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Installing Windows 8.1 and Bootcamp on 2013 nMP 6,1

kid2010

kid2010

macrumors regular
Sep 12, 2013
116
73
Anim said:
Is that like booting to the win8 dvd and installing without loading OSX? If so, why do we need bootcamp?
Click to expand...

Use boot camp assistant to download drivers

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mac.rumors said:
That's good news! You have tried this on the new MacPro, correct?



I may be wrong, but I think bootcamp is a way Apple allowed older OSes that used MBR to be installed on EFI Macs. Since the newer Windows versions support EFI, theoretically, bootcamp is not needed.

Someone more technical in this matter can shed some light.
Click to expand...

I tried to boot into Windows on my Thunderbolt drive in Apple Store's demo machine, it works fine
 
Y

ytoyoda

macrumors member
Dec 14, 2013
91
0
Tokyo
Lumpydog said:
4) As others have posted, once you create the Win 8 installation on your internal SSD, you can use WinClone to copy it over to an external Thunderbolt drive and wipe the copy from your internal SSD. Mgmx has posted the right instructions on how to do this here. I used an SSD drive that I pulled from my old mac pro and used this awesome thunderbolt adapter - it included a TB cable.
Click to expand...
Thank you for sharing this Seagate Backup Plus Portable Thunderbolt Adapter (STAE128). This looks fine and is not expensive. I have an extra SSD and was looking for this kind of adapter. I've ordered one at Amazon.

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Lumpydog said:
Here are a set of (hopefully) fool-proof instructions for those nMP owners interested in installing Windows 8, using Boot Camp and a Windows 8 DVD:

What you will need:
1) A Windows 8/8.1 DVD - full version. Not upgrade. I bought mine here.
Click to expand...

If you have a Windows 8 Upgrade version, I recommend to try it, before you purchase a new full version.
When Windows 8 was released, Microsoft sold only "Upgrade" version for normal customers. There was full version of Windows 8 for OEM/DSP.
I tried. Under bootcamp assistance on iMac, this upgrade version installed Windows 8 on empty partition successfully.
I think, even Microsoft labeled this "Upgrade", this can be install into empty partition.
So, please try it before purchase new.
 
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L

Lumpydog

macrumors 6502
Aug 3, 2007
373
108
ytoyoda said:
Thank you for sharing this Seagate Backup Plus Portable Thunderbolt Adapter (STAE128). This looks fine and is not expensive. I have an extra SSD and was looking for this kind of adapter. I've ordered one at Amazon.

----------



If you have a Windows 8 Upgrade version, I recommend to try it, before you purchase a new full version.
When Windows 8 is released, Microsoft sold only "Upgrade" version for normal customers. There was full version of Windows 8 for OEM/DSP.
I tried. Under bootcamp assistance on iMac, this upgrade version installed Windows 8 on empty partition successfully.
I think, even Microsoft labeled this "Upgrade", this can be install into empty partition.
So, please try it before purchase new.
Click to expand...

Thanks for pointing this out. I'll update my post.
 
M

motegi

macrumors regular
May 14, 2009
197
0
sydney.au
Anim said:
Steam folder is about 300GB (e.g. Call of duty Ghosts takes up 45GB) on my windows PC, also work related like 3dsmax and all my textures take up a large amount + windows apps. Working projects can be anything up to 50GB in size but these get archived after completion. I have 1TB full at the moment on my working drive so will need to strip that back to 512GB ish.
Click to expand...

Woah. So mostly games! It's been ages since I was in Windows land, so I was unsure how much the OS install size was. Cheers for the detailed reply.
 
D

dyn

macrumors 68030
Aug 8, 2009
2,708
388
.nl
sgginc said:
Am I missing something?
"Windows 8.1 is not supported with Boot Camp 5."
Click to expand...
It's marketing talk (being on the safe side aka covering your behind). 8.1 is an update to 8.0 which does not bring technical implications for current software on 8.0. Or in other words: 8.1 doesn't change anything regarding software compatibility so everything you have installed and working in 8.0 will work in 8.1.

