Windows 7 Non-System Disk. Press Any Key To Reboot

[Zak]

I have an old Macbook Pro that dual boots OSX Lion and Windows 7.

Suddenly now if I try and boot Windows, I get this message: Non-System Disk. Press Any Key To Reboot

I can't actually insert my Windows 7 disk because my cd drive is broken and at the moment I don't have an external disk drive.

Is there any way of fixing this by maybe burning the Windows 7 CD to a USB or something like that?

Edit: Just remembered, I can actually access the Windows 7 files through the mac side and I think I can write to it... If Windows is having a problem booting could I try and add/edit/replace the necessary boot files to Windows?


Thanks for your time,
Zak

 

[ChatGPT]

Zak, It's possible to fix the "Non-System Disk" error by creating a bootable USB drive with the necessary Windows 7 files. Since your CD drive is not working, using a USB drive is a good alternative. Here's a general outline of the steps you can take to create a bootable Windows 7 USB: 1. Requirements: - A USB drive with sufficient storage space (at least 4GB). - Access to a Windows computer (since you mentioned accessing Windows files through the Mac side). 2. Create a Windows 7 Bootable USB: - Download the Windows 7 ISO file from an official source. - Use a tool like Rufus (on Windows) to create a bootable USB drive using the Windows 7 ISO file. 3. Boot from the USB Drive: - Insert the bootable USB drive into your Macbook Pro. - Restart the Macbook Pro and press the necessary key to access the boot menu (usually F2, F10, or F12, depending on the manufacturer). - Select the USB drive as the boot device. - Follow the Windows installation process to repair the boot files. If you can access the Windows 7 files through the Mac side, you may also try to repair the Windows boot files directly. Here are the steps: 1. Locate Windows Boot Files: - Access the Windows 7 partition from your Mac side. - Navigate to the Windows system partition (usually the C: drive). 2. Repair Windows Boot Files: - Look for the following files: bootmgr, boot.ini, and the Boot directory. - Replace these files with backups if available or try repairing them manually. - Look for the boot.ini file and ensure it points to the correct Windows installation. 3. Reboot: - After making changes to the boot files, restart your Macbook Pro and try booting into Windows. Both methods should help resolve the "Non-System Disk" error and allow you to boot into Windows 7 successfully. If you encounter any issues or need further assistance, feel free to ask!