Windows 7 wont install ('No Bootable Drive')

This is EXACTLY what I've done:
I've formatted and reformatted and partioned and wiped and formatted my hard drive innumerable times over the years. I have a Macbook Pro 4,1 (15-inch Early 2008).
When I went to install Lion, I wanted a clean install, so I installed OS X 10.6 via USB with my iPod, then immediately upgraded to lion. When I did the 10.6 install, I first completely erased the entire internal HD.
In Lion, I then opened the Bootcamp Assistant, and partitioned my drive. I have attemped to install windows in the following ways:
Via USB, using my iPod and my thumb drive. After holding option at startup, neither of these have appeared as bootable disks. I have used 4 different discs at this point, from friends and neighbors, but none of them appear as bootable using USB devices.
I then asked a friend to lend me his external DVD drive. I then tested each of the installs using the optical drive, and all of them returned the same error:
"No Bootable Device - Insert boot disk and press any key"
I know at least one install installed fine in VMware, and they've all been installed on different computers sucessfully before. The PC I've been using was willing to boot up from every disk. My disks are 64 btw, but I have a 4,1 so I think I should be fine.
Essentially, my question is am I missing any firmware or drivers, or why do I get a DOS prompt, presumably loaded from the disk drive telling me that drive is not a boot disk. Why wont my computer (just completely wiped with 10.6.3 retail + Lion) recognize any legitimate windows CDs, saying they are not bootable?
Like I said, I'm using an external disk drive, as my MBPs internal optical drive refuses to read and spits out most DVDs (it has for a long while, CDs work).
I have tried everything I know of, please provide suggestions.
Thanks

Hello,
There is a "boot camp" forum (you have posted in the wrong forum) you might get a better answer there and there is a KB that answers all your boot camp questions...
https://discussions.apple.com/community/windows_software/boot_camp
http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/
QUOTE: "my MBPs internal optical drive refuses to read and spits out most DVDs"
Have you tried putting the disk in and shutting down the MBP(before it tosses it out), then restart and load from the DVD drive (hold "C") ?
Also, you don't need to flip out on Kappy, We are all mac users trying to help each other out... we are not Apple...
What he means is that depending on your model there are some external drives which do not work with macs. So, you should make sure the drive you use is mac compatible

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