Troubles Installing Windows 10

[robertdb3]

Recently, I purchased a used Mid-2012 Non-Retina MacBook Pro. I replaced the optical drive with a bay for the original HDD and put an SSD in where the HDD used to be. I have a fresh installation of macOS 10.13.3 High Sierra on the SSD, and nothing but an EFI boot partition for Windows 10 on the original HDD.

When I boot into the Windows 10 installer, made with Boot Camp, everything works fine until I format the Boot Camp partition, where it tells me that, "Windows can't be installed on drive 1 partition 2." When I look at the details it tells me, "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk is of the GPT partition style." and "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu." This occurred when i initially booted into the Boot Camp installer, and whenever I boot into "Windows" from the boot menu from the flash drive.

Whenever I boot from "EFI Boot" from the flash drive, it lets me click "Next" but gives me the error, "We couldn't create a new partition or locate an existing one. For more information, see the Setup log files." When I hit "Next" with the partition deleted and selecting its unallocated space, it starts installing but gives me the error, "Windows could not prepare the computer to boot into the next phase of installation. To install Windows, restart the installation."

I would like to install Windows 10 on the hard drive, and not on the SSD with macOS because the SSD is already only 128 GB, and I don't want that getting any smaller. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[expede]

Hi!

So this is a non-BootCamp installation process. This is the way I would do it;

1 Go back to OSX and format the HHD to FAT 32, with diskutility.
2 Reboot with the "alt-key" pressed down.
3 When in EFI screen, insert the USB-flash drive/Windows 10 install
4 Start the installer and when you are in partition selection- delete all patitions in the HDD disk. (Not the one with 128GB)
5 Create a new patition
6 Continue the installation

This helped me when I did a non-supported installation in my Mac Pro 5.1. Are MacBook Pro 2012 supported?

Best of luck

/Per

 

[robertdb3]

The Mid 2012 MacBook Pro I believe is the oldest of the MacBook Pros to support Windows 10 via Boot Camp via no modification.

Should the flash drive should still be made with Boot Camp, or with Microsoft's tool for Windows? Assuming you also want me to delete the EFI boot partition on the HDD (not SSD), does macOS still recognize the Windows partition and vice-versa (as far as selecting a boot disk from inside the operating systems?)

I will try all of this when I get home later today. Thank you for the help!

 

[expede]

Hi!

This is the essence of the problem. No! I can not change the start-up disk from OSX or Win. What I can do is use the alt-key option. OR- I can "bless" the OSX with ctrl-key during my selection in EFI screen. Doing so (hold down Ctrl-key and clicking on the high Sierra drive) will make your MBP return to OSX from Windows 10, with just a restart. The ctrl-key will make OSX the default drive.
If you want to go from OSX to Win 10 you need to go though the alt-key/EFI screen and chose Windows start-up disk. Bootcamp control panel is supported (screen light and other stuff but not reboot into OSX).

I should go with diskutility, not bootcamp. Make two partitions if you like. Just format it to FAT-32 and do as I have done. Call it BOOTCAMP.

Best of luck

Regards

/Per

 

[robertdb3]

I have been able to try it, and it works great! I was also able to use this technique on my Mid-2010 iMac 21.5" that only officially supports up to Windows 7.

Thank you so much for your help!
Robert