I'm curious if you can do a native install (without using the bootcamp assistant for things like partition that is!) like you can on a 2013 MBA. That way you use EFI/UEFI instead of the CSM (BIOS; you would when using the bootcamp assistant). Should bring noticeable performance improvements.
 
Gav Mack

Gav Mack

macrumors 68020
Jun 15, 2008
2,193
22
Sagittarius A*
dyn said:
It's marketing talk (being on the safe side aka covering your behind). 8.1 is an update to 8.0 which does not bring technical implications for current software on 8.0. Or in other words: 8.1 doesn't change anything regarding software compatibility so everything you have installed and working in 8.0 will work in 8.1.

I'm curious if you can do a native install (without using the bootcamp assistant for things like partition that is!) like you can on a 2013 MBA. That way you use EFI/UEFI instead of the CSM (BIOS; you would when using the bootcamp assistant). Should bring noticeable performance improvements.
Click to expand...

From the one 8.1 setup I have done for a client's nMP I'd say aside from the hybrid partition alignment it's booting as near to pure EFI as possible which is I guess why they dropped Win 7 support for it. The next nMP bootcamp job the client is adamant on 7 x64 so I'm going 7 EFI and fudge the bootcamp drivers to work!
 
M

motegi

macrumors regular
May 14, 2009
197
0
sydney.au
Lumpydog said:
Here are a set of (hopefully) fool-proof instructions for those nMP owners interested in installing Windows 8, using Boot Camp and a Windows 8 DVD:

What you will need:
1) A Windows 8/8.1 DVD - full version. Not upgrade. I bought mine here. ***Note - there is at least one report that an upgrade version of Win 8 may suffice. See Ytoyoda's post further down this thread. If anyone else has a similar experience, please post.
2) An external storage device (USB thumb drive or portable Hard Drive) that is at least 500MB. It should be formatted to MS-DOS FAT. Disk Utility can format the drive to MS-DOS FAT if you need to do so.
3) Access to an external DVD Drive

To install Win 8/8.1 via Boot Camp:

1) Open Boot Camp Assistant. It's found in Applications/Utilities

2) There are three check boxes. Uncheck the first and check the second two boxes. You won't need to create installation disk. You already have a Win 8/8.1 DVD

3) Make sure your FAT-formated storage is plugged into your nMP

4) Click Continue - select the FAT-formatted drive as the destination for your Apple Windows Support software download (basically the boot camp installer and drivers for Windows 8/8.1 - about 431MB in total).

5) Once downloaded, you will need to enter your admin password to continue. This is a good time to pull the ethernet cable out of the back of your nMP. Doing this prevents Windows Update from starting until after you have installed bootcamp and the needed drivers for Windows 8/8.1. This is a good idea. Don't skip this step. If you're using wireless, don't log into your network from Windows until step 12

6) You will see a visual representation of your Windows and OSX partitions with dividing bar between them. Select your partition size by sliding/dragging the dividing bar to change from the default 20GB Windows partition. I selected 60GB (which translated to 56GB in Windows). My default Windows 8.1 install took up a little over 40GB after installing boot camp and windows updates. You may want to use a bigger partition if you plan to keep Windows 8 on your internal SSD - I did not, I used WinClone to move it to an external thunderbolt drive and then reclaimed the space on my internal SSD (note, this only works on external Thunderbolt drives - not USB).

7) Once the partition has been created by Boot Camp Assistant, your nMP will reboot. Pay attention during reboot - a "Press any key to boot from your DVD" message will appear. When it does, press a key on your keyboard to make sure you boot from the Installation DVD. If you miss this, no problem, just reboot from OSX and hold down your "option" key during reboot and select the DVD Icon that represents your Windows Install DVD when prompted.

8) Windows installation will now begin - enter your license key - when you get to the screen that asks if you want to Upgrade or Custom install Windows, select the bottom option - you are not upgrading.

