Installing Windows XP on MacBook Pro

Obviously, the last thing any Mac fan wants to do is use Windows on his shiny new Apple computer, but such is the developer support for the scourge of computing known as Windows that salvation (ehm, Mac OS X) is not always an option.................

Sure, Bootcamp is the best way to go on an Intel Mac 'cause you get the best of both worlds.................

Anyway, I did not enter this forum to judge the enquirer's decision to solely use Windows in his Mac but to offer a solution to his problem - that is the main aim of having a "support forum" isnt it?::ha::

BTW The success of Windows is attributable to one major difference in the strategies of Microsoft and Apple - Microsoft does not restrict the use of its OSes to any one type of computer, while Apple develops Mac OS solely for use on their own computers. Macs are prohibitively expensive to most people in India (Heck, getting any kind of computer her is a big deal!) and their lack of developer support only exacerbates their lack of popularity here.............

The situation is only a little better in the US, with a maximum of 10% of all computer users using Macs.........
 
vikram said:
BTW The success of Windows is attributable to one major difference in the strategies of Microsoft and Apple - Microsoft does not restrict the use of its OSes to any one type of computer, while Apple develops Mac OS solely for use on their own computers. Macs are prohibitively expensive to most people in India (Heck, getting any kind of computer her is a big deal!) and their lack of developer support only exacerbates their lack of popularity here.............

The situation is only a little better in the US, with a maximum of 10% of all computer users using Macs.........
Click to expand...

If this were the case for Windows being more popular, then Linux would have overtaken the market at this point and honestly it's nowhere near that level. Besides, the discs that come with a Windows restoration disc cannot be used on other machines, so you're basically tied to what's shipped with that PC unless you purchase the retail version, be it upgrade or full, and both are CONSIDERABLY expensive to purchase. Linux is completely free, yet it still hasn't penetrated the Windows market. Why? Mainly because Windows is what people are used to.

Personally, I don't think that putting out a copy of OS X for generic PCs will boost sales that much for Apple. Most people that are using Windows will most likely stick with Windows because it's what they're used to, even if OS X were available for their hardware.
 
Linux has long been thought to be an OS for geeks and computing professionals - it is still thought of as a hard-to-use command-line oriented OS (though it need not be with such GUIs as KDE and so forth). Also, Linux, though easily usable by today's standards, got "useable" a lot later than Windows and a lot lot later than Mac OS - so obviously, Mac OS and Windows developed followings early on and the so-called "followers" just didn't bother to migrate over to this mysterious OS with a penguin for a mascot...................

As for developer support, well - developers tend to make software only for the most popular OSes, while the users prefer to use the OSes with the largest developer support - it's a closed loop. Only an adventurous and arguably foolish developer would take the trouble and spend the money over a not-so-popular OS (like Linux or even Mac OS).

Another explanation for the lack of popularity of Linux is the fact that there are over a hundred different versions available - "WHICH ONE'S FOR ME????" is what somebody might think when they see that Mandrake is free for home use while all versions of Red Hat cost upwards of $200!!!

Besides, Apple isn't getting rich on Mac OS - it's the iPod. Now, when did the iPod explode into ubiqituity? AFTER, after Apple finally got the sense to make it compatible with Windows. Had Mac OS been more popular, Apple might not have had to make such a decision.......................

About people not being "used to" Mac OS - well, that's because when these people were first introduced to a computer, it probably wasn't a Mac.....and that's probably because a Mac was too expensive.....and when they finally did see a Mac they would have probably wondered whether there are people insane enough to spend nearly two times as much on a Mac as a similarly-specced x86 computer..................

In any case, Apple has reduced itself to what it had tried to avoid becoming for a long time - just a software developer. The new Intel Macs are all really "Intel Inside", with only the enclosure being proprietary to Apple. The iPod, then, is their claim-to-fame - Yeah, a pioneer in personal computing gets popular because they release an MP3 player (oh, sorry - AAC also)...............

