How to Install Windows on a Mac without Bootcamp Assistant?

The problem with this is that Windows WILL NOT install onto the disk because it needs MBR on the destination disk, MacOS REALLY TRIES to use GPT, which is extremely annoying, and the only thing I've been able to do to temporarily make this not the case is to just use Bootcamp which I can no longer do due to having MacOS 10.8.5 on one partition and MacOS 10.13 on another partition, and Bootcamp not even trying to do anything when there are already 2 partitions. I'm trying to install Windows on a 3rd partition. This is after I already installed Windows BEFORE I restored my 10.8.5 partition, so bootcamp would actually work, but as soon as I put the 10.8.5 partition back, Windows would no longer boot, and trying to simply reinstall it on that same partition would say that the disk is "of the GPT partition style". Whoever made this a thing needs to go under the jail, but I really need to do this. Any ideas?

No one looking to get help with bootcamp is running it on an Apple Sillicon Mac, so that’s moot and not worth mentioning.

Running with bootcamp is the only “real” way to go. Parallels is a joke and breaks compatibility with many applications and software, let alone games, which is what I’m trying to use Windows on this Mac for. One really needs to run Windows on bare metal (not the API), and I don’t think parallels can do that, and since this discussion is about bootcamp, there is no reason to entertain such software. You can’t even run Ultimate Doom Builder!

I would know, I did try it on my fully maxed out i9 MacBook Pro, my M2 Pro Mac mini, my M1 Mac mini, an M1 MacBook Air I no longer have, my 16-inch 2021 MacBook Pro, and my 14-inch 2021 MacBook Pro. Complete garbage tier Windows installation on all of them. Windows is already horrible, making it go through translation layers is a terrible idea, plus Windows 11 sucks more than the rest. I would never use such a garbolium tier OS. My main gaming PC runs Windows 10, which is bricking itself as we speak. Not even kidding.

boot camp, however, does a lot of checks to ensure compatibility with your INTEL MAC, but sometimes that gets in the way of actually being able to do anything with it. That has happened many times to me, as did it now bringing me to this page. What we need is someone to tell us how to MANUALLY do the steps that boot camp assistant does on its own like partitioning, doing the GPT to MBR magic which is the part I couldn’t figure out, EFI stuff, things like that. I can’t speak for OP but I will never touch Parallels again and that’s not a real solution.

minecraftiaMACUser100 wrote:

No one looking to get help with bootcamp is running it on an Apple Sillicon Mac, so that’s moot and not worth mentioning.

Running with bootcamp is the only “real” way to go. Parallels is a joke and breaks compatibility with many applications and software, let alone games, which is what I’m trying to use Windows on this Mac for. One really needs to run Windows on bare metal (not the API), and I don’t think parallels can do that, and since this discussion is about bootcamp, there is no reason to entertain such software.

Actually this thread was started by someone asking how to run Windows WITHOUT bootcamp. And that person never clarified what type of machine they had. Therefore, it's perfectly reasonable for people to ask you for more details about what you're asking. Remember, everyone here is a voluteer.

If they’re asking about bootcamp, help them with bootcamp. Chances are they’ve checked compatibility before trying to ask for help. I know I would have. Paid or unpaid this is still true, OP is asking about installing Windows without using Bootcamp, as am I, not Parallels. We want to know about that.

minecraftiaMACUser100 wrote:

If they’re asking about bootcamp, help them with bootcamp. Chances are they’ve checked compatibility before trying to ask for help. I know I would have.

What you would do and what someone else with different knowledge and experience might do are not necessarily the same. It doesn't do make assumptions here. Give that the original poster never posted again, we don't know what they wanted.

If you need help, I suggest you start your own thread as it appears that any issues you may have are different than the original poster. Also, posting in old threads is rarely as effective as starting a new one.

And, as I said, the thread was about using Windows WITHOUT Bootcamp.

Did you find a solution? I may try to make a video on how to install Ghost Spectre Windows 11 alone with No Mac OS, I think it can be done. I did a version of this on my 2012 MacBook but my 2017 is a different animal

minecraftiaMACUser100 wrote:

I AM asking about using Windows without bootcamp... do you have something to add regarding this?

As you refuse to answer any clarifying questions, no, I've nothing to add.

Best of luck.

People have gotten Windows to work on Intel Macs without the use of Bootcamp, so I know it’s possible, I believe this is basically how it was done originally, when bootcamp was in its infancy, it used to be a lot more manual.

I know it can be done, we- ok maybe not we, but I, myself, am just looking for the instructions on how to do it.

uh… no..?

The drivers have absolutely nothing to do with my inquiry. I’m sure they’d work perfectly after installing Windows. The problem is getting to that point. I am able to partition the drive but then Windows will complain that it’s a GPT or an MBR… whatever I have basically it wants the opposite one when installing Windows manually (not through boot camp), but with bootcamp it’s fine somehow. I just need to know how to do that myself, and the problem will no longer exist.

