Troubles with manual Windows 10 installation

[t8er8]

Hi there, Ive been trying to get windows installed on my 2010 Mac Pro for a while now to no avail. Im following this guide and I cant seem to get past “getting files ready for installation”, it halts around 65% and I can never get it past that. Ive refortmatted using disk utility and the built in windows formatter multiple times, Ive tried running the disc in both superdrives, with similar outcomes. The program itself doesn't freeze, but I can hear the superdrive stopping when it nears 65% because its ramping down from full speed. My suspicion is that either the CD is corrupt with a bad burn. I have wiped the SSD in using in multiple different ways and have tried different methods of the guide. This is quite frustrating and any advice helps!

 

[crjackson2134]

Just curious, but exactly what SSD are you trying to install to, and where is it mounted?

Also, when you say install CD, I assume you actually mean DVD.

 

[Alex Sanders74]

What version and point release of Windows are you trying? Some people have had headaches with certain versions of Windows 10.

 

[DeltaMac]

Have you tried making a fresh DVD from your ISO?
Have you tried downloading the current ISO from Microsoft, and using that ISO to make a fresh DVD.
Or, use the ISO to make a USB installer. You can use your Boot Camp assistant to make a USB installer (you cannot do that with the latest Win 10 1809 ISO, you have to download the older Win 10 version 1803 ISO)

 

[t8er8]

Just curious, but exactly what SSD are you trying to install to, and where is it mounted?

Also, when you say install CD, I assume you actually mean DVD.

Using a 240gb kingston ssd mounted in one of my internal bays

What version and point release of Windows are you trying? Some people have had headaches with certain versions of Windows 10.

One of the latest iso’s from the Microsoft website called April 2018 update, I can’t use the october update because its too big for the CD-R

Have you tried making a fresh DVD from your ISO?
Have you tried downloading the current ISO from Microsoft, and using that ISO to make a fresh DVD.
Or, use the ISO to make a USB installer. You can use your Boot Camp assistant to make a USB installer (you cannot do that with the latest Win 10 1809 ISO, you have to download the older Win 10 version 1803 ISO)

im using an iso straight from the MS website changing it to a .CDR file then burning it using the GUI, one thing I've heard is that its much better to use the drutil terminal command instead, which I havent tried. Also I’m on mojave where bootcamp “isnt supported” so using it is likely out of the question, in the tutorial theyve said to not use a USB key too.

 

[t8er8]

I’m trying to burn a new CD using drutil but I can’t figure out how it works, I have 2 internal drive bays. It asks to specify which drive I’m using when I try using “drutil burn /directory/“ so I try “drutil burn -device (vendorID) /directory/“ which again doesn’t work. I can’t figure out how to specify either drive.
[doublepost=1550494537][/doublepost]Another thing to add is that both my drives have the same vendor ID so using it might be pointless but that’s my only option when I look at “drutil help driveselect”

 

[DeltaMac]

You shouldn't need to select a drive.
All you need is the command

drutil burn

After entering that command, drag your ISO to the terminal (which will add the ISO path to your drutil command). That will complete the command, and you then press enter to run that burn.

The drutil list command might help you decide how to complete the command, but to just get the ISO burned to a DVD, you could temporarily unplug the lower drive, so only one drive is connected. I don't even think you would need to do that, as whichever drive that has a blank DVD+R in the drive should accept the command.

I think that you are also incorrect about Boot Camp and Mojave, as I have burned a bootable Win 10 installer DVD from that just recently. You STILL have to use the 1803 version (the 1809 version will only burn from Windows, as far as I know), and as long as you have the 1803 version, you can also create a bootable USB flash drive for Win10. Again, you have to use the older 1803 version. The flash drive needs to be formatted as fat32, or ExFAT. I don't know where you might have seen some info that Mojave Boot Camp is "not supported" That's just incorrect. I have used the BootCamp assistant to install Win10 on 2 different Macs, both running Mojave, within the last couple of months, so your idea is simply wrong. Boot Camp IS limited, because you have to be careful which version of the Win10 ISO you use, but Boot Camp itself does its work of making a partition that is ready for a Windows install, and also downloads the Windows support files. THOSE are outdated, I think, but easy enough to fix through Device Manager, and the Apple updater, once you have Win10 installed.

