Windows on a Mac - the hard way (SSD + HDD, older models)

I'm on a 2011 MBP 15". I have the original HDD in the normal HDD spot, and an SSD in the optical bay. My goal is to install windows onto the HDD, and OS X onto the SSD.

The rationale is that I'm generally in OS X. I use OS X while mobile, and I'm usually doing programming/browsing/music and things of that nature. I want the HDD completely off for this. I don't want to risk damaging the HDD from motion/vibration/etc, and I don't need access to it while in OS X, and there's no point taking the battery hit from keeping a useless device powered. In Windows, my M.O. is that I'm at a desk, plugged in, playing AAA games with an external mouse. Those games tend to take up a lot of space, so I need a lot of space, and that's the one thing the HDD is good at. So, I think this makes sense. If I'm thinking about this backwards and/or there is a Better Way®, let me know.

I have access to VMware, but not an external disc drive / enclosure. Installing OS X on the SSD in the optical bay was straightforward. Surely there is a way to install Windows on the HDD. Help me to discover it for many kudos, fame, and perhaps some reputation.

 

Does the optibay work at SATA 3 like your SSD?

If so you can switch the SSD to the optibay, and if you switch from win7 to OS X (I'm assuming you power off, not restarting) plug off the SATA connector for the win7 HDD.


What I'm not sure is how to do it easily, maybe you can get an additional bottom cover, then make a setup that uses somekind of string or plastic strip to attach/detach the HDD sata, it will need drilling so you can make some vent holes for the fan too.

Sorry if it sounds stupid

 

According to the system report, the optibay is running at 6 Gbps link. I do have a fast SSD (500 MB/s read/write). I suppose I could just test it.

Ideally, I'm looking for a more software oriented solution. Drilling, not so much. Note that if windows is installed on the HDD and OS X is installed on the SSD, and they are plugged into the main drive bay and the optibay, respectively, then things will work as intended. I want to know how to install windows assuming the HDD is blank.

 

You could try a variation of the method outlined here since you mention that you have access to VMWare.

Installing Windows on a Macbook Pro without a Superdrive | Bagel Belly Blog

No guarantees, though.

 

installing Windows on a second drive in the machine should be just fine... heck I did that years ago on Macs.

Physically powering down the Windows drive when you don't want it? That will be extremely complicated, and I doubt there is a decent software solution.

I'd say do what all other OSes allow and boot from an external device when you are at home... but of course Windows doesn't allow that.

 

its not portable as in can be used for multiple systems, but if you create a bootable install for one specific machine it works well enough if your device is fast, and has for years. ( Windows 2000 pro on ) it has also been done with CF cards and SD cards.

not the easiest to do admittedly but here is one tutorial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63afwQiC--0
Boot Windows 7 directly from a USB drive (run Win7 from a USB drive) - YouTube

as for powering down drives I have never tried or had the opportunity in OSX but in Linux we do it all the time with the mountvol command. it is possible it may work in the OSX Kernel somehow
SPCR • View topic - batch scripts for turning off hard drives from windows

and in windows a common solution is hddscan
HDDScan
and use its optional power down and spindle speed features

sorry I cant be of more assistance Masterchief. it may be a bit of a hack, but what about cutting the +5V line in your HDD caddy and installing a tiny switch to power it on or off before booting up. this was a feature in alot of really old business laptops years back with multiple drives for multiple OS's

 

Unfortunately, I cant figure out this part. What do you use to install Windows onto the second drive? Again, the tools at my disposal are more or less only the macbook pro itself.

As it turns out, this is actually trivial. The disk powers down when ejected from within OS X.

This wouldn't work for me even if it were possible. My use case for windows on the mbp is plugged into the wall at a desk, but not necessarily my desk.

 

i had a HDD in the optibay in a MBP, and used Bootcamp to install Windows 7 on the whole thing... there was no question or problems.. it had no issues taking up a whole drive.

thats great. The hard drive I had, or maybe the machine, did not power down a drive when I ejected it. I never looked into the reason much why, but if its working for you right now, thats great.

 

How? There doesn't seem to be any straightforward way to do this. How did you manage to get Windows installed with no optical bay?

 

I had the SuperDrive in an external USB enclosure, but I've installed Windows for other USB DVD drives before.

 

This is not possible on 2011 and later MBPs. Apple removed the ability to boot from USB on any model that originally came with a SuperDrive.

 

I'm not sure that is true... from what I've been reading there might be a USB issue with how Windows installs. I had no issues booting off a Ubuntu disc to install via a USB DVD drive on a 2011 Mac... from what i read its some issue with Windows.

What I'd do is put the superdrive back in, and the drive you want to run Windows on... then do a install on that drive... once its done, put the drives back like you want them. This would require an OSX install temporarily to that drive... or if you have an external OSX bootable drive to use instead perhaps.

 

This is the exact problem I'm trying to avoid. That's the purpose of the thread

 

I was speaking specifically about Windows, which is what the majority of folks who want to dual boot on a Mac will use. It is some kind of conflict between the Windows installer and the Mac's EFI. It's something that unfortunately will probably never be resolved by either MS or Apple. So install off the SuperDrive or buy a Mac that doesn't have one in the first place (Air, Retina display).

 

that doesn't appear to be the purpose of the thread.. and not sure why you'd want to avoid it if it would give you the end result of what you wanted. At the end you'd have a SSD and a Hard drive in the machine with no super drive.. with Windows on the HDD on OSX on the SSD. Not like its tough to pop the case open and swap the drives temporarily.

 

Seems to me that most headache free solution would be to look for 512gb or bigger SSD, and just have 2 SSD drives. Use the biggest SSD for Windows if you do indeed need a large drive. I can't imagine needing more than 512gb for just Windows & games. Then you don't have to worry about where OSX/Windows is installed or if you're wasting power/etc.