Create a Bootable Win7 USB Stick on OSX

win7-bootable-usb-on-osx.md

Create a Bootable Win7 USB Stick on OSX

Prerequesites:

• 4GB+ USB Stick
• Windows 7 ISO from Microsoft downloaded to your OSX-Machine

Preparing the drive

1. Open Disk utility
2. Find the drive, format it with the following options:

• Choose Master Boot Record (MBR)
• 1 Partition (full size)
• MS DOS FAT

Hacking Bootcamp

If your Mac is rather new, you can't choose the "Create USB" Option from Bootcamp so you have to hack Bootcamp first.

0. Open the "Sytem Information" App and find out the "Boot ROM Version" and your "Model Identifier"
1. Open Terminal
2. Backup

• sudo cp /Applications/Utilities/Boot\ Camp\ Assistant.app/Contents/Info.plist ~/Desktop/Info.plist.bak

2. Edit Info.plist `sudo vi /Applications/Utilities/Boot\ Camp\ Assistant.app/Contents/Info.plist"
3. Under DARequiredROMVersions add your Boot ROM Version, enclosed in tags, like you see it there.
4. Under PreUSBBootSupportedModel add your Model Identifier in the same manner.
5. Change PreUSBBootSupportedModels to USBBootSupportedModels, removing the "Pre".
6. Save+quit :wq
7. Sign the Boot Camp App again.
8. This step does NOT work if you put the backup file inside the .app-Container, or added any other files. This is actually a mistake in most of the tutorials you find out there.
9. Install XCode
10. Install Xcode-command line tools
11. sudo codesign -fs - /Applications/Utilities/Boot\ Camp\ Assistant.app/Contents/MacOS/Boot\ Camp\ Assistant

Creating the USB Drive

1. Open Boot Camp Assistant
2. Select "Create USB Drive", uncheck the other options.
3. Select your preformatted drive and the ISO and you're good to go.