USB boot drive

[melbri]

How can i get a USB boot drive (or disc) without a Mac?

I was attempting to install win7 via bootcamp when something went wrong. Start up is a white screen for a minute then a black screen saying" no boot drive available". I had a USB boot drive, but cannoit find it.

I purchased the iMac with ML, but later upgraded to Mav, i am assuming I need the ML boot drive.

 

[Weaselboy]

How can i get a USB boot drive (or disc) without a Mac?

I was attempting to install win7 via bootcamp when something went wrong. Start up is a white screen for a minute then a black screen saying" no boot drive available". I had a USB boot drive, but cannoit find it.

I purchased the iMac with ML, but later upgraded to Mav, i am assuming I need the ML boot drive.

You don't need a USB key to boot. Your Mac has Internet recovery built into the system firmware.

Just hold command-option-r as you boot and you will be asked for your wifi password. After that you will see a spinning globe as the recovery utility is downloaded from Apple's servers. Once that is done you will see the normal recovery screen where you can use Disk Utility to format/partition your drive and reinstall the OS. Hopefully you have a backup, because this will erase your data.

 

[melbri]

I should note that my kids wrecked my mac keyboard and I replaced it with a cheap non-mac kb (Wireless Keyboard 2000 AES). Do you know the equivalent key strokes? If I purchased a new mac KB, will my imac recognize it? I do have time capsule back ups so my data is safe.


Thanks for the reply.

 

[DeltaMac]

...
I was attempting to install win7 via bootcamp when something went wrong. Start up is a white screen for a minute then a black screen saying" no boot drive available". I had a USB boot drive, but cannoit find it.

I purchased the iMac with ML, but later upgraded to Mav, i am assuming I need the ML boot drive.

If you are trying to install Win7, after a reboot from the Boot Camp utility, it's expecting a Windows boot disk. If you downloaded a Windows ISO, how did you use that to create a Windows boot disk on a USB stick? It's a simple task, which works, but if not done properly, will give you that message about "no boot drive available."

And, for the startup from a non-Apple keyboard - that usually will work in the same way, which key to use will vary, but SHOULD normally be the alt key.
A _wireless_ keyboard may not respond correctly for the boot key presses. WAY better to use a wired USB keyboard - regardless of brand or price, which won't usually give issues when pressing the various boot key combinations. Maybe you can borrow a USB keyboard, just to get past this.

 

[melbri]

Thanks. I am going to pick up a wired mac keyboard. I didn't get to the win 7 installation process, was just in the process of partitioning. Don't know what went wrong, I've done it before without issue. No win 7 boot disc.

 

[DeltaMac]

?

The Boot Camp utility prepares a partition to install Windows, and makes it a bootable partition (in theory, anyway) and reboots your Mac, expecting a Windows installer to be available to boot.
And, your Mac is set for that Windows boot (and can't find the Windows Boot drive)
You would just shut down on that black screen, if you don't yet have a Windows installer. (Press and hold the power button - your Mac will shut off in about 5 seconds.)
Restart, holding the alt key, to choose the OS X boot partition - or, hold the Windows key + R, which _might_ boot you up to the OS X Recovery partition, where you will have the choice to change the Startup Disk, under the menus.
Again, I'm not sure if every wireless keyboard will let you do that, but a wired keyboard will work.

 

[Weaselboy]

I should note that my kids wrecked my mac keyboard and I replaced it with a cheap non-mac kb (Wireless Keyboard 2000 AES). Do you know the equivalent key strokes? If I purchased a new mac KB, will my imac recognize it? I do have time capsule back ups so my data is safe.


Thanks for the reply.

It would be alt-windows key-r on a Windows KB. I suspect that Windows wireless KB won't work because the drivers can't be seen until the system boots. Any cheap wired USB keyboard will work though.