Mac Pro 2008 3.1 - Can it boot camp a x64 bit windows 7?

[Metalshopteach]

So like the title says I have a Mac Pro I bought in January 2009. I am almost positive it is a 3.1 (will check when I can connect and download Mactracker) But looking at what I remember and the specifications it must be a 2008, 3.1, after all it was march 2009 the next model came out.

I want to boot camp, currently I camp xp but I need to run some software that is windows 7 x64 only. I also want to take advantage of more than 4 gig ram. I know the specifications say it is a 32bit ["32-bit in Mac OS X (client), 64-bit in Mac OS X Server"] (from wikipedia)

So, has anyone installed windows 7 x64 on a mac pro 2008? Mostly I want to know this so I know if I am upgrading my Ram from 2 gig to 4 (since 32 bit windows can only handle 4 gig) or the 10 I want. I also do not want to buy windows 7 twice.

 

[JesterJJZ]

All Mac Pros can run Windows 64bit.

 

[Metalshopteach]

All Mac Pros can run Windows 64bit.

Thats what I want to hear, however to buy windows 7 and upgrade my Ram is a big purchase for my family. My wife wants to show her proof that it will. Could you point me to documentation that will prove this case?

 

[SDAVE]

What documentation? It works fine. I had my 2008 3,1 Mac Pro running Windows 7 64bit for over 2 years without a hitch. Also had Vista x64 running before that.

So yes, it's fine. If you have Mountain Lion, it comes with Bootcamp 4.0 drivers, so run the Bootcamp Assistant and create your partition and copy over the drivers to a USB stick.

My wife wants to show her proof that it will.

lol


P.S. Bootcamp drivers work, even with Windows 8. Newer Macs seem to be having problems with Windows 8, though, but I installed Windows 8 on my 2008 Mac Pro and it's worked fine.

 

[Metalshopteach]

Thanks all, I found this in the boot camp install manual:

"You can use a 64-bit version of Windows Vista or Windows 7 with any of these
Mac computers:
A Mac Pro or MacBook Pro introduced in early 2008 or later
​

SDAVE: how does it work for you in regards to seeing all your RAM, part of this is to get Windows running programs I need at a high Ram level.

Also I do not have Mountain Lion, I just have Snow Leopard, hope that will not be an issue.

I thought about Windows 8 but I hate using windows products out of the gate with glitches etc. as well with work everything is windows 7 (such as the CAM programs for my CNC MILL) and I cant find an install disk for windows 8 for full retail (system builder) so I will just put on 7.


Heh, thought somoene would laugh at the wife comment, but after what I have spent this past year in toys, You would see her position well.

 

[monkeybagel]

Thanks all, I found this in the boot camp install manual:

"You can use a 64-bit version of Windows Vista or Windows 7 with any of these
Mac computers:
A Mac Pro or MacBook Pro introduced in early 2008 or later
​

SDAVE: how does it work for you in regards to seeing all your RAM, part of this is to get Windows running programs I need at a high Ram level.

Also I do not have Mountain Lion, I just have Snow Leopard, hope that will not be an issue.

I thought about Windows 8 but I hate using windows products out of the gate with glitches etc. as well with work everything is windows 7 (such as the CAM programs for my CNC MILL) and I cant find an install disk for windows 8 for full retail (system builder) so I will just put on 7.


Heh, thought somoene would laugh at the wife comment, but after what I have spent this past year in toys, You would see her position well.

Stay away from Windows 8. A nightmare to use. Windows 7 Professional x64 should work fine for your use.

Not sure about the Snow Leopard Boot Camp drivers though - perhaps someone can chime in on that one.

 

[gpzjock]

I installed 32 bit Win 7 on my Snowy build Mac Pro 3,1 and it only addressed 2 GB of my 16 GB, the 64 bit version would have seen all of it. Just make sure you have a 64 bit installer and SKU code available and the Bootcamp will do the rest when prompted.

 

[SDAVE]

Thanks all, I found this in the boot camp install manual:

"You can use a 64-bit version of Windows Vista or Windows 7 with any of these
Mac computers:
A Mac Pro or MacBook Pro introduced in early 2008 or later
​

SDAVE: how does it work for you in regards to seeing all your RAM, part of this is to get Windows running programs I need at a high Ram level.

Also I do not have Mountain Lion, I just have Snow Leopard, hope that will not be an issue.

I thought about Windows 8 but I hate using windows products out of the gate with glitches etc. as well with work everything is windows 7 (such as the CAM programs for my CNC MILL) and I cant find an install disk for windows 8 for full retail (system builder) so I will just put on 7.


Heh, thought somoene would laugh at the wife comment, but after what I have spent this past year in toys, You would see her position well.

It works fine, don't sweat it. Windows 7 SP1 x64 is a very solid operating system. Just make sure to run the Windows updates, but skip the driver install requests when it asks. Install AVG Antivirus (Free) and you're good to go. I recommend NOD32, but you have to cough up some money for that. AVG should be good enough.