BTW I have an iPod shuffle, an iMac Rev. D, an old Macintosh SE (out of use but still working! They're all my Dad's, really); I've also got an AMD powered PC (not the newer A64 though, DROOL......). Let's just say that I'm a fan of Apple's products, not not of Apple itself.........
 
Linux just plain can't get into wide circulation at the moment, because it tries to cater for everyone in a way that really only caters for the people who design it, and there's such a bloody culture of technophiles that makes trying to learn the software largely impossible.

I can't use KDE with any sort of productivity, and I can only barely use GNOME. People shouldn't need to even KNOW about "Windowing Environments". They shouldn't need to get to the Trash can through contextual menus (in fact they're used way too much in Linux in general). They shouldn't EVER need to open up a CLI unless they're pro users.

The problem is, with such a high-geek userbase everything for Linux is catered toward its market: those geeks. To install an application, I shouldn't need to know if I have LibXXX installed. I don't care. I just want the application to work. Whole packages are almost non-existent for most Linux software.

I'm really interested in the development of SymphonyOS (site down at the moment, but read this for info), because it doesn't allow the user to tweak every setting, and they don't include every stupid option that someone requests, as well as looking both attractive and ergonomic. When it goes gold, I believe Linux stands a chance in some end-user markets (in combination with Wine).
 
I think this depends on the distribution you're using, because Windows users that I know that have had to use my Ubuntu laptop didn't have much of a hard time using it. The only thing they ask me is where the browser is. Once I show that to them, it's not an issue anymore.

Heck, even my son doesn't have too much of a problem getting around in Ubuntu, and he's only 4 years old!

So while I do agree with a lot of what you're all saying about Linux developers, I don't think that it applies to all the distros out there.

Anyways, back on topic. :D
 
Wow, I can't help but wonder if the orginal poster got the answer he needed.
I too recently installed XP Pro on a Mac Mini using Bootcamp and the driver disk that is mentioned. I too am having problems with the ethernet card. It works for awhile and then it stops working.

Now before anyone attributes this to lack of XP knowledge, I use both X and XP pro all day everyday, equally. To be honest, I prefer XP 64 bit over X. With that said, I support 100 X users every workday and admin to X-serves and a X-raid along with 6 Windoz servers. They are equals in my eyes, what one lacks the other doesn't.

Posts like this can take on a life of its own, but i think they spark great discussions that can benefit all who read. I tend to disagree with any comments that Mac has made a mistep with Boot camp or Intel, Bootcamp is typical Mac easy to use and simple. The intel Macs are fast, X runs faster and XP runs faster than X on the new Intel Macs (at least that's my opinion).

Lets face it Microsoft has been very succesful where other OSes have not. They have put their software in the largest percentage of businesses and homes, and I regret to be the one to tell the hardcore Mac users, it's probably going to stay that way.

Now before somebody goes and pulls the virus card let me address that. Viruses are not hardware specific, Os specific but the reality is that they are market share specific. The guy who is writing viruses in his basement or bedroom wants the greatest effect so the target is going to be Windoz. Although the latest Mac comercials might have invited some new X viruses!For every security hole found in Windoz, there is a similar one found in X. Another point to remember X is UNIX, Unix is the most hacked OS. Still feeling safe?

So with all that off my chest, does anyone have a solutions for the Ethernet card woes that some us are having?
 
Actually, yes. I still feel quite safe using a UNIX based OS. You say it's the most hacked OS, but it's because of that that Unix is so secure. Most of the open source Unix and Linux devs have been able to patch issues within a few days at most of an exploit being discovered. Even Mac OS X reaps the benefits of using an open source operating system at its core. You can't get that kind of service with Microsoft and Windows being closed source. Consider also that Microsoft itself issued a patch that mucked up a bunch of systems, only to have a patch released for that patch many days after.

With those odds, I think I'll take my chances with OS X and open source Unix/Linux.
 
Nice comment about the forum taking on a life of it's own, keith245. I kinda saw it spiralling out of control myself, what with the unfortunate guy who opened this thread being mercilessly berated for installing Windows on his Mac...........we need to remember that the forum is here to help people, not tell them what we want them to be doing.......................

