An easier method to get Windows Vista to run with Boot Camp
Yes, before you fire off a flaming comment, we know this is The Unofficial Apple Weblog, but we thought it might be nice to post a tip for those of you who either want or need to play with the next generation of Microsoft Windows, reportedly due out within the decade (hey, it was originally due in 2003 - by its present 2007 date they'll be almost half a decade late already). This Apple Discussions forum thread details a slightly more appealing trick for getting Vista, now in a public beta (but overloaded with download requests as of this writing), to install and run with Boot Camp. Basically, you need to have Boot Camp already set up and installed with Windows XP. Then, burn a DVD of the Vista beta you just downloaded. And before you ask: no, unfortunately, Vista won't run on Parallels Desktop - yet. Parallels has publicly mentioned making this work with a future version, but there is no ETA for when this support will land.
Now - and this is the 'at your own risk' part - you need to use some kind of partition manager (the forum poster used one from within XP, but I've heard you can use one that starts up from within the Vista installer when booting from the DVD) to delete an ambiguous partition that Boot Camp creates that is around 180-200 MB in size. Again, we can't stress this enough: this is done at your own risk - you are messing with your boot record and after this step, Boot Camp won't be able to adjust your partitions or blow away and reclaim your Windows partition anymore. Mac OS X and Windows will still boot just fine, but this isn't an ideal setup for the faint-of-heart Boot Camp user.
if you take the plunge and nuke that partition, however, you should now be able to boot from the Vista DVD and use it to upgrade your copy of Windows XP - which in and of itself could spark a discussion as to whether one should upgrade or install clean new versions of Windows; it usually isn't recommended with Mac OS X, who wants to take bets on Windows' ability to have a smooth OS upgrade ride?
If you try any of this stuff out, feel free to post your thoughts on the experience, and then go wash your hands of one of the dirtiest things you can do to a Mac.
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Yes, before you fire off a flaming comment, we know this is The Unofficial Apple Weblog, but we thought it might be nice to post a tip for...
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Hi!
I have MacBook (Black) with 512MB, I've just installed Vista RC1 (not pre) build 5600, I started the installation process from 0, using bootcamp 1.1, and everything went fine, except for de video card, it shows an error, code 43 and if I download the drivers from Intel for the 950GM model, everything works fine except for Aero and olso I get a warning telling me that I'm installing an older driver. The questions are, do we have to wait for a better driver? do I need more memory?... Am I doing something wrong? Plese help, I want to see AERO!!! jejeje just for fun, of course.
when i put it on my computer my computer kept on restarting. i do not think it is a good idea of installing windows vista. i would rather just put a vista theme on my XP computer as the computer will look just like it without the problems
August 10 2006 at 11:00 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThis stuff is all a lot simpler than it sounds when you follow it through. Vista Beta 2 was available from MicroSoft for a limited period, but is no longer available, until the next Beta, or the final version.
I installed Vista on my MacBook (standard spec Black) last weekend, and it all looks good (even without Aero), but uses a lot more RAM than either XP or Tiger. the EFI partition can be deleted from the Vista install disk when choosing the installation volume. I'm having trouble with drivers though - Some installers crash out of Vista (including Apple), though I have had some success repeatedly using the installer for the Apple drivers (and iTunes). This may have been less troublesome if installing XP first (followed by hardware drivers and other software) then using the Vista disk to upgrade (I did a clean install). Thanks to all the previous posts for giving me the confidence to give it a go.
Has anyone got WiFi working on a clean Vista install?
Wow, i dont get any of this stuff. First of all, where can i get Vista from anyway?
July 15 2006 at 12:40 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyacually, after using a windows computer for a few months (caught a virus that (apparently, according to the local computer repair shop, made the hard drive go crazy and destroyed itself) and croaked, i switched to a mac and never looked back. although my mac is not compatible with a lot of software, i see the problem as a sieve to filter out lousey software that will cause your computer to crash.
June 19 2006 at 9:33 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyDon't know if anyone has tried running the upgrade whiled booted in to Windows XP. I'm trying it now... Let you know what the results are.
if you are installing Vista on a mac, and you want Aero Glass, i'd recommend at LEAST 1G of RAM
June 14 2006 at 12:22 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyplease note that, although boot camp is a free download now, it is still a beta version so it might have some bugs to work out (hence how on the download page one apple.com, apple asks you to email them about bugs). And Vista is still experimental, too. so, if your'e not particulary computer-savvy, i'd recommend waiting until boot camp/rename is standard whith new macs. then it will be easier to install Vista.
P.S.: whoever does the quote thing, it is (Quote)message(Unquote).
When I don't know...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACPI
...I wiki.
FWIW, I just tried to install Vista in Virtual PC, and got a message in Windows Boot Manager that "Windows did not start correctly. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. Further down, it listed Status: 0xc0000225, and Info: WIndows failed to load becaus the firmware (BIOS) is not ACPI compatible.
I give up: what's ACPI?
Anyone got any ideas how to make it work in VPC?
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