Want A Mac And Use Windows 7 On It As Well?
To buy a Mac and use it for Windows 7 in addition to using it as the original Apple machine with Snow Leopard seems like a great idea. In fact if it really works it will give you all the advantages of both systems on one computer. When you see the commercials it is very tempting to just go ahead an buy a Mac and forget about the PC.
Watch this example of Windows on a Mac Apple Commercial:
But what does really happen when you do buy the Mac and want to use it with Windows 7 ?
Keep on reading and find out what I’ve learned after buying a brand new Mac.
What Really Happens With Windows 7 On A Mac
Doing a lot of research and talking with several representatives of the Apple brand including the Apple’s own store in Downtown Vancouver I was repeatedly told that there were no problems or issues with installing and running Windows 7 on the new Mac computers.
They run just like a PC they all said. Well, perhaps some models do and perhaps with some Windows, like Windows XP and Windows Vista.
In fact I have done as much research as possible and even included videos of how the Boot Camp enables a Mac to run Windows XP on my blog. I embedded the videos on my blog from You Tube since they were made by a guy who had Windows on his Mac.
You can read my post Internet Marketing Tool, Should You Get A Mac Or PC ? and watch the videos there.
I want you to know that I did everything imaginable I could to make sure that I wasn’t going to make a dumb uninformed decision. Here is a list of 3 stores I went to (in each store I talked to more than one sales representative or associate or whatever they call themselves at different times or in the case of the downtown store I talked to more than one person during the one visit):
The Apple store inside the Oakridge Mall in Vancouver, 4 visits, The Simply Computing store inside the Semiahmoo Mall in White Rock, 5 visits. These two stores are just sellers not Apple’s own stores. And finally, the Apple Store, yes the Apple’s own store inside the Pacific Mall in downtown Vancouver, 1 visit. That is a total of 10 store visits.
After being assured 10 times that there would be no problems whatsoever with using Windows 7 on any new Mac they were selling I decided to buy one.
The Black Screen Of Death On A Mac
Stuck In Windows 7 Installation Loop
I was really happy with my purchase and took the brand new Mac out of the box. I must say that the packaging they now have is superb. I also have to praise the people at the White Rock store because they were kind enough to install the extra memory which I bought for me and let me see that the computer was working with it.
After Taking the computer out of the box at home I was excited to see that I could make it run and get on the internet.
Everything seems to be working well in the Mac mode and so far I love it.
But I also need to be able to use the Windows 7 on it and that is a problem.
I purchased the Windows 7 Ultimate and also Windows Office and after thoroughly studying how to properly install the Windows using Boot Camp and printing out the instructions I proceeded with the installation following every step religiously.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly until I encountered the black screen. I let the computer be and went to bed hoping that in the morning I’d see the Windows 7 installed on my Mac.
That hope was frustrated and the black screen of death greeted me after I got up. Turning the computer off and on again got me to a screen with a headline saying “Windows Error Recovery”.
No matter which instructions on that screen I followed, and there are 3 safe modes and one saying “Start Windows Normally”, I always ended up at the same place in the loop: the black screen of death.
I decided to start the whole installation process over from the very beginning. I went to Boot Camp and erased the separation and everything related to Windows 7.
Starting everything over I made doubly sure I followed the instructions not only religiously but like a first class meticulous monk. After all I could have made some mistake, however small, the first time.
Well, I ended up staring at the black screen of death again on my shiny new Mac with no Windows 7 installed and a bit of disappointment and frustration creeping in.
I tried one more time with the black screen gaping at me again and the frustration and disappointment level rising.
I went to the PC store where I bought the Windows 7 and asked them to exchange it. They gave me another disk and also checked the one I brought on their computer to see if it was defective. It worked.
I did the installation process with another brand new disk with Windows 7 Ultimate on it. Black screen of death again resulted on the Mac. I repeated the process again like a fool doing the same thing and expecting a different result. I really wanted it to work. I spent a lot of time and money on this and all I was getting was a stupid black Mac computer screen of death.
When I purchased the Mac computer I also bought the extended warranty with Apple Care. Before I had the Windows 7 exchanged I described the installation problems to a person at Apple Care over the phone.
I was told that trying a different installation disk was a good idea and that they had no other suggestions other than that. Well, that idea with replacing the disk was mine. They didn’t help at all.
