First of all, let me state the following. I did use the Boot Camp Assistant to download the Windows Support Software, but because of the iMac's drive partitioning, I can not use the Boot Camp Assistant to install Windows 10.
The iMac has an internal, 512 byte/sector HDD with 235 GB free space at the end of the drive. The command diskutil list
reports the following.
/dev/disk0 (internal, physical):
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: GUID_partition_scheme *536.9 GB disk0
1: EFI EFI 209.7 MB disk0s1
2: Apple_HFS Chicken 150.0 GB disk0s2
3: Apple_Boot Recovery HD 650.0 MB disk0s3
4: Apple_HFS Turkey 150.0 GB disk0s4
5: Apple_Boot Recovery HD 650.0 MB disk0s5
Both Chicken
and Turkey
have High Sierra (macOS 10.13.1) installed. I have downloaded the latest Windows 10 (Version 1709, OS Build 16299.15) iso file. Here is what I wish to accomplish.
- Install Windows 10 Pro 64 bit.
- Boot Windows using the EFI boot method.
- Include a Microsoft Reserve partition before the Windows partition.
- Include a Windows Recovery partition after the Windows partition.
I would desire to preform the installation without any of the following.
- No third party software
- No optical drive
- No USB flash drive
- No Boot Camp Assistant
- Without disabling System Integrity Protection (SIP).
I would prefer not having to boot to macOS Recovery via the internet, built-in recovery or an USB flash drive macOS installer. But, since macOS Recovery is not a third party tool, I am not opposed to its use.
So basically, I am asking how to install Windows when macOS is already installed, but the Boot Camp assistant will not assist in the installation.
Best Answer
These are the basic steps needed to install Windows 10 for an EFI boot, when the Boot Camp Assistant will not create the necessary installation partitions.
I have made the following assumptions.
disk0
. If you wish to use a different internal drive, you will need to substitute the appropriate disk identifier.diskutil info disk0
. If the size is 4096 bytes, I will have to modify these instructions.The Windows specifications are given below.
~/WindowsSupport
directory.At the end of this free space, allocate about 10 GB for the installation files, followed by 600 MB of space for the Microsoft Windows Recovery Environment (WRE). I usually use the
diskutil
command to do this. Other combinations of commands or third party tools can also be employed. The UUID for 10 GB partition should beEBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7
. The UUID for the 600 MB partition should beDE94BBA4-06D1-4D40-A16A-BFD50179D6AC
.In your case, the first step would be to absorb the free space into
disk1s4
. The command below would accomplish this task.The result is shown below.
Next, issue the command below to create the desired new partitions. The "Recovery HD" volume, below
disk1s4
, will be automatically relocated upwards so the free space can be created between the "Recovery HD" and "WINSTALL" volumes.The result is
Mount the Windows iso file and copy the contents to the "WINSTALL" volume. In my case, the label "ESD-ISO" was used to identify the Windows iso. To perform the copy operation, you will need the enter the
cp
command from a Terminal application window. Below is the exact command I usually used. If necessary, make the appropriate modifications.Copy the Windows Support Software to the "WINSTALL" volume. Below is the exact command I usually use. If necessary, make the appropriate modifications.
Use the command shown below to rename the
AutoUnattend.xml
file.Next, you need to boot from the volume where the Windows installation files reside. Hold down the option key immediately after restarting on your Mac. Release the option when the Startup Manager window appears. Select the icon labeled "EFI boot". Next, select the arrow below the "EFI boot" label.
Open a Windows Command Prompt window, by following the procedure outlined in this step. Below is an image of what is initially displayed by the Windows 10 installer. Select "Next".
In the image shown below, select "Repair your computer".
In the image shown below, select "Troubleshoot".
In the image shown below, select "Command Prompt".
The result should be the image shown below.
Use the command
diskpart
to finish partitioningdisk0
. The commands you need to enter are given below.From the output of the command
list partition
, determine the number for the partition with the type "Recovery". In this example, I will assume the number is7
. Your number could be different. The next command selects this partition.The next commands effect the "Recovery" partition. The proper attributes are set. Next, the partition is formatted NTFS and given the label "Recovery".
The next command lists the current volumes. Take note of the drive letter (Ltr) for the volume with label "WINSTALL". In this example, I will assume the letter is
C
. Your letter could be different.The command below quits the command
diskpart
.Disable the ability to boot from the "WINSTALL" volume. This can be accomplished by entering the command shown below. This will rename the folder containing the boot files. If the drive letter, for the "WINSTALL" volume, is not
C
, then make the appropriate substitute when entering the command below.Enter the command below to start the Windows installation. Again, if the drive letter, for the "WINSTALL" volume, is not
C
, then make the appropriate substitute when entering the command below.When the window shown below appears, select the "Unallocated Space" above the "WINSTALL" partition, then click on the "Next" button.
Continue with the installation of Windows 10. If the computer boots back to macOS, goto System Preferences and select Windows as your startup disk. Restart the computer to continue initializing Windows 10.
Proceed until you reach the screen where you are prompted for your region. For the 1709 version (OS build 16299.15) of Windows 10, your the screen will appear as shown below.
For other versions of Windows 10, the screen could appear different. As an example, the screen, for the 1507 version (OS build 10240) of Windows 10, would appear as shown below.
Next, press the control+shift+F3 keys to restart Windows 10 in Audit mode.
When desktop shown below appears, the Windows Support Software installer should automatically launch. If this does not occur, use the Windows File Explorer to open the Windows Support Software application named "Setup". This application can be found in the "BootCamp" folder on the "WINSTALL" drive. After the installer application completes, allow the computer to restart.
Next, boot to the Windows Recovery Environment. Basically, hold down the shift key while selecting to restart Windows.
Navigate to a Windows Command Prompt by following the instructions given below.
In the image shown below, select "Troubleshoot".
In the image shown below, select "Advanced options"
In the image shown below, select "Command Prompt".
After a short delay, you should get an image similar to what is shown below. Choose the Administrator account to continue.
Next, you should get an image similar to what is shown below. Select "Continue".
The result should be the image shown below.
Delete the "WINSTALL" partition and extend the "BOOTCAMP" volume to reclaim the free space. The procedure is given below.
Enter the following pair of commands to start
diskpart
and list the current volumes.From the output of the command
list volume
, determine the number for the volume with the label "WINSTALL". In this example, I will assume this number is1
. Your number could be different. Also, determine the number for the volume with the label "BOOTCAMP". In this example, I will assume this number is0
. Again, your number could be different.The next pair of commands selects the "WINSTALL" volume and then deletes the corresponding partition.
The next pair of commands selects the "BOOTCAMP" volume and then extends the corresponding partition to consume the deleted space.
The next pair of commands quits
dispart
and closes the window.In the image shown below, select "Continue" to boot back to Windows 10.
You will return to the Administrator's desktop displaying the "System Preparation Tool" window. In this window, select "Shutdown" under the "Shutdown options", as shown below.
Next, select "OK" to shutdown the Mac. At this point, you have completed the installation of Windows 10.
Next time you turn on your Mac, Windows will start in the "Out of the Box Experience" mode. This is basically the way a newly purchased PC starts up, when Windows 10 is already installed.
If asked, I can clarify any of the above steps.