I think you should upgrade to Mountain Lion. It's a good OS and only $20. You will also get the latest Bootcamp drivers. I'm sure you can find these somewhere online (it's about 600MB), but I highly recommend ML. Lion wasn't good, but ML is much more solid and close to what Snow Leopard was when it came out.

x64 will also see all the RAM. Make sure to get the Professional version, because if you get the Home Premium (which is $30-40 cheaper) it won't see your second CPU (that is if you have the 8 Core).

Also how much RAM do you plan to upgrade to? If you DEFINITELY have a 2008 Mac Pro, the RAM is a bit more expensive. It has to be ECC buffered. You can get 8GB for ~$240 at OtherWorldComputing. Now if you have the 2009 Mac Pro and later, RAM is much cheaper. Check OWC site for details.

Stay away from Windows 8. A nightmare to use. Windows 7 Professional x64 should work fine for your use.

Not sure about the Snow Leopard Boot Camp drivers though - perhaps someone can chime in on that one.

False. Windows 8 Pro works fine under the 2008 Mac Pro with Bootcamp 4.0 drivers (When I ran the installer, it skipped certain drivers since the Windows 8 ones were newer). I had to update the ATI 5770 driver from the AMD site. I played Black Ops II on my 30" ACD and it worked flawlessly.

I'm sure you can "find" the Bootcamp 4.0 drivers online somewhere.

The Windows 8 Complaints (functionality wise) mostly comes from people with the latest Macs like the rMBP, it seems that they're having issues with the drivers because Bootcamp hasn't been updated. The 2008 MP is pretty old and Windows 8 automatically installs the latest chipset drivers.

As far as Windows 8 from an objective perspective, I think it's a horrible operating system. Touch features on a desktop OS is just unforgiving. What was Microsoft thinking? The removal of the start menu is very annoying. I'm probably going to never boot into it, only use it sparingly when I have some time to kill (which is rare) and play some games. OS X is just too good and since I rarely game (I'm too old and busy now, I'd rather read books or watch old films) it's a non issue.

 

[SDAVE]

Also another recommendation if you are going to dual boot

If you have an HDD for OS X, I would upgrade that to an SSD (120GB should suffice for OS.) and clone your current OS to that (If you need more space, get a bigger SSD/or install OS X fresh on the SSD and move your HOME directory to another drive, then format that drive and use it for Windows (in this case, you don't need to use bootcamp. Just put in the Windows DVD and hold OPTION during bootup and you can boot to Windows install).

Things get a bit complicated once you want to do the above, but it's well worth it.

I don't know if you are going to use OS X more or Windows, but I highly recommend an SSD for the OS you're most likely to use more often. An SSD upgrade is amazing and much more rewarding than RAM.

 

[tamvly]

I installed Windows 8 alongside Win 7 just for giggles - it is very strange. I'm not sure I see the point. Stick with Win 7.

Oh, sure, they both work fine in 64 bit mode on my 3,1. Wish I had them on an SSD, though.

 

[Tucom]

All Mac Pros can run Windows 64bit.

While this is true, it's not supported and won't work normally on a 1,1 or 2,1 Mac Pro.

 

[PowerPCMacMan]

Not entirely true if your mac pro is 1,1 or 2,1

Not true with the 1,1 and 2,1 unless one does serious work on getting the 64-bit version of Windows to work.. The following below is just one of many of the nightmares on trying to get 64-bit Windows 7 and or 8 to even work on these 1,1 and 2,1 Mac Pros, so your assumption that "ALL MAC PROS CAN RUN WINDOWS 64-BIT" is far from the truth. Maybe for those with 2008 and beyond, but 1,1 and 2,1 Mac Pros require more in-depth tweaking to get them to run..

I know since I used to own a 2006 Mac Pro and thats why I got rid of it for the 3.0 3,1 2008 Mac Pro Harpertown - Still think it was and still is the best bang for the buck.

http://www.wintellect.com/CS/blogs/jrobbins/archive/2009/11/02/8767.aspx

http://forum.netkas.org/index.php/topic,1123.0.html

All Mac Pros can run Windows 64bit.

----------

I provided links which show that this is not an easy task for those with 1,1 or 2,1 Mac Pros.. I know! I used to have a 2006 Mac Pro and when Windows 7 came out, I was mortified to find out that this Mac Pro only supports 32-bit EFI kernel and not 64-bit.

2008 Mac Pro is where I went next and all was fine after that.. Now I have a 6-Core 2010 Mac Pro running Windows 8 with no problems.. Windows 7 also.

All Mac Pros can run Windows 64bit.

While this is true, it's not supported and won't work normally on a 1,1 or 2,1 Mac Pro.

 

[Mackilroy]

While this is true, it's not supported and won't work normally on a 1,1 or 2,1 Mac Pro.

'Won't work normally'? Eh? Windows 7 x64 works completely normally on my 2006 Mac Pro. It was very easy to install, too.

 

[Tucom]

'Won't work normally'? Eh? Windows 7 x64 works completely normally on my 2006 Mac Pro. It was very easy to install, too.

Read the post above you: "It's no easy task"

Do explain how it was "very easy" to install. 1,1 and 2,1 Mac Pros have 32 Bit EFI's, which means no Windows 7 or 8 x64 unless you do some serious work arounds.