Apple Admits Problems With Installing Windows 7 On Their Macs
On Thursday, August 12, 2010 I called Apple Care again. When I called I was armed with an article which I found on Apple’s website. That article had been last edited on July 27, 2010. In it Apple admits that there are issues with installing Windows 7 on some models of Mac computers. In their post titled ominously Boot Camp: iMac Displays A Black Screen During Installation Of Windows 7 they point out to a solution which is quite complicated and which they do not perform for their customers. Update July 20, 2018: the link was no longer going to that, the text on their site is gone, so I removed the link.
Apple Care Adviser Denies Article Pertains To New Installations Of Windows 7
When I called Apple Care after reading the article about the black screen during installation of Windows 7 I was demanding that they give me a solution to the problem without me having to buy anything. I spent enough already. I was transferred to a personal adviser which they right then assigned to me.
The adviser told me that the article on Apple’s site is talking only about installing Windows upgrades and has nothing to do with new installations of Windows 7. I described to him exactly what installation problem I was having and he insisted that I do it again with him assisting me over the phone.
When the Windows 7 files loaded up he told me that now everything would be fine. I replied to him that everything he did with me so far was exactly what had happened before when I did it on my own and that I didn’t think that the result this time would be any different.
He seemed very sure that it would be different this time. Perhaps he believes to have some magical powers.
He gave me a number to call him if things go wrong and assured me that he would be there for at least another hour. I called less than 40 minutes later and he wasn’t answering the phone and didn’t reply to my voice message.
I called him the next day and heard a voice message that he’ll be back on Sunday. I left him another message just to make sure he gets back to me.
This is where things are right now.
UPDATE: August 16, 2010
Apple Care Adviser didn’t call me on Sunday, thus ignoring my 2 voice messages.
When I phoned the number he gave me he didn’t pick up the phone. The same thing happened on Monday, today.
I then called the regular Apple Care number and another adviser who called herself a Senior Adviser answered.
She proceeded with questioning me again as to where I got stuck in the Windows installation process. I told her and asked her why the previous adviser told me that the article on Apple’s site is not about new Windows 7 installation.
Apple Care Senior Adviser said that they are aware of what the article is about not denying it is the right article with a solution to the problem I’ve been having. Did they read the article after we talked on Thursday?
She couldn’t help me today because I don’t have a USB storage device or an SD card which are necessary to fix the problem.
So beware of anyone telling you that any new Mac will work with Windows 7 virtually out of the box after easy no problem installation in Boot Camp. It doesn’t.
Some Mac models have problems which Apple admits on their website in a hard to find article which talks about Mac Black Screen Installing Windows 7. Update July 20, 2018: That underlined text on this line was a link but since the content is no longer on their website I removed the link.
I found that the stores who sell Apple products are not well informed about installing Windows 7 on the machines they sell.
Perhaps they never do it because they charge $180 for it. How could anyone be willing to pay that much for what is supposed to be easy?
What they answer to your questions about it is not factual. It is what they believe, perhaps based on hearsay, experiences with older models, Apple’s commercials, but not on their own experience with installing Windows 7 on the new Macs.
Back to my trying to get help from Apple Care ordeal:
This new Apple Care Senior Adviser said she wouldn’t be able to help me till Thursday. Not that great. I expected her to say she could help as soon as I get the device.
I can’t stomach calling the general Apple Care number and be asked the same questions all over again by somebody else.
I’ll go and buy the device today.
Ouch, another $20 plus out of pocket in addition to the thousands already spent on the brand new Mac which was supposed to work like a charm. Not to mention the waste of time and gas.
I’ll keep you posted on whether things will work after that.
Update: August 17, 2010
Hurray, I was able to install Windows 7 on my new Mac without waiting for Apple Care help till Thursday.
It took buying a USB storage device and following the instructions given in the article on Apple’s site.
I’m quite sure that things will work fine now on my new Mac using Windows 7.
I want to add another word of praise for the Simply Computing store in White Rock whose manager Tony came forward and offered to waive the $180 installation charge and install the Windows 7 for me after I related to him the problems I had with getting any meaningful help from Apple Care before I talked to their Senior Adviser on Monday.
I sent Tony the link to the article on Apple’s site after talking to the guy at Apple Care who denied it had any bearing on new Windows 7 installations on my new Mac.
