista and Windows 7 installed to it through Bootcamp over the years.
A few weeks ago I did a fresh reinstall of OS X Lion (10.7.5) and decided to reinstall Windows 7 as well. I deleted all the partitions and started afresh. However, upon trying to reinstall Windows 7 I've become a wee bit stuck.
Bootcamp works fine at first - it lets me partition the HDD without any issues (the partition is MS-DOS - FAT32), but when it reboots it gives me a message 'No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key' against a black screen. I've never seen this message before and it won't let me continue with the installation. I'm able to get back into OS X by pressing the option key upon reboot.
Any idea what I'm doing wrong? As I said I've used Bootcamp several times in the past on this machine without any problems. The only difference between then and now is that my Superdrive no longer works so I'm using an external DVD drive. However, the error happens regardless of whether it's plugged in.
Cheers,
Matt

jeffjefftyjeff wrote:
The only difference between then and now is that my Superdrive no longer works so I'm using an external DVD drive. However, the error happens regardless of whether it's plugged in.
For Macs with built-in Optical drives, it must be functional for a Windows installation/installer to work. You will also need a USB2 flash drive.
On such Macs, the BCA sets the boot device to be the non-functional Optical drive, which is why you see a No boot device message.

Boot Camp not installing Windows 7 - "No bootable device, insert boot disk and press any key."

I need some help with something. A while back, I put a brand new hard drive in my MacBook, a 500 GB model to replace the 120 GB one. I cloned everything successfully to the new drive via Carbon Copy Cloner, but now I want to make a Boot Camp partition on the drive. The SuperDrive in it is defective, so I use an external FireWire drive. So far the Boot Camp Assistant in 10.7 Lion works fine in creating the partition, but when it gets to the part where it tries to boot into the Windows installation disk (32-bit Windows 7 Home Premium, or could the 64-bit work fine as well?), it shows a black scree nwith "No bootable device, insert boot disk and press any key." I try pressing keys, but nothing happens.
I also tried using rEFIt, but that didn't work out either.
Here are the specifications of my machine...
MacBook (Early 2009 model)
2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
4 GB of RAM
500 GB SATA hard drive
Dual-layer SuperDrive (defective, may replace it once I have the cash)
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics chip
Mac OS X 10.7.2 Lion
Can anyone help me out with this? Is there some sort of workaround?

Wiley207 wrote:
Believe it or not, it was the FireWire drive that was the problem! I managed to successfully install Windows 7 using an external USB DVD drive!
Well I am truly staggered, I have tried this on two different MacBook Pros, with three different external USB optical drives. Don't know if you googled as I suggested but you would find hundreds of others who have found same thing. The exception is MacBook Air which works with the Apple writer, but I don't know much about this.
Were you doing any of the special workarounds with refedit etc?
What model USB DVD drive?

Bootcamp will not load Windows installer - No bootable device, insert disk then press any key

Hello, I recently decided to install bootcamp onto my 2009 27" iMac, I have done this before for other people's computers and I thought it would be no different for my own. However, on attempt to install the Windows disk, instead of starting the installer it only gives me an error message saying No bootable device, insert boot disk then press any key. I have tried ejecting the disk and then putting it back into my disk driver but it still seems to give me the same error. I went back into my Mac using Alt(option) key on startup and then set the startup disk as the Windows installer disk but it doesn't seem to make a difference. I also tried booting the disk directly from the startup disk menu is the alt(option) key on startup but that didn't do anything different either.
Suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Also if it helps my computer is a
2009 27" iMac running OSX 10.8.4
And my disk drive is an external drive because my internal SuperDrive went out.

That last point is your problem, Boot Camp doesn't really like booting from external drives.
You will have to do the following (assuming Boot Camp already partitioned your hard disk):
1. Use Disk Utility to make a CD/DVD Master of the Windows Install Disc.
2. Rename the resulting *.cdr file so it has an *.iso extension.
3. Insert a USB Flash Drive (8GB or more) into a USB port and start Boot Camp Assistant.
4. Make sure only "Create a Windows 7 or later version install disk" is checked.
5. Follow the directions, selecting the USB Flash Drive as the destination, and the *.iso as the source.
You should now be able to boot from and install Windows from the USB Flash Drive. It's annoying, but I had to do that.
You will need a second flash drive of 1GB or more, or 700MB or more extra space on the install disk to place the boot camp support files, which will need to be installed.

I already partitioned my hdd via Bootcamp, supports downloaded, and windows is on an external USB. How can I start installing Windows now? at startup it doesnt show up as bootable device...

hi,
I am having a problem installing windows via bootcamp.
I already partitioned my hdd via Bootcamp, downloaded and copied all the supports for windows, and windows is on an external USB as well. I had to stop the process the other day, so i shut down the computer. Now I am trying to boot from the USB, but I cant get to that point where the computer should restart and windows would start installing.
. After restarting, holding command, it doesnt show up as bootable device.
How shall I move forward? My disk is already partitioned, and if i start the whole process from the beginning, it wants me to partition again - although I already made a 100GB partition for windows.
Please help me out.
best,
Zoltan

So, here is what happened when I tried to make it.(sorry for quality, i had to take them by phone)
At first when I opened it I saw that I could simply resolve it just by stretching the arrow at the bottom, giving the 100 GB back which I partitioned before via Bootcamp. At this point options was not available.
I didnt do it because you mentioned earlier that it might be not designed to install windows.
The second thing I tried I choose 1 Partition from Partition Layout. This time Options were available but I didnt see anything like GPT, the onces that are optionable are on the screenshot.
What do you think how shall I move on? I was thinking to give it a shot with option 1, just stretch it back and try everything from scratch.

"No Bootable Device" after failed Boot Camp installation (Windows 8 - 1TB Fusion Drive)

On my new iMac /w a 1TB Fusion Drive, I tried to install Windows 8 (still technically unsupported) using the following method:
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/11/no-support-no-problem-inst alling-windows-8-on-a-mac-with-boot-camp/
Everything was proceeding just fine; I had Boot Camp copy all of the Windows 8 files (a legitimate, store-bought copy) to a bootable USB drive - a feature only available on new Macs running Boot Camp Assistant that don't come with an internal optical drive - and create a 102 Gb partition on the Fusion Drive. It then rebooted and was proceeding through the Windows 8 setup wizard as should be expected, but it couldn't modify any of the partitions on the Fusion Drive and wouldn't proceed. I accepted defeat and decided I would just wait until Windows 8 is officially supported before trying again.
Now, every time I turn the computer on, I get an error message saying "No Bootable Device...", unless I hold down the Option key and manually select "Macintosh HD" (the only boot device listed). I already removed the primary Windows 8 partition, but it hasn't fixed the issue.
I'm thinking that it's one of the 'hidden' partitions causing it to behave like this, or something wrong with the EFI bootloader, but I don't know how to proceed. Any thoughts on this?

I actually did try this (forgot to mention it), and it didn't fix the problem.
However, I just resolved it on my own, doing what I probably should have tried before anything else: running "Repair Disk" in Disk Utility updated all of the boot preferences as it should have.

Windows 7 No bootable device problem

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