Try as I may, I cannot get Boot Camp on macOS High Sierra to accept any Windows 7 installer DVD (or ISO) I have tried yet. Although Boot Camp seems to be able to accept a flash drive, when I try one I get the error:
The installer disc could not be found. Insert your Windows installer disc and wait a few seconds for the disc to be recognized.
So, since this is a Mid 2010 MacBook Pro (which has an optical drive) I've tried a legit Win7 SP1 retail DVD (checksum verified), but then I get this error:
Boot Camp only support installing Windows 7 on this Mac. Please insert a USB drive or DVD which contains a full version of Windows 7.
Does that mean "full" as in all editions of Win7, so Home, Pro, Ultimate, etc?? Documentation for this online is very sparse and lacking, I've found.
Best Answer
Steps to Install Windows 7 without Using the Boot Camp Assistant
Although a Windows 7 can be installed without using the both the Boot Camp Assistant and a Windows 7 installation DVD, the using a the DVD greatly simplifies the procedure. Since you have a working optical drive, I the steps given below will include using this drive.
Create the Flash Drive with the Windows Support Software
WSS
. For format, useMS-DOS (FAT)
. For scheme, useMaster Boot Record
.Under Safari preferences, select
Advance
. Make sureShow Develop menu in menu bar
is checked off. See image below.From a window opened in Safari, go to the website https://sourceforge.net/projects/gptfdisk/. While at this website, select
Develop->User Agent->Microsoft Edge
from the menu bar, then click theDownload
button on the webpage.gdisk64.exe
to the root folder on the flash drive.Develop->User Agent->Default
from the menu bar.Install Windows 7
Use the Disk Utility application to partition the internal drive. Add a new partition named
BOOTCAMP
with the formatMS-DOS (FAT)
.Insert the Windows 7 DVD in the optical drive.
Insert the Windows Support Software flash drive in a USB port.
Restart the Mac and immediately hold down the option key. Release the key when the Startup Manager icons appears. Select the icon labeled
Windows
.When the window below appears, select
Custom (advanced)
.The
BOOTCAMP
partition should be either 3 or 4. Remember the number, you will need this later.Press the shift+F10 key combination to open a Command Prompt window.
Enter the command shown below. Remember the drive letter (name) for the
WSS
volume.Enter the command below to execute
gdisk
. If drive letter (name) for theWSS
volume is notD:
, then make the appropriate substitution.Change the type of partitioning to hybrid. If the
BOOTCAMP
partition is number 3, then enter the commands given below.Otherwise, if the
BOOTCAMP
partition is number 4, then enter the commands given below.Enter the
exit
command to close the Command Prompt window.Click on the
Refresh
button.Select the
BOOTCAMP
partition. Before clicking theNext
button, you will have to format the partition by first clicking onDrive options (advanced)
, then clicking on theFormat
button.After finishing installing Windows 7, execute the
setup
application on the Windows Support Software flash drive.