9) On the screen that follows, you will have to format the partition that you created in bootcamp. The partition will be labeled "BootCamp". Select it - make sure the boot camp partition is highlighted. Then select "Format" from the list of options below. This will NTFS-format the bootcamp partition and will allow you to click "Next" and continue.

10) Windows will install and then reboot. You will then be given a series of setup options to respond to and then Windows 8 will start.

11) After Windows 8 starts for the first time, if your like me, you will be lost (I've never used Win 8). You need to navigate to the external FAT-Formatted drive with the bootcamp software you downloaded earlier. To do this, click the "Down Arrow" icon in the lower left corner of the Windows 8 Screen. Then select - in the right column of Apps - "File Explorer". Navigate to the external drive, open the "BootCamp" folder and double click/run the "setup" file. This will install Apple's bootcamp utility and all of the Windows 8 drivers. You will be asked to reboot. Before doing so, plug back in the ethernet cable into the back of your nMP or log into your wireless network. It's ok to let Windows Update do its thing now.

12) Once rebooted, using the down arrow to get to your apps, select "control panel" then "System and Security" - from there, run Windows Update to update your Windows 8 install to current software, etc.

Other notes:
- To boot back to OSX from Windows, from the "Metro"/default Windows 8 screen, select "Desktop" or, click the "Down Arrow" to get to apps and select "Desktop" from there. From the Desktop, in the system tray (lower right corner) there is a small triangle icon. Click it and then click the grey diamond icon (Boot Camp). You will be given the option to restart in OSX. Or - just reboot and hold down the option key during reboot. This gives you the option to select from any "bootable" drives.

That should do it.
Click to expand...

Just quoting this for my own reference. Thanks Lumpy!
 
Gav Mack

Gav Mack

macrumors 68020
Jun 15, 2008
2,193
22
Sagittarius A*
stajpi said:
Will it be possible in future to install WIN 7 pro 64 bit
on a nMP?
Click to expand...

I'm going to attempt a Win 7 x64 EFI installation next month when the next nMP lands. The autounattend.xml file on the bootcamp driver usb may possibly be modified to support Win 7.

Stupidly I erased the usb drive I used to setup bootcamp on the nMP in my haste and forgot to make a copy, it was a rush job. If any nMP user on here has a dropbox account I would appreciate a link to have a copy of them so I can poke around the XML and inf files before I attempt it!
 
Z

Zemzil

macrumors member
May 10, 2013
49
0
Geneva, Swiss
Nugget said:
Is this viable for wireless keyboard users, or is the wired keyboard still required?
Click to expand...

My wireless keyboard is recognized at boot (on a Mini 2012), I can use it for PRAM reset or alternate boot when linked properly at time. Bluetooth keyboard bridge seems to be a core function that no depended of OS. After that, I dunno how it is when you start installing Windows.
 
W

wheelhot

macrumors 68020
Nov 23, 2007
2,082
269
Gav Mack said:
I'm going to attempt a Win 7 x64 EFI installation next month when the next nMP lands. The autounattend.xml file on the bootcamp driver usb may possibly be modified to support Win 7.

Stupidly I erased the usb drive I used to setup bootcamp on the nMP in my haste and forgot to make a copy, it was a rush job. If any nMP user on here has a dropbox account I would appreciate a link to have a copy of them so I can poke around the XML and inf files before I attempt it!
Click to expand...

Cool, post up your results when you do. Hopefully it works without any hiccups as I can save a few hundreds from upgrading to Win 8

Oh and don't forget to run a specviewperf test :D

And any nMP would we willing to send him a copy of your bootcamp driver?
 
Gav Mack

Gav Mack

macrumors 68020
Jun 15, 2008
2,193
22
Sagittarius A*
wheelhot said:
Cool, post up your results when you do. Hopefully it works without any hiccups as I can save a few hundreds from upgrading to Win 8

Oh and don't forget to run a specviewperf test :D

And any nMP would we willing to send him a copy of your bootcamp driver?
Click to expand...

