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Unable to install Windows 10 with Bootcamp

I am unable to install Windows 10 with BCA, as when I reboot into the Windows partition to continue with the installation, I face the following error:


Windows cannot locate the disk and partition specified in the unattend answer file’s <ImageInstall> setting. Make sure the setting references a valid partition and restart the installation.


I have seen answers online that suggest removing a portion of the file AutoUnattend.xml at the root of the OSXRESERVED partition. However, as I've also found out online, newer macs/macOS versions have forgone the need for this file, with it being generated on-the-fly during installation.


I have tried to manually install Windows without BCA, with the use of a bootable USB. However, I'm faced with the following error after pressing the Install button:


Windows Setup could not install one or more boot-critical drivers. To install Windows, make sure that the drivers are valid, and restart the installation.


I have also attempted to manually create an OSXRESERVED partition - by wiping it, then copying over the contents of the bootable USB into the partition. This time, after I press the Install button, the following message appears:


No device drivers were found. Make sure the installation media contains the correct drivers and then click OK.


Then, when I click the 'Browse' button to look for drivers, the only folder I can access is the Boot partition under X:, which has a completely different directory structure as compared to the OSXRESERVED partition as seen on macOS.


In all three cases, I have verified that both the $winPEDriver$ and BootCamp folders exist at the root of the installation partition, and I have verified that the necessary drivers, including AppleSSD drivers, are present in those folders.


The following is my partitions list, from diskutil list:


/dev/disk0 (internal, physical):

#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER

0: GUID_partition_scheme *2.0 TB disk0

1: Apple_APFS Container disk1 2.0 TB disk0s1


/dev/disk1 (synthesized):

#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER

0: APFS Container Scheme - +2.0 TB disk1

Physical Store disk0s1

1: APFS Volume Macintosh HD - Data 971.2 GB disk1s2

2: APFS Volume Preboot 2.1 GB disk1s3

3: APFS Volume Recovery 1.2 GB disk1s4

4: APFS Volume Macintosh HD 10.2 GB disk1s6

5: APFS Snapshot com.apple.os.update-... 10.2 GB disk1s6s1

6: APFS Volume VM 20.5 KB disk1s7

I have previously installed Windows on this machine without issues, but due to insufficient storage on it, I wiped it, and now I am attempting to reinstall it.


I suspect it's a missing EFI partition before Container disk1.


How can I fix this, and properly install Windows? Preferably I do not want to wipe my entire machine and reinstall macOS, as I have about 1TB of data for work that I do not want to lose, and I also do not have a 1TB drive to backup my data to. Where I live, these drives are expensive, and I do not have a method to obtain one to backup my data.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 14.4

Posted on Dec 2, 2024 6:55 PM

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Unable to install Windows 10 with Bootcamp

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