HELP!! Getting "No bootable device detected"

[HamiltonTB]

Hello

Wondering how to check to see if my old Windows CD is still good. It was purchased a couple years ago when I bought the Parallels software program (which I hated). After having many problems with Parallels I threw the software in the closet for a couple years. Now I purchased Fusion and looking to see how that works.

When I bought Parallels a Windows CD came with the program and installed fine. Now I'm wondering if that same Windows XP CD will work with Fusion. How do I check to see if that CD is bootable?

I keep getting "No bootable device detected" after creating a bootcamp drive on my desktop.

[admin]

You first want to make sure that disk you have is indeed a windows disk, you can check the image on the top of the disk and it should say. You mentioned that you created a boot camp drive on your desktop. Did you use boot camp assistant for mac to create that? If so, did you then restart and attempt to install windows from your install disk that way? Currently it sounds like you may have a boot camp drive on your desktop but didn't attempt to install windows into that drive. Then if you've used fusion to open that drive it won't detect an os installed and you'll get that error. What you should try is to put the windows disk in there and open fusion. Create a new virtual machine and select that disk as the installation disk. Then attempt to boot that virtual machine and see if it boots into the install disk that way.

[Surajst]

Hi,

Welcome to the forums.

The situation is not clear and there are lot of questions about the issue which needs to be clarified.

>You wrote : When I bought Parallels a Windows CD came with the program and installed fine

Is it a separate Windows XP CD? If yes, follow the steps below.

1. Insert the disk into the Mac

2. Click Apple>System Profiler>Startup disk

3. Check whether the CD is listed there. If yes, it is a bootable CD.

Do not remove it from the Mac now if it is bootable.

> You wrote : I keep getting "No bootable device detected" after creating a bootcamp drive on my desktop.

Is this error message comes up with Boot Camp or VMware Fusion?

If the message is with Fusion, follow the steps below assuming that you are not trying to access the virtual machine from Boot Camp. If you are trying to access the Boot Camp partition in Fusion, then you need to install the Windows OS in Boot Camp first.

1. Click Virtual machine menu on the top menu bar and choose settings

2. Click on CD/DVD

3. In the CD/DVD window put a check mark across to 'Connected'

4. Choose to 'Automatically detect the physical CD/DVD drive'

5. Close the window and power on the VM

6. It will boot from disk and you can install the Windows OS.

If it is with the Boot Camp, then you will need to choose the disk from the Apple>System Profiler>Startup disk and restart. It will boot from CD and Windows will be installed in the Boot Camp partition. However for further assitance to get the Windows installed on a Boot Camp partition, Apple Tech Support will be the best option.

Please post the update here

Regards,

[HamiltonTB]

YOU ARE A GUINESS!!!! Thank you....

One more question, is there a proper way to shut windows and the VM down? Log off? Or just close out the VM/Fusion.

[Mikero]

Personally, I always just suspend the VM, then quit Fusion.

This way, things start back up much quicker than from a cold boot.

😃

[Surajst]

There are three ways of shutting down a VM.

1. Shut down Windows in the usual way from "Start>Shut down "

2. The second method is to click on the virtual machine menu on the top menu bar and choose Shut down Guest

3. The third method is to hold the Option key down while clicking on the virtual machine menu. You can Power off the virtual machine.

Also you can set the option to Shut down or suspend the VM when you close the Window from VMware Fusion>Preferences on the top menu bar.

For more information about the virtual machine see

Good Luck.