 

[Mackilroy]

I did. Not easy for him doesn't meant it wasn't easy for everyone. I also read his attached links, and it was far more complicated for both of those guys than it was for me.

To be technical, it was an upgrade. I had Windows XP already installed, and I went and upgraded that to Windows 7 No fuss, no muss, everything worked, and I went on my merry way.

 

[hfg]

You can simply use the built-in "System Information (About This Mac)" to verify that your Mac Pro is indeed a 2008 3,1 model.

I have a 2008 3,1 Mac Pro which is currently OS X 10.8.2 Mountain Lion.

I have been running bootable Windows 7 Pro x64 since it came out, and recently installed Windows 8 without problems to a separate SSD.

 

[Xleef]

Mac pro 3.1, Win 8

Hey, I cant get it work ... when I install win 8 it works fine, but when install bootcamp drives 4.0 after restart windows wont boot any more... its just keep restart till recovery comes up... and put machine back before i install the drivers ... should I install drivers manually? ... 1 by 1 and skyp some of them ?

thx

 

[PowerPCMacMan]

Mmm.. not exactly true. The EFI32 1,1 and 2,1 Mac Pros had to have a custom Windows 7 injector to allow them to run 64-bit since the kernel is 32 only. I know because I had a 1,1 Mac Pro and had to do tedious hacking to get Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit to be recognized and installed.

Normally, you would just put the Windows disc in the superdrive and it would boot up, right? Wrong! On 1,1 and 2,1 Mac Pros it would come to a selection screen and just lock up.

Windows 7 64-bit or anything Windows 64-bit related had to be modified to load and run on a Mac Pro 1,1 or 2,1.

3,1 and onward.. Windows 7 and 8 simply installed without a hitch as those use EFI64 and 64-bit kernel.

So, while the 1,1 and 2,1 Mac Pros were 64-bit Xeons, they could not run out of the box Windows 7 or 8 unless the loader was modified to recognize somehow the 64-bit loader.

Hope I made this clarification clear.

All Mac Pros can run Windows 64bit.

 

[MacVidCards]

I recently grabbed up a couple Windows 8 64 bit installs when they were on sale for $39. One I put on 2009 with complete ease.

The 1,1 did not have an easy time. The quote above from Netkas board is all about loading 64-bit kernel to run Mountain Lion, isn't the only way to load the installer.

I did in fact get stuck at the same screen where I was supposed to choose something.

I finally found a page that gave an arcane method that involved working on the installer disc image via some windows utilities.

http://www.fluxbox.co.uk/2009/08/26...-mac-select-cd-rom-boot-type/#search=windows+

I used that method but changed the name to reflect name of Windows 8

Took some fiddling but now that I have the disc image, it's relatively easy. There was also some fiddling to get Bootcamp drivers to install.

It would probably also work to do the install in a 2008 or newer and then just move the HD over. Just be sure that you hold off on regsitering Windows until you get it in final destination. I moved the 2009 install over to a 2008 and it caused Windows to call foul and I had to spend time on phone with Microsoft to re-legitimize the install once back in 2009. Wish I had bought a few more licenses back when they were $39.

SO, 64 bit WIndows can be installed on any Mac Pro. But you will need some research, skills, and an existing WIndows install to run the utilities to mod disc image. May be possible to do in OSX, I didn't even try.

I believe that what you are doing is removing the UEFI stuff from the disc so that Mac boots it into legacy mode.

 

[m4v3r1ck]

Yes, you can even BootCamp Windows 8 Pro x64

 

[PowerPCMacMan]

Hi,

The below mentioned comment justifies one of the many reasons why Mac OS X is much better.. You can clone an exact OS X and transfer it to any Intel Mac and it will work without a hitch, while Windows bases its workability around the hardware and just the slightest difference causes the dreaded blue screen of death.

I also tried this a while back while cloning over my Windows Bootcamp install from my 2008 to my 2006 and it was absolutely disastrous. I knew it wouldn't work, so I just re-installed Windows 7 on the 2006 since I couldn't make use of the one currently on my 2008.

Who knows? Maybe Windows 8 is more like OS X where it can be ported over to other Macs or PCs..

It would probably also work to do the install in a 2008 or newer and then just move the HD over. Just be sure that you hold off on regsitering Windows until you get it in final destination. I moved the 2009 install over to a 2008 and it caused Windows to call foul and I had to spend time on phone with Microsoft to re-legitimize the install once back in 2009. Wish I had bought a few more licenses back when they were $39.

SO, 64 bit WIndows can be installed on any Mac Pro. But you will need some research, skills, and an existing WIndows install to run the utilities to mod disc image. May be possible to do in OSX, I didn't even try.

I believe that what you are doing is removing the UEFI stuff from the disc so that Mac boots it into legacy mode.[/QUOTE]

 

[inkt]

All Mac Pros can run Windows 64bit.

All mac pros can run 64 bit Windows, but mac pro 2008 only have a 32 bit efi that simulates a 32 bit bios, 64 bit Windows natively has a 64 bit installer. Try installing Windows natively on it, you'll see.