Filed under: Hardware, OS, Software, iMac
Windows Vista RC2 doesn't work on Macs via Boot Camp?
It appears the just-released Windows Vista RC2 and the latest Boot Camp 1.1.1 don't play well for some reason. I just tried installing it to round up that Vista + Intel Mac post I've been working on, but the Vista installation process kept telling me it wasn't happy with the drive Boot Camp creates, and thus wouldn't touch it even after formatting.This is extra strange, as the RC1 installed and worked on Intel Macs just fine, and as far as I know, Boot Camp 1.1.1 has been updated for full compatibility with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo iMacs like the one I'm typing this on. What broke since RC1, how and whodunit (it was Ballmer in the meeting room with the office chair!) are a mystery to me, but what about you guys? Anyone else know what's going on?
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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
jOe said 11:23AM on 10-08-2006
#19-
You'll be fine. I am not going to say that you won't fry things, because that happens some time, at random, But you intalling a piece of software certainly won't be the cause. I have intalled any unintalled Windows sveral times now on my shiny MBP, and much like you I am screwed should badness befall this computer.
As far as removing a boot camp installation, you just run boot camp again, and click the "return disk to single volume" provided by the nice folks at Apple.
Hope that helps.
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Luis Hernandez said 1:43PM on 10-08-2006
David -
It's defintely the 64 bit issue and it's due to EFI - apparently, Microsoft wasn't going to support EFI until the 64 bit version of Vista, as no other Intel M/B Manufacturer was shipping 32 bit systems using EFI, except Apple of course. Boot Camp actually creates a traditional BIOS emulation layer to allow Windows to load - and maybe that patch confounds 64bit Vista RC2? Did 64bit Vista RC1 work? Maybe now that motherboards with EFI are closer to market RC2 made some changes to support them that broke Boot Camp? I may be totally off here, but just a thought...
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Court Kizer said 2:04PM on 10-08-2006
DO NOT UPGRADE. ANYONE UPGRADING IT WILL NOT WORK FOR.... IT'S BETA PEOPLE.
1) Format Bootcamp Partition
2) Turn it back into 1 drive
3) Create Bootcamp Partition all OVER again
4) Install Vista RC2 just fine.
This story is just plain false. It's a beta. Expect to jump through hoops.
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Alec said 2:20PM on 10-08-2006
Installed RC2 via Boot Camp 1.1.1 last night without a problem.
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Luigi said 3:02PM on 10-08-2006
@#21
Thanks alot.
I have the file downloading now.
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David Chartier said 6:56PM on 10-08-2006
#22: Luis, yea - RC1 worked, that's why I'm so baffled. I'm not upgrading an old Boot Camp system as I just picked up this shiny new Core 2 Duo iMac. I just assumed RC2 would work fine since there was such a big deal made of the fact that RC1 brought more or less full Boot Camp friendliness.
I'm not going to mess much more with RC2 for now; I'll try installing RC1 (that is, if the 32bit RC1 I have works) in the next few days, and maybe I'll upgrade to RC2 if I have some time (I'm working on a lot of motion graphics projects right now), so we'll see.
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Gissur Simonarson said 7:00PM on 10-08-2006
I definetly got it working. I had problems with the drive bootcamp created, But then i just exited the installation, and then it came to a window that asked me to repair the current drives or something. Pressed that, it did some magic, restarted, and worked.
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Mike Utugau said 9:23AM on 10-09-2006
Who in good heavens still need windows when you have Wine that can run windows apps without windows and without the risk of blowing your mac with 120,000 virus?
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v1sor said 1:20PM on 10-09-2006
LOL - I've made the move AWAY from Vista to the Mac only to find the world's gone mad and want to put Vista ON a Mac!!!
Don't get me wrong, it's cool to be able to install XP on the Mac and play all the games/apps I still own, but I hate the idea of Vista and all it stands for, hence my move to the Mac in the first place...
Oh the irony!
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thefireguy said 4:48PM on 10-09-2006
Maybe M$ is trying to protect themsevles from the big bad Apple and it's little old Boot Camp!
I wouldn't put it past them!
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Alex Jacobs said 8:04PM on 10-09-2006
BIG DEAL, so what i cant run windows on my beautiful mac, who would
want to anyway. all of vistas "new advances" have been on OSX for a
while, im not bothered.
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James Taylor said 4:01PM on 10-10-2006
Actully, it does work. I downloaded RC2 from my MSDN account this morning (1:30 am) and installed it over my RC1 install without a problem. I don't want to be mean, but I think it was user error on your part. Anyway, I'm running RC2 on my MBP and I'm a happy camper. :)
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jamoses said 11:25PM on 10-10-2006
I've got a Core 2 Duo iMac and am having the same issue, it looks like this really is just an issue for the newer Core 2 64bit chips since all of the older macs seem to run RC2 fine. Any workarounds?
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pereiragd said 4:16PM on 10-20-2006
I've been told the reason Vista RC2 won't install even if you leave the 200MB EFI partition is that you need to defrag your mac and xp drive prior to booting into vista install. Try techtool pro 4.5 or idefrag.
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Paul Hurst said 12:23AM on 10-23-2006
DON'T DO IT!!!
I've just spent 6hours trying to repair my beloved Macbook after Vista and Bootcamp ballsed it up.
Firstly Bootcamp partitioned my lappy fine... Vista then started to istall fine but threw up an error about the HDD controller or the Bios so I used my othe comp to scour the fourms where the consensus was "delete the EFS partition" so I did and hey presto!... Nothing...
Not only did Vista still refuse to march on but my HDD had now halved in size with the creation of a brand new 'completely useless' partition.
It would appear that th EFS boot (not supported by Vista BTW) coupled with bootcamps lack of base level support for Vista means that people who aren't great with computers will just end up wiping it and starting again (even that is tricky!)
My advice: If you must use Boot Camp... for now, stick with XP, otherwise give Paralells a whril, It loads Vista fine but its chronically slow thanks to Paralells lack of Direct 3D support.
Paul
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James Cornell said 11:16PM on 11-10-2006
ilovenicotine, you are a moron... the Apple Mighty Mouse shipped with iMacs and Mac Pros, available in Bluetooth laser wireless and wired optical form have a shell with pressure sensitivity (Two buttons), two side buttons, and 360 degree horizontal and vertical scrolling.
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