About that LAN card of yours - maybe it's got a life of it's own too:D .............
you can rely on Windows to cause such problems.......can you try using software like Driver Wizard on your computer to find out what hardware you've got? Then you could download the manufacturer-specific drivers and try.......after all, all the stuff in the new Macs are also in PCs (except for the EFIs, of course).....
 
I've used Bootcamp on my MBP to install XP and have the same problem - no ethernet drivers?? For that matter there are also no USB drivers. Anyone any clues??? They were not on the Mac CR Rom drivers disc Bootcamp produced.
 
I've used Bootcamp on my MBP to install XP and have the same problem - no ethernet drivers?? For that matter there are also no USB drivers. Anyone any clues??? They were not on the Mac CR Rom drivers disc Bootcamp produced.
 
I installed using Boot Camp on a freshly wiped Mac Mini. I got the same crap, error -1603.

Installing Windows on this thing has been a major hassle. Blank screens, failure to recognize the keyboard, missing file on the driver disc.

So far, this blows.
 
For the three previous users, did you apply the firmware update for the Intel Macs? I remember hearing that this resolved some issues with Windows on the Intel Macs. You might have to repartition (so you have space for the Windows XP SP2 install...remember this is the only version of Windows that is supposed to work.) and reinstall OS X so that you can apply the firmware update if you haven't done so.
 
dgurney said:
Thanks, but yes, the firmware is totally up to date.
Click to expand...
Tried up-to-date driver disk from new version of Bootcamp (released this week)?
Mouse (if a mighty mouse) connected to keyboard, and not to the Mac?
No other peripherals attached?
Used long format on the Win partition (and NOT the quick partition)?
 
waiting_for_OSX said:
I've installed Windows XP Pro on a MacBook Pro, however, there are no drivers for the ethernet adapters so I can't access the internet to install SP2 or more current drivers. How do I get around this problem?
I am not using Bootcamp, this is a straight installation from scratch. Please don't tell me to use Bootcamp if you don''t know how to solve this problem otherwise.
Click to expand...

We saw this problem. It was because we didn't install a version of windows with SP2. Apple's drivers installer won't work correctly unless SP2 is already installed.
 
mosx86 said:
We saw this problem. It was because we didn't install a version of windows with SP2. Apple's drivers installer won't work correctly unless SP2 is already installed.
Click to expand...

Right - and Apple explains that bootcamp requires an SP2 Win install disk. There are a number of sites that explain how to create a winXP installer disk including SP2 through a slipstreaming process. Here's one example: http://www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsXP/winxp-sp2-bootcd.html
I should mention the obvious here. You need to do this slipstream process from a PC.
 
The crappy thing is that SP2 will inexplicably report insufficient disk space on the Mac, so right now I'm trying a second attempt with a slipstreamed XP-with-SP2 boot CD. The first attempt failed with a baffling "missing hal.dll" error message.

Other people have encountered the missing hal.dll problem, and some reponses have suggested that the only way around it is to use Boot Camp to delete the Windows partition and start over. So that's what I'm doing.

What a fussy, fussy process this is.
 
I've had the same problem as you before on my Macbook with the ethernet.

I've downloaded Sysspec software to know the name of the device.

To solve the problem :

-go to marvell.com
-Put
Pc connectivity + Windows XP

Download the driver named : yukon Windows 32 bits installer (English) v 8.56.7.3

Install it .

It Works !!
:)
 
Thanks for the info. I don't think I'm having the problem anymore, but it's been a while since I installed.

Now it's on to Parallels problems...
 
WindowsXP worked fine on my macbookpro 15.4" & all bootcamp drivers went fine till my babe got me a virus!
OK. reinstalling winXP again, i keep getting a msg: missing file: HAL.DLL - Reinstalling Windows may fix this err.
I reformatted the partition on osx, same err. I dont know if im doing smthing wrong.
Could someone please give me a full step-by-step tut on installing WindowsXp on an intel-based mac?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top