Windows in Bootcamp without Superdrive

I hope the topic hasn't been covered in other threads.
My problem: I have a February 2011 15'' Macbook Pro (the HD 6750 M version) with the stock hard drive and an Intel SSD in Optibay. I have tried to install Windows using Bootcamp for a while with no success. Bootcamp asks for the original DVD inserted in the internal drive (which has been, in my case, replaced with the Optibay SSD). The machine doesn't boot from an external USB drive or from a Windows 7 USB flash made with Microsoft's USB utility, it doesn't boot from either even using rEFIt, the virtual machine approach (Parallels / VMware) doesn't seem to work for me - is there any way, a guide for an average Mac user, to do it or do I need to buy a Windows machine or give up the Optibay to be able to run Windows on my laptop?

Many thanks for your help.

 

Right. One method would be rEFIt but unless I do something wrong, it doesn't boot from my USB. I end up getting the same error: legacy OS blah blah blah. But it seems to work for a lot of people. Any ideas?

 

I never had any problem using a USB dvd drive to install Windows from...

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/apple-mac-os-x/596982-windows-7-mbas-primary-os-review-guide.html I run through what I did to get rEFIt to work in that thread.

 

Buy a external DVD drive? Can find a cheap toshiba one on ebay for like $25 shipped

http://cgi.ebay.com/TOSHIBA-PA3761U...C_Drives_Storage_Internal&hash=item45fbaaacfd

 

Thank you very much for your answers. Unfortunately my external LG drive doesn't do it for me. Maybe a different drive? Are there any rules on how to pick one? Lefix, can you confirm that this Toshiba did work for you to boot from a Win install disk? Some people also suggest Firewire might work while USB doesn't. I think I have an external Firewire drive but unfortunately 2000 miles away from my work place...

mjmcss, thank you for the link. I will try it later. At the moment I have a bit of a crisis. After installing and uninstalling rEFIt, Parallels, booting, rebooting, formatting, for about 150 times, my hard drive seems to have a death wish. Luckily I have just found in the mail this morning my brand new Vertex 3 so time for some hammering and drilling, then a fresh Lion install and then try again a Bootcamp install of Win 7 on my other SSD, a 80GB X25-M. Fingers crossed, thanks for your answers, I'll get back to you later!

 

Fresh Lion install on the Vertex 3, rEFIt installed, a Bootcamp partition on my X25-M in Optibay, two reboots, failure. It doesn't boot from either of my flash drives, one with XP SP3, the other with a Windows 7 SP1, both booting without any problems on a Windows machine.

 

Remember this is a 2011 Macbook Pro and I think I'm not the only one with this problem. I am not going down the virtual machine route so unless you have some ideas, I will just give up and buy a Windows laptop for my Windows needs. I'm fed up with this.

 

As far as I know you can't do it without an optical drive because of how Apple's IDE boot is set up. What you can do is just put the Intel in the main bay put the optical drive back in reinstall windows then switch.

Once you have it installed having or not having an optibay won't matter its just the installation that is the issue.

 

MKang25, thanks for your answer. I am considering this option but it would take quite a lot of work - take the Optibay out, take the hard drive out from the Optibay, take the other drive out, put the Bootcamp drive back, put the Superdrive back, do the install, then Superdrive out, drive out, drive in Optibay, Optibay replacing Superdrive, the other drive back in it's place - it's quite a lot of work for something that should be as easily done as plugging a USB flash in if Apple would provide support for it. I can understand why they don't but it doesn't make my experience any less frustrating. Not to mention Windows is Windows and quite a few people report corrupt drives or Bootcamp Windows failing to boot after a couple of months. Would I do all the above again and again and again? No.
If there is no easier way, this is it. I quite like the new Vaio Z.

 

I bought an OptiBay from MCE tech, which came with this really cheap junky little enclosure for the superdrive. I installed Windows fine on one machine boot right up off the Win7 disc in that drive plugged in USB. You didn't get an enclosure for your superdrive?

There are many other external drives that work fine as well (my friend has a Plextor USB dvd drive that works too).

I think worst case, buying a good USB DVD drive it much cheaper than buying a whole other laptop.

You say your won't boot from an external USB drive, but that doesn't sound normal to me... it shouldn't have a problem with that as long as you are using Windows 7... Vista and earlier can have driver issues and probably not install.

 

No, I didn't get an enclosure but I tried to boot from my LG USB drive and it didn't work.

 

I bought an external Samsung for a change and ended up with this. Unfortunately my experience mirrors the one described in that thread. It looks like the new Macbook Pro refuses to boot from any USB device, under any circumstances, including rEFIt.

 

I think this might be something affecting 2011 MBP owners.