Resolved Early 2009 MacBook can't install Windows 7 in Boot Camp!

[dandeco]

I recently put a new 500 GB hard drive in my early 2009 MacBook, and successfully cloned the original drive onto the new one. But now I want to make a Boot Camp partition running Windows 7 Home Premium. I am having troubles with this!

I tried using Mac OS X 10.7 Lion's Boot Camp Assistant, and made a partition on the main drive, but when it would try to boot from the CD, it would show the "flashing question mark folder" icon (Along with a "no" symbol). Tried the EFI boot, it says that it's not a system disk. Then I tried rEFIt, and it could boot from the disc, but it would get stuck on the "Windows is loading files" part on the black screen.
My MacBook's SuperDrive is defective, so I am using an external FireWire DVD burner.

Is there any other steps I need to try? Anyone got advice?

 

[kpgh554]

I recently put a new 500 GB hard drive in my early 2009 MacBook, and successfully cloned the original drive onto the new one. But now I want to make a Boot Camp partition running Windows 7 Home Premium. I am having troubles with this!

I tried using Mac OS X 10.7 Lion's Boot Camp Assistant, and made a partition on the main drive, but when it would try to boot from the CD, it would show the "flashing question mark folder" icon (Along with a "no" symbol). Tried the EFI boot, it says that it's not a system disk. Then I tried rEFIt, and it could boot from the disc, but it would get stuck on the "Windows is loading files" part on the black screen.
My MacBook's SuperDrive is defective, so I am using an external FireWire DVD burner.

Is there any other steps I need to try? Anyone got advice?

not sure there is as on other threads say not able to load wins from ext dvd.
perhaps if could format bootcamp partition in ntfs then clone the wins system on it might work

 

[dandeco]

OK, I did a bit of fixing up (reconnected the defective SuperDrive), and again tried booting from the external DVD drive, this time WITHOUT rEFIt on my system. Instead of the flashing question mark thing, it just goes right to a black screen with "No bootable device - insert boot disk and press any key."

Maybe the combination of the early 2009 MacBook and OS X Lion is causing this? (i.e. Boot camp won't boot from a 64-bit Windows 7 DVD.)

 

[RedRaven571]

OK, I did a bit of fixing up (reconnected the defective SuperDrive), and again tried booting from the external DVD drive, this time WITHOUT rEFIt on my system. Instead of the flashing question mark thing, it just goes right to a black screen with "No bootable device - insert boot disk and press any key."

Maybe the combination of the early 2009 MacBook and OS X Lion is causing this? (i.e. Boot camp won't boot from a 64-bit Windows 7 DVD.)

Might be running into the problem I just posted a question about; your mac is not on the 'official' Apple list of macs that support 64 bit Win 7 (or 64 bit Vista). Note that only late 2009 Macbook is listed:


http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1846

 

[dandeco]

Might be running into the problem I just posted a question about; your mac is not on the 'official' Apple list of macs that support 64 bit Win 7 (or 64 bit Vista). Note that only late 2009 Macbook is listed:


http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1846

Hmm, that might be it. I'll try using a 32-bit version and see what happens.

FOLLOW-UP: Nope, it didn't work.
I recall when I tried using it via rEFIt, it said that Windows wouldn't work on this computer's firmware.
That makes it strange; when I used it with the old hard drive and made a Windows 7 partition, I had Snow Leopard installed, and it actually installed from an external drive! This was back in August, though.

 

[kpgh554]

Hmm, that might be it. I'll try using a 32-bit version and see what happens.

FOLLOW-UP: Nope, it didn't work.
I recall when I tried using it via rEFIt, it said that Windows wouldn't work on this computer's firmware.
That makes it strange; when I used it with the old hard drive and made a Windows 7 partition, I had Snow Leopard installed, and it actually installed from an external drive! This was back in August, though.

have you tried disc utilities and run verify and repair permissions after cloning before running boot camp.

 

[dandeco]

Wait, I solved the problem. It was my FireWire DVD drive that was the problem. I tried installing Windows 7 from an external USB drive and it worked perfectly!

 

[Mike Boreham]

Wait, I solved the problem. It was my FireWire DVD drive that was the problem. I tried installing Windows 7 from an external USB drive and it worked perfectly!

Are you by any chance Wiley207 in ASC on this thread ?

Were you using rfedit in your final successful attempt?

Really interested in how you got the installer to work in a USB optical.

 

[dandeco]

Are you by any chance Wiley207 in ASC on this thread ?

Were you using rfedit in your final successful attempt?

Really interested in how you got the installer to work in a USB optical.

Yes I am. IDK how it managed to work. I used an I/O Magic external USB 2.0 DVD drive for it. I didn't use rEFIt for this successful attempt, either. All I did was put the Windows 7 disc into the drive, plug it into the computer, use the Boot Camp Assistant to create the partition, boot the computer from the disc, and it just worked perfectly from there! It does stump me how it didn't work with FireWire, but worked with USB 2.0.

 

[Mike Boreham]

Yes I am. IDK how it managed to work. I used an I/O Magic external USB 2.0 DVD drive for it. I didn't use rEFIt for this successful attempt, either. All I did was put the Windows 7 disc into the drive, plug it into the computer, use the Boot Camp Assistant to create the partition, boot the computer from the disc, and it just worked perfectly from there! It does stump me how it didn't work with FireWire, but worked with USB 2.0.

Thanks for replying, so no silver bullet, and no nearer knowing why I and so many others can't do it!