My goal is to install Windows 7 on my (17-inch, Late 2011) MacBook Pro. The model identifier is MacBookPro8,3. The problem is the Windows 7 USB or DVD installer is not being recognized when holding down the alt/option key at startup.
This is where I am currently stuck:
I have tried to follow David Anderson's guide: No bootable device USB 2.0 MacBook Pro mid 2014
I get an error message when trying to load the bootcamp.vmdk file (step 7) 
When unable to install 64 bit Windows 7 by using the Boot Camp Assistant, many Mac users have turned to using VirtualBox or some other virtual machine software to aid in the installation. There are various procedures given here at Ask Different, as well as other websites. However, the use of a virtual machine may not be necessary, if your Intel Mac is a 2014 or older model and has had High Sierra or newer version of macOS installed.
Note: According to Apple, Windows 7 is suppose to include Service Pack 1 (SP1). Although, some users here a Ask Different have reported success by using Windows 7 without SP1. This answer assumes SP1 is included.
Below are the steps to follow.
Make a partition for Windows 7.
Create a partition at the end of the drive where Windows will be installed. Format the partition as ExFAT with the BOOTCAMP volume name. Later, the format will be changed to NTFS.
The table below shows the expected partitions to appear in the output from the diskutil list command for disk0. If you have a different partition arrangement from the those shown, then you will have to make the appropriate adjustments to this answer.
Table: Expected disk0 Partitions Based on Where macOS Is Installed
| Legacy Installation | Current Installation | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical Drive Type | HDD | SSD |
| Format of macOS Volume | Mac OS Extended (Journaled) | APFS |
| Drive Partitions | EFI, Apple_HFS or Apple_CoreStorage, Apple_Boot, Microsoft Basic Data |
EFI, Apple_APFS, Microsoft Basic Data |
ExFAT format a 16 GB flash drive.
If the Disk Utility application is used to erase a drive, then refer to the table below.
Table: Choices for Disk Utility Drive Erase*
| Label | Entry or Selection |
|---|---|
| Name | WINSTALL |
| Format | ExFAT |
| Scheme | Master Boot Record |
Copy files to the flash drive.
Use the following sources.
Win10_21H2_English_x64.iso, which mounts as the volume labeled CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9.install.wim in the sources folder of mounted volume to the flash drive.
Here, I used the file English_Windows_7_Professional_SP1_W64_X17-59186.iso, which mounts as the volume labeled GSP1RMCPRXFRER_EN_DVD.gdisk64.exe file from GPT fdisk SourceForge project. Currently, this is version 1.0.9 so the gdisk64.exe file would exist in the gdisk-windows-1.0.9.zip file, which can be downloaded from here.MicrosoftEdgeSetup.exe, which can be downloaded from this Microsoft website. Choose “Download for Windows 7”.hotfixes on the flash drive. Goto the Microsoft Update Catalog and copy the files given in the following table to this hotfixes folder. Each file can be found by searching for the corresponding hotfix.Table: Hotfixes Available from Microsoft Update Catalog
| Hotfix | Description | File Name |
|---|---|---|
| KB3020369 | April 2015 servicing stack update for x64 Windows 7 | windows6.1-kb3020369-x64_5393066469758e619f21731fc31ff2d109595445.msu |
| KB3125574 | Convenience rollup update for x64 Windows 7 SP1 | windows6.1-kb3125574-v4-x64_2dafb1d203c8964239af3048b5dd4b1264cd93b9.msu |
| KB4474419 | SHA-2 code signing support update for x64 Windows 7: September 23, 2019 | windows6.1-kb4474419-v3-x64_b5614c6cea5cb4e198717789633dca16308ef79c.msu |
| KB4490628 | Servicing stack update for x64 Windows 7 SP1: March 12, 2019 | windows6.1-kb4490628-x64_d3de52d6987f7c8bdc2c015dca69eac96047c76e.msu |
| KB5011649 | Servicing stack update for x64 Windows 7 SP1: March 8, 2022 | windows6.1-kb5011649-x86_fce83439d6e9707053b0db1a3eb21f5caedd2e7b.msu |
When finished, the USB flash drive should appear as follows.
Table: Root Folder Contents of USB Flash Drive WINSTALL Volume.
| Folders | Files | |
|---|---|---|
| From Windows 10 | boot,efi,sources,support |
autorun.inf,bootmgr,bootmgr.efi,setup.exe |
| From Windows 7 | install.wim |
|
| From Windows Support Software | $WinPEDriver$,BootCamp |
AutoUnattend.xml |
| From GPT fdisk | gdisk64.exe |
|
| From Microsoft Edge | MicrosoftEdgeSetup.exe |
|
| From Microsoft Update Catalog | hotfixes |
Below is an image of the root folder of the WINSTALL volume on the USB flash drive.
EFI boot from the USB flash drive.
When an image similar to the one below appears, press the shift+F10 key combination to open a Command Prompt window.
Hybrid partition the disk where Windows 7 is to be installed.
Enter the commands below.
Note: The command
diskpartis interactive.
diskpart
list volume
View the Ltr column for drive letter and Label column for volume label. Here I assume letter C is the drive letter assigned to the BOOTCAMP volume and letter D is assigned to the WINSTALLL volume. If your lettering is different, then make the appropriate substitutions. Next, enter the command below to get information on the volume assigned to the drive letter C.
select volume c
detail volume
View the Disk ### column to get drive number for the internal drive where Windows is to be installed. Here I assume the number is 0. If your number is different, then make the appropriate substitutions. Next, format the volume where Windows 7 is to be installed as NTFS, then hybrid partition the disk where Windows 7 is to be installed. Note, the parameter to gdisk is 0:. If your drive number is different, then make the appropriate substitution.
format quick label=BOOTCAMP fs=ntfs
exit
d:\gdisk64 0:
Choose which table below applies to your Mac, then enter the data in the first column.