Thanks for the info, but I very much understand what drivers are and how they work. Apple provides Windows drivers for their Mac computers, and there is no reason for those drivers to not still work, therefore it’s not an issue. Drivers aren’t the problem. It’s getting Windows on the machine at all. Boot camp as dumb limitations like not being able to use it if you have more than 1 OS installed, which I almost always have 2 installed, one that is closer in release to when whatever machine it is was released, and one that’s one of the newest possible MacOS that it can run. Boot camp makes installing Windows on these systems a pain, and I basically have to throw away one of the two already installed OSs. This is why I am asking for a solution to this problem, as I’ve had to do this dance on many Macs, and I’d much rather just do it manually instead of having to rely on Boot Camp Assistant.

I’d appreciate it if you assumed I know a lil more than you appear to think, and provide a solution to this problem. Thanks.

Actually you can download the drivers completely separately from Boot Camp Assistant, it still includes the “boot camp” drivers and software for the Windows side, and works perfectly fine that way. I’ve had to do this a few times in the past when the assistant just didn’t work. Apple has made it a pain to locate the download links for these drivers, and there’s a few different “versions” depending on what machine is being worked on, but they all can be downloaded separately. There’s also an option in newer versions of Boot Camp Assistant to just download the drivers and dump them onto your disk for

copying onto a flash drive or something yourself. It all works, and this has never been a problem for me.

As I’ve said a few times so far, the problem isn’t the drivers. It’s getting the actual Windows partition to exist and to have Windows install on it, which I have always been unsuccessful at, but I know it can be done, as boot camp assistant does it. I just need to know how it does that, so that I can do it myself.

I have Googled how to install Windows without boot camp assistant (or something very similar), and that’s what has brought me here.

I also think the reason why I keep having to repeat myself here is because of the strange and annoying layout this forum seems to have. Messages I’m responding to on the 3rd page (here) are actually on the 1st page even though they’re brand new. That makes no sense. I’m not a big forumite but even I know that’s not how forums should work..

Edit: It’s because the default sorting is “Rank” for some reason. Hopefully that helps someone.

Yeah it the crazy default display order that Apple has chosen, go here...

minecraftiaMACUser100’s Profile - Apple Community

& click on Edit Prefernces on the right, scroll down until you see Other Preferences & Default thread sort... choose Oldest.

Ah, ok. Seems legit.

I have about 20 machines ranging from 2006-2019 I want to do this on, so yea for some of those that is spot on. That example was a 2011 17-inch MacBook Pro.

hmmm hybrid partition scheme… that sounds very promising. I did try installing each one manually, and first installing Windows, then making partition(s) for MacOS to be installed on, but as soon as I Installed MacOS, Windows would no longer show up as a boot option.

Well I love Windows 7 so that’s awesome. I doubt that would work on Macs from 2009-before, since UEFI was like 2010-onward I think for the most part. These ones are what I am most interested in doing this to though, so that’s fine.

I wish I could use a FireWire 800 drive to install old crusty MacOS, then I could use it with… 80% of my machines really, but I recall the last time I tried this, the installer complained about it being a FireWire drive and would let me.

If I am successful in my quest, I’d have to make a video on it, and a guide for it. I’ll dig up some old crusty documentation, something’s gotta work.

Thanks for this, much appreciated.

minecraftiaMACUser100 wrote:

hmmm hybrid partition scheme… that sounds very promising. I did try installing each one manually, and first installing Windows, then making partition(s) for MacOS to be installed on, but as soon as I Installed MacOS, Windows would no longer show up as a boot option.

Windows does not like having the partition layout change like that. If you can boot to the Windows installer to access its recovery/repair boot option, then you could try using the automated startup repair utility.

Well I love Windows 7 so that’s awesome. I doubt that would work on Macs from 2009-before, since UEFI was like 2010-onward I think for the most part. These ones are what I am most interested in doing this to though, so that’s fine.

All Intel Macs are using EFI booting. However, some of the first generation 2006 Intel Macs were 32 bit systems , while others were 64 bit systems (aka CPUs) using a 32bit EFI. Your best option is using the 2nd gen Intel Macs or later which use the Core 2 Duo CPUs (or Xeons), or the i5/i7 CPUs since they are all 64 bit (CPU & EFI firmware).

I wish I could use a FireWire 800 drive to install old crusty MacOS, then I could use it with… 80% of my machines really, but I recall the last time I tried this, the installer complained about it being a FireWire drive and would let me.

macOS should have no issues using a FireWire drive for booting. I used to have external macOS FireWire boot drives myself & never had any issues.

If I am successful in my quest, I’d have to make a video on it, and a guide for it. I’ll dig up some old crusty documentation, something’s gotta work.

Good luck, it is always nice when people are willing to document procedures & provide reference materials.

How do you go back to macOS