Windows SP1 on Boot Camp!!!

Reposted from my other blog on freewebs, since I am sort of switching to this one and want to keep this article available. Enjoy!

Windows SP1 on Boot Camp!!!

Monday, Nov 19, 2007

In all the literature I have read on the topic this has been reiterated over and over again, "It is IMPOSSIBLE to use a Windows SP1 install disc with Boot Camp.". LIES I SAY! I refused to believe this, and so set out to disprove this theory earlier today... also I'm too lazy to make a Slipstream disc to to the install ^_^

Continuing on, it IS in fact quite possible to install Windows SP1 on a Mac using Boot Camp, the problem exists in the fact that the Drivers CD for some reason doesn't work, and there appears to be an issue in the booting up of the OS. I have read that this is because the Mac keyboard etc all connects through USB 2.0, which is not supported by SP1... not sure how accurate this is since DURING the installation these work... but anywho! Here's what I did :)

What you need:
Boot Camp (Now only available with Leapord)
A blank CD (for the Boot Camp drivers)
A Windows SP1 cd of your choice (or SP2 but really that defeats the purpose of this whole article...)
Fusion or Parallels Desktop

1. Install Fusion (or Parallels)

2. still in Mac OSX, go to the windows update site and download the network install version of the SP2 update

3. Install Boot Camp, make a driver CD and continue on to installing Windows SP1

4. If yours is anything like mine it will lock up just after most of the install when the computer is about to actually load windows, just do what I did and hard reboot (hold down the power key) and start up in Mac OSX (you may need to hold the option key to trigger mac to boot)

5. In OSX, load up Fusion (or parallels...) and you should see the Boot Camp Partition. Start the Boot Camp partition VM, Fusion will install the usual bizzniss, and allow you to finish installing SP1 (you should still have the cd in the drive).

6. When the SP1 installation finishes you should have a running version of windows with the VMware toolbox installed (optional i guess... I still installed it anyway), and Windows will be bugging you to activate it... You really dont have to since you will have to reactivate in like 20 minutes anyway.

7. Copy the Windows SP2 install file over to your running BootCamp VM via your medium of choice... Using the Network shared folder option works... I just used a USB key, simple and efficient and you dont even have to unplug it ^_^ more laziness.....

8. SP2 will install itself and reboot, do it... and youre done! Eject the windows cd, shut down the VM and put in the BootCamp Drivers cd. Reboot your Mac into Windoze now...

9. Windoze will boot up with reduced functionality, as theres no drivers! Don't bother trying to activate yet it wont work (no network... no drivers...).

10. Run the bootcamp cd and install all of the drivers (just say yes to everything...)

11. Activate windoze and youre off!!! You now have a perfectly lovely working version of Windows SP2 installed on your Boot Camp partition, without the hassle of having to "slipstream" an install.

Good Luck and Adieu!! ^_^

Peace.