I’m glad I didn’t have to bother with having to take my computer back to the store.
If you read this far I admire your attention span.
I’m disappointed with Apple and how they lure people to purchase their products without making sure that they or their sellers inform the people about to buy them about any problems or issues, especially if they are asking specifically as I have done.
I’m disappointed with Apple Care, which is not free and in spite of that seemed ignorant about what problems there are with Apple products and how to fix them. I felt that I needed to educate them on where to find the solution to the Windows 7 installation problem.
They kept asking me the same questions instead getting to the root of the problem fast. They should have been able to help me right away.
Am I expecting too much when I insist that Apple speak the truth about their products and if there is a problem with them that they take care of their customers?
And I mean free care that doesn’t require their customers to spend any additional money and huge amount of time as I had to.
Have you encountered any problems with Apple products and Apple Care yourself ?
What do you think about the article on the Apple’s site ?
How could my first personal Apple Care Adviser tell me what he did?
Please leave me your comment and then bookmark and tweet the post for others to find it and express their views.
.
Authored by Vance Sova
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Filed under: Internet Marketing Tools
HI Vance,
Read that article on Apple, and it sure talks about installation in general rather than for upgrade only.
Here’s what I read:
Symptoms
When installing Microsoft Windows 7 on an iMac (27-inch, Late 2009) and iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010) using Boot Camp, a black screen may appear. This can happen because the Windows 7 installer does not include the necessary graphics or Bluetooth drivers for your Mac.
Also, there is a not before the site gave the DIY solution you mentioned that goes like this
“Resolution
Follow the steps below to download the necessary drivers and install Windows 7 on your iMac:
Note: If you are upgrading from Windows Vista, you’ll need to use the Apple_Win7_Upgrade_Utility before starting an upgrade install. This is not required for a clean installation of Windows 7.
1. Go to the bottom of the Software License Agreement for Boot Camp and click “Accept …… “
If the article is ONLY for upgrading, why is there a “If” in front of the nOTE
I feel that personal adviser from Apple needs to work harder before this post spread. Maybe you can call Apple and ask to be reassigned to a new adviser or something. Perhaps the new adviser is having a bad day or something.
Keep us updated about how this goes.
Cheers
Jason Ser
Vance Reply:
August 14th, 2010 at 8:22 am
Hi Jason,
Thanks for the comprehensive comment. I’m glad that you see the same thing as I do in the article. I think that the Apple Care adviser either didn’t know about the article and pretended that he did or he never read it carefully. The guy who took my call before he transferred me to the supposedly more knowledgeable adviser replied to my question whether he was aware of the article and the problems it’s describing in the affirmative.
When I told him that I demand they solve the problem without me having to spend any money on it he then transferred me to the adviser.
I do hope that Apple will wake up and start serving their customers properly. It seems that Apple is aware of the problem but keeps it very quiet. If a customer like me has to make Apple Care aware of this problem and an article about the solution to it on Apple’s own site then they should perhaps pay me for educating them.
Why doesn’t every store and every sales person know about the problem and the solution to it? If there are things that can fix the problem, why don’t they fix it before they sell the product? They could have the store technicians fix it.
It seems that Apple is knowingly selling a defective product with a flaw that they can fix but don’t bother to.
Cheers,
Vance
Hey Vance,
Yeah, I’m gonna buy me a mac next month. I want to get the 15.4 inch MacBook Pro with the Intel i5 quad core in it. I will also run Windows 7 on it with Bootcamp! Whats cool, is that I get all kinds of software for free because I am enrolled at college and I will get Windows 7 for free.
I’m starting graphic design and web development in the fall at Davenport University and I can’t wait. I’ll be able to apply everything that I learn to improve my efforts with making money online.
Anyways, I didn’t know that you play the guitar! I also play! What kind of music do you play? I play all kinds of different music. I have one video on YouTube you can check out.
Also, I’m gonna subscribe to your RSS feed! I hope that you do the same for me and I will follow you on Twitter!
Talk to you later!
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Vance Reply:
August 15th, 2010 at 3:16 am
Hi Jason,
Thanks for the comment. The Mac Book Pro should be able to install and run Windows 7 but if I were you I’d ask the store to install it for free as a condition to buying the computer from them. Of course you’ll have to provide the Windows 7 disk.
