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I have an El Capitan, can I create a bootable USB of Windows 7? I also have a Windows 7 ISO. I need to use a USB since I will be reformatting a netbook without DVD/CD-ROM drive.

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  • Bootable as in the USB will have Windows installed on it, or as in to install and repair Windows (install USB)?
    – Brick
    Nov 30, 2015 at 6:53
  • Just install would do..
    – gptimajo
    Nov 30, 2015 at 8:09
  • Sorry, the first one or the second one?
    – Brick
    Nov 30, 2015 at 8:16
  • @Brick first one
    – gptimajo
    Nov 30, 2015 at 23:35
  • @hirnwunde that works! thanks for the link, i made your comment as the answer..
    – gptimajo
    Nov 30, 2015 at 23:50

3 Answers 3

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As @hirnwunde has pointed in the comments, the article from Indiana University works!

  1. From the Finder, open the Applications folder, and then Utilities.
  2. Open the Boot Camp Assistant, and then click Continue. The next screen should give you a list of options.
  3. UITS recommends making the USB drive installer first. You don't need to install Windows or download the support software at this time, as it will be easier to do both later. To proceed: a. Verify that the USB drive you will be writing to is plugged in. b. Uncheck the Install Windows 7 or later version and Download the latest Windows support software from Apple options. c. Check Create a Windows 7 or later install disk and click Continue.
  4. Your USB drive should be listed in the "Destination disk" area. Use choose to browse to your .iso file; after selecting it, click Continue.
  5. If prompted, confirm your action and/or provide an administrator's password. The process of writing the .iso file to the USB drive can take 20 minutes or longer.
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  • 7
    Sorry, in OSX 10.11 (El Capitan) there is no longer a list of choices when installing with Boot Camp, thus your suggestion will not work. (USB-less install) Dec 15, 2015 at 22:48
  • i have an El Capitan and it worked for me. i'm not sure, but i think what might have helped is that i formatted my usb drive bootable
    – gptimajo
    Dec 17, 2015 at 0:41
  • the USB drive is already selected as the destination disk..
    – gptimajo
    Dec 17, 2015 at 0:43
  • 2
    From what I can see, its different depending on the model and year of your mac. The new macs use USB-less installation, yet older ones seem to have the options. Source: macrumors.com/2015/09/30/el-cap-boot-camp-no-usb Dec 17, 2015 at 8:46
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In latest El Capitan there is no option to create USB disk in Boot Camp Assistance, but you can create USB drive in Terminal.app

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If you're one of the people who no longer have the option to create a thumbdrive in Boot Camp Assistance, here's how to get around it.

  1. In Finder go to Applications/Utilities and copy Boot Camp Assistance
  2. Navigate to ~/Applications and paste Boot Camp Assistance there
  3. Using your favorite text editor open ~/Applications/Boot Camp Assistant.app/Contents/Info.plist
  4. Find the area that looks like this:

    <key>ExternalInstallOnlyModels</key>
    <array>
            <string>MacBook8,1</string>
            <string>MacBook9,1</string>
            <string>MacBookAir7,1</string>
    </array>
    
  5. Add your model to the list (you can find your "Model Identifier" in About This Mac -> System Report). For me (MacBook Pro, Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015), that means it now looks like:

    <key>ExternalInstallOnlyModels</key>
    <array>
            <string>MacBook8,1</string>
            <string>MacBook9,1</string>
            <string>MacBookAir7,1</string>
            <string>MacBookPro11,4</string>
    </array>
    
  6. Check if your model is listed under PreUSBBootSupportedModels. If so, remove it.

  7. Now start Boot Camp Assistance from your Applications directory and you'll get the option to burn to USB.

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  • Sadly, this doesn't seem to work for me (tested using 10.11.6 on a MacPro3,1). There's no change to the "Tasks" as a result of editing the plist file.
    – James
    Jan 5, 2019 at 19:00

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