 

[t8er8]

You shouldn't need to select a drive.
All you need is the command

drutil burn

After entering that command, drag your ISO to the terminal (which will add the ISO path to your drutil command). That will complete the command, and you then press enter to run that burn.

The drutil list command might help you decide how to complete the command, but to just get the ISO burned to a DVD, you could temporarily unplug the lower drive, so only one drive is connected. I don't even think you would need to do that, as whichever drive that has a blank DVD+R in the drive should accept the command.

I think that you are also incorrect about Boot Camp and Mojave, as I have burned a bootable Win 10 installer DVD from that just recently. You STILL have to use the 1803 version (the 1809 version will only burn from Windows, as far as I know), and as long as you have the 1803 version, you can also create a bootable USB flash drive for Win10. Again, you have to use the older 1803 version. The flash drive needs to be formatted as fat32, or ExFAT. I don't know where you might have seen some info that Mojave Boot Camp is "not supported" That's just incorrect. I have used the BootCamp assistant to install Win10 on 2 different Macs, both running Mojave, within the last couple of months, so your idea is simply wrong. Boot Camp IS limited, because you have to be careful which version of the Win10 ISO you use, but Boot Camp itself does its work of making a partition that is ready for a Windows install, and also downloads the Windows support files. THOSE are outdated, I think, but easy enough to fix through Device Manager, and the Apple updater, once you have Win10 installed.

Thanks for the feedback, since the Mojave update, when you try to open boot camp assistant in any fashion, the Mac Pro 5,1 says “this Mac does not support boot camp” which has been confusing a lot of people recently as seen here. I’ll try to unplug the other drive and retry the burn command because it does want me to specify which drive to use even if there’s a blank disc in only one of them, and yes I drag and drop the iso for it’s path.

The only reason I’m doing this manually and not with bootcamp is because it’s not supported with Mac Pro 5,1 unless I do some kext editing which id rather not do.

 

[bookemdano]

Definitely sounds like a bad burn to me (or scratched disc). Try burning it again with drutil, and if it fails again then re-download the iso and try a different brand of media (some drives are picky with DVD-R vs. DVD+R, etc.)

 

[t8er8]

Definitely sounds like a bad burn to me (or scratched disc). Try burning it again with drutil, and if it fails again then re-download the iso and try a different brand of media (some drives are picky with DVD-R vs. DVD+R, etc.)

Do you know why I get “please specify which device to use” when I try “drutil burn /isodirectory/“ because I can’t figure it out, I still have the option to unplug the other drive but I’m trying to find a more reasonable way of doing it, as I’m not home to be able to do it right now.

 

[bookemdano]

Do you know why I get “please specify which device to use” when I try “drutil burn /isodirectory/“ because I can’t figure it out, I still have the option to unplug the other drive but I’m trying to find a more reasonable way of doing it, as I’m not home to be able to do it right now.

If your drives are identical then the vendor method for the -drive parameter likely won't work. But there are other arguments that can be used. Try -drive 1 or -drive 2 as the case may be. As someone else posted above, you can do drutil list to get a list of how drutil sees your two drives.

 

[t8er8]

If your drives are identical then the vendor method for the -drive parameter likely won't work. But there are other arguments that can be used. Try -drive 1 or -drive 2 as the case may be. As someone else posted above, you can do drutil list to get a list of how drutil sees your two drives.

Alright thanks a lot!

 

[t8er8]

If your drives are identical then the vendor method for the -drive parameter likely won't work. But there are other arguments that can be used. Try -drive 1 or -drive 2 as the case may be. As someone else posted above, you can do drutil list to get a list of how drutil sees your two drives.

Got home and "-drive 1" worked! I feel stupid for not thinking of that, but thanks alot!