Normally they charge a whopping $180 (in Canada at least) for doing that. While the model of Mac you intend to buy should not have the issues the model I bought has, I don’t trust what Apple and their sellers say anymore.
They’ll have to work really hard for a long time to regain at least a portion of the trust I used to have for them.
I wish you all the best in your studies and hope that the new Mac will work for you.
Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed. I checked your site and it looks good. I wonder how much that theme cost you.
I watched your guitar video and it sounds good. I was amazed at your picking technique. I tend to use all five fingers for that instead of a pick.
I play all sorts of music too. Do you also sing?
Take care,
Vance
Since when is Apple customer service obligated to ensure people can run windows on their Macs?
Vance Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 8:42 am
Hi Joe,
I would think that since the time they started advertising that you can run Windows on a Mac. That kind of advertising is deceptive if what they say works doesn’t. Have you read what I wrote? Have you seen the video commercial?
They are making a promise that it works. When it doesn’t They are obligated to fix it. If you bought a car that didn’t move at all, would you expect the people who sold it to you to fix it?
Thanks for commenting.
Vance
Reckon you should have stuck with Windows Vance. I’m still using XP and I can’t upgrade because my business software won’t run on anything but XP.
I’ve heard great things about the MAC but the only time I would buy one was if would run all the programs that I need on Windows. It’s a shame that those salesmen weren’t totally honest with you. I’ve heard of programs that will let you run other operating systems but there always seemed to be problematic.
Seems to me if they really wanted a happy customer, rather than promising you it would work they should have installed it for you. Then again, perhaps you should have made that a condition of sale 😉
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Vance Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Hi Sire,
I need both systems so sticking just with Windows wouldn’t work for me. XP is pretty good I have it on as lap top but when I was at the PC store buying Windows 7 they told me that Microsoft will stop supporting Windows XP as of January 2011. If that’s true then soon some new applications won’t work on it. Windows 7 I’m told is largely Vista based, which I find strange considering the disaster Vista turned out to be for Microsoft.
Mac is great but as for the Windows 7 on it I’ll have to test that out if I can even install it. The emulators like Parallels work quite well for a lot of people but there are issues with some applications. I’m not opposed to using them for some tasks.
However, I wanted to use Boot Camp to install on the Mac which creates two completely separated systems on the machine. Everybody at the Apple stores was telling me that when you do that, you can use any Windows application just like on a regular Windows PC machine.
I asked at two of the stores I went to if they would be willing to install the Windows for me. They said they would but for an extra charge of $180.
If I ever make the Windows 7 install and work on my new Mac I will advise everybody to ask for free installation of Windows on there Mac as a buying condition. Of course you have to buy the Windows 7 first.
Thanks for the comment.
Vance
Sire@Blogging To The Bank Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 1:21 am
I can see your dilemma. That’s a bit rich them asking you to fork out extra money to install it, especially after telling you it was easy to do. I’d get someone else to do it and warn people off the mob that sold it to you.
Sire@Blogging To The Bank´s last blog post ..An Aussie Husband Shows His Wife He Cares
Vance Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 7:23 am
They were ignorant about the issues. I think that Apple is to blame for not making sure that their sellers are educated. They should have them fix the problem before the computer gets sold to a customer especially if the customer has asked about installing Windows 7 on their new Macs.
There was no way for me to install it without spending extra money. I had to buy the device.
I had to educate the store where I both the computer and a few people at Apple Care.
My way of warning people is publishing this post. If I was told from the beginning that there was an issue I would probably still buy the computer and I would deal with it without all the aggravation.
Sire@Photo Blogger Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
I’ve actually heard a lawyer over here talking about something similar and he reckons that if a product doesn’t do what it’s supposed to then it can be returned or the seller has to fix it to comply with whatever was said in the sales pitch.
So, if they said it would work then they have to make sure it does or refund your the money. Not sure if it would work in the States but apparently it works here.
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Vance Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Hi Sire,
I don’t know if you read my updates of the post since I first published it. Anyway, it makes sense that they should compensate for anything that needed to be done time-wise and the money spent to make it work. I bought a brand new product that should have worked as promised.
I just wanted to make it work and not bother with them anymore. It’s a lesson that I won’t forget and that I want everybody to avoid taking but rather learn from my experience.
Thanks for getting back to me on this.
If you want you can mention this on your blog and tweet my post.