Table: Entries for gdisk64 When disk0 has an Apple_HFS or Apple_CoreStorage Partition
| User Entry | Type | Comment |
|---|---|---|
r |
command | Switch to recovery and transformation options menu. |
h |
command | Make hybrid MBR. |
2 3 4 |
parameters | GPT partition numbers to be added to the hybrid MBR. |
y |
parameter | Place EFI GPT (0xEE) partition first in MBR? |
af or ac |
parameter | MBR hex code for MBR partition #2. Use af for Apple_HFS.Use ac for Apple_CoreStorage. |
n |
parameter | Set the bootable flag for MBR partition #2? |
ab |
parameter | MBR hex code for MBR partition #3. |
n |
parameter | Set the bootable flag for MBR partition #3? |
07 |
parameter | MBR hex code for MBR partition #4. |
y |
parameter | Set the bootable flag for MBR partition #4? |
p |
command | (Optional) Print the partition table. |
o |
command | (Optional) Print protective MBR data. |
w |
command | Write table to disk and exit. |
y |
parameter | OK to proceed with write and exit? |
Table: Entries for gdisk64 When disk0 Has an Apple_APFS Partition
| User Entry | Type | Comment |
|---|---|---|
r |
command | Switch to recovery and transformation options menu. |
h |
command | Make hybrid MBR. |
2 3 |
parameters | GPT partition numbers to be added to the hybrid MBR. |
y |
parameter | Place EFI GPT (0xEE) partition first in MBR? |
ff |
parameter | MBR hex code for MBR partition #2. |
n |
parameter | Set the bootable flag for MBR partition #2? |
07 |
parameter | MBR hex code for MBR partition #3. |
y |
parameter | Set the bootable flag for MBR partition #3? |
n |
parameter | Protect more partitions? |
p |
command | (Optional) Print the partition table. |
o |
command | (Optional) Print protective MBR data. |
w |
command | Write table to disk and exit. |
y |
parameter | OK to proceed with write and exit? |
Install Windows 7.
Enter the first command below to get the names of the various Windows 7 images available. I chose to install Windows 7 Professional. The second command installs the Windows 7 image to the BOOTCAMP volume. If you choose a different image, then make the appropriate name substitution in the second command. Note: This command takes a while to complete.
dism /get-imageinfo /imagefile:d:\install.wim
dism /apply-image /imagefile:d:\install.wim /name:"Windows 7 Professional" /applydir:c:\ /checkintegrity
The next command copies drivers to the driver store in the BOOTCAMP volume. If one to more drivers can not be added at this time, then one or more error messages will be generated. You can ignore these messages.
dism /image:c:\ /add-driver /driver:d:\$WinPEDriver$ /recurse /forceunsigned
Make Windows 7 bootable.
The commands below write out the necessary data to make Windows 7 bootable, then closes the Command Prompt window.
bcdboot c:\windows /l en-us /s c: /f bios
bootsect /nt60 c: /mbr
exit
Select the red box with the white X. In the popup windows, select the Yes button to quit. The Mac will restart.
Complete the setup of Windows 7.
Make Windows 7 the default to startup from either the Mac Startup Manager or from the Startup Disk pane of macOS System Preferences.
Boot the Mac to Windows 7. At this point, an external mouse and/or keyboard may be needed temporarily. Also, the on–screen keyboard can be temporarily substituted for an actual keyboard. To access the on–screen keyboard, select the Ease of access button shown in the lower left of the window in the image below.
Follow the instructions on the screen to finish setting up Windows 7.
Note: When you reach the screen shown below, select
Ask me later.
Install additional software.
Once the setup of Windows 7 is complete, execute the Boot Camp Installer Version 5.1 (Build 5621) by opening the setup application in the BootCamp folder on the WINSTALL volume. This volume resides on the USB flash drive. The Boot Camp Installer will install additional drivers for your Mac's hardware.
After the Boot Camp Installer has completed and the Mac has restarted, use the Apple Software Update application to get any new software available from Apple. Note the following:
Install the hoxfixes in the hoxfixes folder on the WINSTALL volume. This volume resides on the USB flash drive. Some of these hotfixes are required before installing Microsoft Edge. These hotfixes are also needed to get Windows Update to work. Install the hoxfixes in the following order.
windows6.1-kb3020369-x64_5393066469758e619f21731fc31ff2d109595445.msu
windows6.1-kb3125574-v4-x64_2dafb1d203c8964239af3048b5dd4b1264cd93b9.msu
windows6.1-kb4474419-v3-x64_b5614c6cea5cb4e198717789633dca16308ef79c.msu
windows6.1-kb4490628-x64_d3de52d6987f7c8bdc2c015dca69eac96047c76e.msu
windows6.1-kb5011649-x86_fce83439d6e9707053b0db1a3eb21f5caedd2e7b.msu
Install Microsoft Edge by opening the MicrosoftEdgeSetup application on the WINSTALL volume. This volume resides on the USB flash drive. Afterwards, you may wish to visit the Control Panel to set Microsoft Edge as default. In other words, use Microsoft Edge to open all file types and protocols it can open by default.
When finish goto the Windows Update screen shown below and choose your settings, then download and install all currently available updates shown.