I've already got the drivers. From the brief look I've had so far at the XML I can't see anything that will stop win 7 from running, though iirc from setting up the last one the bootcamp control panel was Win8 specific. Might have it have the win8 usb install media plugged in on restart, have a separate usb driver stick and on reboot hold the option key down and plug a win 7 usb in for an EFI install then the bootcamp drivers will install post initial setup.
 
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O

orytek

macrumors member
Jan 20, 2008
31
12
I would like to run Windows 8 on an external thunderbolt partition.
One thing I am not clear on is how to partition and format my external thunderbolt drive to NTFS.
After making a Winclone and deleting the internal partition, how do I clone it to an external that is not in the NTFS format?
 
hfg

hfg

macrumors 68040
Dec 1, 2006
3,621
312
Cedar Rapids, IA. USA
orytek said:
I would like to run Windows 8 on an external thunderbolt partition.
One thing I am not clear on is how to partition and format my external thunderbolt drive to NTFS.
After making a Winclone and deleting the internal partition, how do I clone it to an external that is not in the NTFS format?
Click to expand...

Using OS X, format the external disk MS/DOS(FAT32) and WinClone will take care of the NTFS for you.

http://twocanoes.com/winclone/support/migrating-a-boot-camp-partition-with-winclone-4
 
Luba

Luba

macrumors 68000
Apr 22, 2009
1,781
370
That's strange why we can't install Windows 8 directly to a TB2 external drive. I installed Windows 8 onto one of my HDD inside my 2009 Mac Pro.

Btw, is there any advantage having the Windows partition on the internal SSD of new Mac Pro for gaming?
 
hfg

hfg

macrumors 68040
Dec 1, 2006
3,621
312
Cedar Rapids, IA. USA
Bones13 said:
When you are only moving bootcamp from the internal SSD to a thunderbolt drive, do you still have to SYSPREP and generalize the drivers?
Click to expand...

I don't ... it appears that SysPrep is only needed if the target system hardware is different from the source system. You then need to disable drivers prior to the move to avoid unexpected surprises when the new system starts up. Windows will then determine what drivers are needed for the new hardware environment and install them.


-howard
 
B

benjuddeffect

macrumors newbie
Mar 8, 2006
24
0
Osaka, Japan
Just cannot get it to work

So frustrated. I've spend about 3 hours trying to install Windows 8 on my nMP. I've tried both 8.0 pro and 8.1 versions and both load all the way to the end, then I encounter so weird error saying it couldn't complete the install. Happens at 100%.

Could it be some issue with the fact that I'm using Japanese windows?
 
Anim

Anim

macrumors 6502a
Dec 16, 2011
616
25
Macclesfield, UK
benjuddeffect said:
So frustrated. I've spend about 3 hours trying to install Windows 8 on my nMP. I've tried both 8.0 pro and 8.1 versions and both load all the way to the end, then I encounter so weird error saying it couldn't complete the install. Happens at 100%.

Could it be some issue with the fact that I'm using Japanese windows?
Click to expand...

Is it possible it is a Bootcamp driver issue (as it is at the end of the install process) because Apple have had issues with Bootcamp and Japanese keyboards in the past but fixed it with some driver update (Search Google for references to it). Maybe bypassing bootcamp drivers and trying the EFI install method then manually installing each driver may get you further? Unless there is a way to manage the bootcamp drivers manually.

Anyway, just a thought as I have not done a bootcamp install myself yet.
 
B

benjuddeffect

macrumors newbie
Mar 8, 2006
24
0
Osaka, Japan
Thanks for the suggestions

I dunno. I've tried different versions of windows. Different drives. And different DVD drives. With the same error every time. That means it has to be the boot can drivers yeah?

The message says "Windows could not prepare the computer to boot into the next phase of installation".

I wish I was better with this and felt comfortable enough to boot via EFI as you said but I just don't have the confidence.
 
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