Vance
Sire@Photo Blogger Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Nope, I didn’t see the updates. Might have been a good idea to do a separate post rather than tack it on the end like that. 😉
Glad you got it all resolved.
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Vance Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
I was originally going to do a separate post but as this thing dragged on I decided to just keep on updating it.
Perhaps in the long run it will be better this way. People will get the whole story in one place. With two separate posts they might come to a wrong conclusion in case they’d read only one of them.
I won’t post on the subject for quite a while unless more problems come up. I certainly hope that from now on everything be a smooth sailing.
Talk soon,
Vance
Hi Vance,
I’ve been using my Mac with Windows XP for almost a year now with no problems. I’ve been wanting to upgrade it to Windows 7 unfortunately I have several work-related applications that runs only on XP.
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Vance Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Hi Felicia,
It’s good to know that your Mac works with Windows XP. The installation problem is with Windows 7 and the new Macs 21 and 27 inch.
I’ve heard that Windows XP may no longer be supported by Microsoft starting in January 2011 or around that time.
Thanks for the comment.
Vance
Hi Vance
OH MY GOD!
What an ordeal you went through, that has completely put me off even trying that.
I really want a mac, I love them, but I think I will just have two computers rather than attempt what you did.
I am glad you got sorted out in the end, and hopefully your post can help out others who experience the same problems.
Sally 🙂
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Vance Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Hi Sally,
It was an ordeal but I didn’t post about it to put people off from buying Macs.
I wanted to warn people about what may happen to them too. My hope is that Apple and their dealers and Apple Care will improve the way they talk about things and that they will be better informed and will pass all the necessary information down to their prospects and customers.
I would also hope that they will stop charging people for installing Windows for them such a large sum. I wouldn’t say anything if they charged a nominal fee like $25 for it.
And I’d suggest to them that they do a free installation of the missing drivers necessary for the Windows 7 installation for all customers that buy a new Mac model that has this issue.
I’m not an Apple basher. On the contrary, I was almost convinced that it was the brand new PC disk that was at fault.
I like Macs and always have. I’ve never had Windows on a Mac before and I wanted to do that with my new Mac rather than buying two new computers.
PC computers are fine and I like them too. I think that if you need and can afford to buy both PC and Mac that is the best way to go.
Thank you for commenting.
Vance
Alan Ashwood Reply:
October 26th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Hi Sally, we meet again!
I have had Macs for over 25 years, through the bad times, and now the good ones. I would never go back. HOWEVER, for the first time, I have to say that Microsoft has at last got their operating system right. Windows 7 is almost as good as an earlier version of Mac OSX. More to the point, I run the top version of Windows 7 on my iMac 27″, and I have had no problems with it. I would advise though, rather than run it from BootCamp, invest in Parallels Desktop. That way the installation is simple, and in my experience, very stable. PS. If you want more convincing about how brilliant the Mac is, watch the latest presentation by Steve Jobs with it’s preview of Mac OSX 10.7 Lion, due Spring 2011. I will add though that while Apple build superb hardware and software, their after sales leaves a lot for the asking.
Regards
Alan
What size of USB “storage device” did you need? How on earth do you have 2-3 computers, probably a camera laying around as well and not have a thumb drive or SD card? And how did you think you could ever get by in today’s world without having to buy one? I understand the pain that you probably went through trying to get it to work, but not having a flash drive or a an SD card in today’s world is like saying you don’t have a cell phone. Nothing something that is very common in this day and age.
Thanks for the article though, it is a great reference for anyone to get help for this problem! Maybe you could post a comprehensive list of all the model numbers that Apple has found issues with. And is it just CTO model numbers or BTO machines as well? Specific hard drives or memory? Thanks again!
Vance Reply:
August 21st, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Hi Brian,
The size of the USB storage device needed wasn’t apparent from the article on Apple’s site. They also talked about making sure it was formatted and formatting it would get rid of everything else on it. Because of that I decided not to use the 1GB USB stick that I did have and went to buy a new one.
It turned out that less than half a GB would have been sufficient. But I don’t think that you can turn around and try to blame the customer for not having a USB storage device when you’ve been telling them that everything will work without any problems.
According to the Apple article the models that have a problem with installing Windows 7 are the new 21 and 27 inch iMacs.
I appreciate your comment.
Thank you,
Vance
Hi Vance,
Wow, you went through a lot of problems with all of this, glad to hear you managed to get Windows 7 running successfully on your brand new Mac in the end.
