Could this be a CD/DVD Drive problem?

[MissJ]

I'm running a Mac Pro (the desktop version.. Everyone assumes I mean the laptop but no I really do mean the monster/desktop), OS is Leopard (obviously as I'm posting here) and I'm having serious issues.

Have been for about 8/9 months now actually.

Basically, when I was running Tiger, I installed the Boot Camp Beta and successfully ran Windows XP on it for several months until the thing was so laden with Viruses it stopped running at all. I managed to get it cleaned up with Kaspersky but something went wrong with the graphics and the screen was grainy, flashing colours or static colours that were the WRONG colours, grey where it should've been 3D and just a mess.

I upgraded to Leopard and installed my mum's copy of Windows Vista using Boot Camp, but the same problems persisted. I installed the Drivers as instructed with my Leopard installation DVD, but it didn't help.

I've uninstalled Vista AND Leopard several times and re-installed and the problem persists (I even tried installing XP again instead of vista, no joy). I recently tried to install a PC DVD game on my friend's laptop for her, only to find out that the game wasn't going to work because the laptop doesn't have a DVD drive.. And the problems we were having with the game's graphics are very similar to the problems I have with Vista's graphics, so I'm wondering, could the whole lot be not working because my Leopard installation disc (which I'm trying to get drivers off of) is a DVD?

I feel like it's a stupid question because the OS installed fine on the Mac side (clean install and an upgrade version, I tried both while trying to fix my Vista problem) but it's basically the only option I have left..

I'm going to try installing the drivers from another source tonight but have absolutely no hope left. I've tried the apple helpline six times and they keep telling me it's a windows problem, and have once done a check of my mac (they gave me instructions over the phone) and swear it's definately not a mac problem, and I've tried the Windows helpline 11 times to date, they swear it's a Mac problem and they can't help, and now my Windows Support has run out I can't even get through to a technician anymore without paying a £40 subscription with no guarentee they can fix it.

If you have any idea what might be causing strange graphics on Vista or which drivers in particular might be causing this.. Please help. I am so not computer-minded, I'm a manual labour monkey.. So I might've not given you all the information you need about my computer/OS's.. Whatever else information you need just ask and I will endevour to provide it!

(It's not my copy of Vista, it's installed fine on mum's computer (Dell) and in a Virtual PC - VMWare Fusion - although DVDs don't work on the virtual PC either..)

THANK YOU in advance.

Jay.

 

[Satcomer]

Most problem s is with the drive not formatted right or have disk errors that affect Boot Camp. Even as an old Mac user i was able to install Windows XP2 onto two different models of Mac Books I gave my nephews, easily.

If the Mac doesn't have a DVD drive then get a external firewire or better DVDr drive like these. Plus make sure you are using at least 10.5.2 and a XPs2 or VISTA disks. Once it is installed you have to boot into that Windows' partition and there use the original Leopard disk and it will have windows drivers that is needed, especially for Mac books and Mac Book Pros.

Lastly before you run Boot Camp (/Applications/Utilities/Boot Camp Assistant) run Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility) and repair the permissions and then boot with the original install Leopard disk and before the install start use the menu items to find Disk Utility then booting from the install disks you can repair the startup disks.

Note: the other way is a small built-in command line utility that is built-in BSD (the OS X root core). One has to boot into single-user mode and when the prompt comes up type: /sbin/fsck -fy
The file system check (fsck) will run until continue to run it until it says it fixed your startup drive. Once is says it fixed the drive just type: reboot

This will reboot you into regular startup mode. Running fsck -fy (the -fy means force and say yes to all fixing questions). The fsck- fy procedure is pretty robust and will helps fix a malfunctioning drive.

Lastly you can always buy a third party disk utility that is more robust then the built in Disk Utility. Programs like Disk Warrior or Drive Genius. Personally install disk drives are so cheap today you would be better off just replacing malfunctioning internal disk drives today instead of trying to fix them with expensive programs. The use of the bootable backup form programs like the free Carbon Copy Cloner or shareware SuperDuper to make an external bootable drive.