Windows XP on New Mac Mini

jamerican

jamerican

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I just bought a new Mac Mini and am trying to install Windows XP (OEM Version) on it via Bootcamp and VMWare Fusion. Both programs tell me that they cannot find an install disc. I borrowed a copy of Win XP from a buddy of mine and the same thing happened. These are not original discs but copies made from the originals. This is a Mini Core 2 Duo 1.83Ghz with a Matshita combo drive. The disc(s) mount on the desktop but are still not recognized by either program. Does anyone have any idea why this is happening? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
 
It happens because you are using an OEM installation disc. Microsoft has forced the OEM discs to be sold as crippled, so you can ONLY install them from the same install disc to the same hardware, so e.g. discs that come with Dell D620 will work only with Dell D620, not on Dell 930, not on Acer, not on Macs. Even if you get the disc recognized (ISO) it won't do with Easy Install or with any install. If you had non-OEM discs, you could just point to the location to the ISO file / install disc, and it'd be ready to install.

The only way you might be able to get past this was if you installed the OEM Windows on your legal PC hardware, so on the hardware those Windows install discs were sold with. When that Windows install is complete, then download VMware Converter, and convert the Windows to a Workstation VM. Workstation VM will work straight away with Fusion (if you want to have the folder structure to be equal to those created with Fusion, after you have copied the Windows VM you created with Converted to where you want to have it on your Mac, say ~/Documents/Virtual Machines, change the folder name from Whateveryounamedyourvm to Whateveryounamedyourvm.vmwarevm and select hide extension. And it's sorted). Then get rid of the Windows that you have on that original hardware as you technically would have the license to use it on one computer.

OEM discs will behave the same even if tried to install natively, with Boot Camp, Parallels, Fusion, Qemu ... Blame Microsoft and OEMs. The only kind of Windows installation discs that will work will be Full versions of Windows - so not even Upgrade discs.
 
Thanks for the reply. However, I saw on other forums where some people have had success with OEM (System Builder versions) discs while others have not.
 
Giaguara said:
It happens because you are using an OEM installation disc. Microsoft has forced the OEM discs to be sold as crippled, so you can ONLY install them from the same install disc to the same hardware, so e.g. discs that come with Dell D620 will work only with Dell D620, not on Dell 930, not on Acer, not on Macs. Even if you get the disc recognized (ISO) it won't do with Easy Install or with any install. If you had non-OEM discs, you could just point to the location to the ISO file / install disc, and it'd be ready to install.

The only way you might be able to get past this was if you installed the OEM Windows on your legal PC hardware, so on the hardware those Windows install discs were sold with. When that Windows install is complete, then download VMware Converter, and convert the Windows to a Workstation VM. Workstation VM will work straight away with Fusion (if you want to have the folder structure to be equal to those created with Fusion, after you have copied the Windows VM you created with Converted to where you want to have it on your Mac, say ~/Documents/Virtual Machines, change the folder name from Whateveryounamedyourvm to Whateveryounamedyourvm.vmwarevm and select hide extension. And it's sorted). Then get rid of the Windows that you have on that original hardware as you technically would have the license to use it on one computer.

OEM discs will behave the same even if tried to install natively, with Boot Camp, Parallels, Fusion, Qemu ... Blame Microsoft and OEMs. The only kind of Windows installation discs that will work will be Full versions of Windows - so not even Upgrade discs.
Click to expand...
Actually I installed an HP Windows XP disc on my MacBook and it worked perfectly.
 
I have installed Windows through Boot Camp using system builder disks about 20 times.
I'm assuming that you have Windows with SP2 on the same disk?
If you set up a Windows partition through Boot Camp - What happens if you simply reboot with the Option key held, and the Windows installer CD in the drive? Do you see the Win install CD in that Option boot screen? If yes, you should be able to boot to that CD from the Option boot screen - and bypass the need to wait for the disk to be recognized by Boot Camp.
 
.. well, officially the OEM versions of Windows are not supposed to work. But I guess there is always a way.
If it gets recognized and installed by Boot Camp, then it should be recognized as is by Fusion.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I am having the original OEM disc mailed to me and will try with that when it arrives. Will keep you informed as to what happens.
 
The OEM versions _are_ built to and supposed to work, if they're the system builders version and not some highly specialised versions for, say, a Sony notebook or a Toshiba, where the disk would encounter unrecognised hardware or something.

As I've mentioned in another thread, the OEM Windows XP license is, among other things, intended for "installators of software" (i.e. "you"). It's a bit strange, I find, for people to buy _non_ OEM versions of the software. Well, I guess a shiny box has its perks. For some people. (The OEM version usually is a plastic bag with some warranty and license papers along with the disc.)

My MacBook could _not_ take the original installation disc. Couldn't boot from it, although it should from the version (XP sp2). I used Toast to copy the disc, and the copy worked. Strange but true. I don't question it: It's just how it was.

However: It sounds quite as if you were using friends' copies without having a license yourself. This is illegal, and this board is *NO* place for discussing how to circumvent copy protection and licenses. Microsoft's, Apple's or _any_ software developer's. So read the board rules and behave. :)
 
If I read him correctly he has his own OEM disk and when it didn't work borrowed a friend's copy to try and troubleshoot.
 
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