I have always had a PC, and i currently use Windows 7 and think it is an excellent operating system. But i do admit to always being an admirer of Mac’s and was even more tempted once i heard you could run Windows on them. But after reading your post i am much less inclined to do so now.
How has it been running for you over the last few days, have you had any other problems once you eventually managed to get it installed?
Thanks for writing such a detailed account of what you went through, i think it will help a lot of people out who face the same problem.
I hope you won’t encounter any more problems and your Mac will serve you will now.
Hope you are well Vance.
Thanks,
Paul
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Vance Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 12:02 am
Hi Paul,
I went through hell with it but at least it’s working now. I hope this won’t put you off considering a Mac completely. My aim in writing the post about my ordeal was to alert people like you but not to completely dismiss the idea of getting a Mac if they see themselves using it.
Hopefully Apple and their dealers will be more informed and forthcoming in the future.
I have not done enough with the newly installed Windows 7 yet to be able to say unequivocally that everything is perfect. So far as I can tell there haven’t been any problems with it.
Thank you very much for your visit and for commenting.
Vance
I’ve always been a PC fan, though Macs are starting to look more enticing. I have to say (and excuse my language), this seems to have been a major pain in the ass just to run Windows 7. I’m still a huge fan of Window XP as Windows Vista/7 are starting to look too flashy for me and losing functionality.
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Vance Reply:
August 24th, 2010 at 11:00 am
Hi Andrew,
There’s nothing wrong with PCs and Macs are enticing. Windows XP is good but when I was at the PC store where I bought the Windows 7 they told me that Microsoft will stop supporting Windows XP within months. That may change but probably not. Unfortunately Windows 7 is based on the problematic Windows Vista. Microsoft seems to think that they got Windows 7 worked out and will want to recoup all the money they lost on Vista.
I think that sooner or later people will have to get used to Windows 7. It is very different from Windows XP and I can see why you don’t like it.
Thanks for the visit and comment.
Vance
Wow Vance, what a load of hassle you had to go through!
Good to you got it sorted in the end and that this setup is a viable option. I’m a fan of Mac’s but am a PC user (I just think you get more bang for your buck) and additionally I’d always considered the extra cost of having to replace a lot of my current software with the Mac version – didn’t realise you could run windows on Mac so this has been interesting to know.
Even doing windows upgrades on PC can be a pain in the a*se…recently ungraded my laptop from XP to 7 (to match my desktop) but that wasn’t the easiest of processes…some of the hotkeys no longer work and sony haven’t yet got the updated drivers…
but we muddle through 🙂
All the best,
Rob 😀
(** RJB **)
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Vance Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Hi Rob,
Nice to see you visit again and read your comment. Yes, it was a load of hassle but it ended up OK. I was glad to find out that Windows could work on a Mac.
I knew it could work quite well with Parallels but with some limitations. With Boot Camp it’s supposed to work just like a PC. I haven’t gone into it deep enough yet, but now that I finally installed Windows successfully I can slowly start finding out if it’s really true.
It’s interesting to know that you’ve had problems with upgrading Windows on PC. I think it could be because Windows XP is totally different from Windows 7. From what I found before getting Windows 7 people didn’t seem to have any problems with Windows XP on Macs in the Boot Camp mode.
Thanks for commenting and sharing your experience.
I hope to see you comment here again soon.
All the best,
Vance
Windows 7 is tough to handle and it loads the system a lot. And so it is better to use Windows XP. Best version by Microsoft. Well, I’m FAN of MAC.
Thanks for sharing it mate!
Great post.
Vance Reply:
August 30th, 2010 at 9:15 am
Hi Chintan,
Thank you for your comment. Many people seem to prefer Windows XP to Windows 7 but Microsoft will stop supporting Windows XP within months I’m told.
It’s good to be a fan of Mac or a PC as long as you can keep an open mind. To me both systems are good, each of them having something better than the other.
I’m glad you liked my post.
Vance
Hi Vance,
Mention not.
Well, I found your blog interesting and found some amazing articles.
Yes, that’s why I’m turning my way towards Windows Seven. But still Microsoft should not turn this off Windows XP because it is easier to use and more user-friendly comparative to Windows Seven.
It is right that Windows Seven provides more features then Windows XP, but more complex to use it.
Well, I’ll keep visiting your blog for the updates. Keep updating your blog mate!
Cheers 🙂
Regards,
Chintan
Vance Reply:
August 31st, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Hi Chintan,
I’m glad you found amazing articles on my blog and that makes my work worthwhile. I agree that Microsoft should not turn their back on Windows XP. Will they listen? Probably not.
I look forward to your future visits and comments.
Cheers,
Vance
OMG that’s crazy! My Dad installed windows on his mac and didn’t have any problems. I haven’t had any problems with apple care either. I don’t think I would have been able to fix that on my own. I admire your diligence.
Vance Reply:
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:08 am
Hi Jane,
Not all Mac models have this problem and it also depends which version of Windows you are installing. I’m told that Apple Care usually deals with routine things which they can handle well. In this case they were virtually useless. I hope that they will get beter when it comes to helping people with this particular problem.
Vance
Vance,
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I just bought my first iMac one week ago and I was told that installing Windows thru bootcamp was “no problem”. I watched a few youtube videos and it looked reasonably straightforward. So I installed a really old Windows XP version (service pack 1A which was too old to be supported by Bootcamp) and the graphics looked awful. Not to worry. I went out and bought Windows 7 a few days later and low and behold, I got the same thing you did. The Black Screen of Death! Having already experienced the Blue Screen of Death when installing Windows XP I was a bit bummed out. So I began surfing the Web and lo and behold I stumbled upon your article! After reading through it and feeling really bad for you I found the link to the Apple site. It was a long night in Beantown but (after a few misfires wading thru those directions) I finally got Windows 7 up and running at 12:30 am. It was fortunate that I’d just picked up an 8 gig memory stick as my old one from 8 years ago wouldn’t have cut the mustard. Thanks again for providing such an informative and helpful article.
Jack from outside Boston
Vance Reply:
September 9th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
Hi Jack,
You are very welcome. Reading a comment like yours makes me feel good and I’m glad that I wrote the post precisely because it may help people like you who have already bought the computer and also those who are thinking of buying it. Had I known about the issue beforehand I’d be spared a lot of frustration and waste of time.
Thank you for relating your story. I hope you’ll visit again and comment.
Best regards,
Vance
If you’ll get Windows on Mac then for sure you’ll get BSOD hehehe!
I would suggest using VMWare on Mac to install windows 7.
Jaydee@Windows XP Driver´s last blog post ..How to speed up a slow or sluggish computer
Vance Reply:
September 11th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Hi Jaydee,
VMWare is supposed to be good for having Windows on a Mac. Parallels is also used by a lot of people. I may use one of them eventually if I see the need to move files between the two systems.
Vance
You went through so much trouble. If it was me I could have returned the mac to the store where I bought it from. The process of installing windows-7 on a mac seems like hell.I definitely would not want to go through what you went through.Glad you finally installed it.
Hello Vance:
I bought a MBP 13 inch early 2011 model and hooked it up to my IMac 27 Inch mid 2010 model through target display mode. I was running 10.7.1 and the display went full blast and I could not turn it down. So, I returned the laptop and got a 17 inch MBP early 2011 model. And 10.7.2 just came out. Keep your fingers crossed that the display will dim, on target display mode, when it is hooked up to my IMac. If it doesn’t then, I have the 17 inch screen at least.
Vance Reply:
October 27th, 2011 at 1:38 am
Hello Peter,
Thanks for commenting. I hope that it will work out well for you.
Cheers,
Vance
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Vance Reply:
April 25th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
Thanks Tommye,
I’m glad you find it helpful. I had a much better experience with Apple Care the second time I needed their help with something else. The information about the Boot Camp is still current and the instructional PDF or manual found on Apple site regarding it is of little use because you need to have the USB with the drivers plugged into your computer when you’re installing Windows and not get the drivers later as they suggest. Following their instruction you’ll be caught in an endless loop,repeatedly ending up staring at the black screen.
It’s really a nice and helpful piece of info. I am glad that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
Vance Reply:
May 9th, 2012 at 4:48 pm
Hi Sok Z Noni,
Your comment has no meaning. What it says is nothing concrete and it’s repetitive. It is a spam comment and any future comments like this from you or anybody else will go directly to trash. If you want to post real comments of value then you are welcome. Otherwise, please keep trash to yourself.