would really love to get a step by step instruction please. i've used Bootcamp in the past for Windows 7, but i'm hearing of issues and work arounds for 8.1, so i'm cautious this time around. can we even buy an ISO for 8.1 yet? planning to store it in an external USB drive and install from there. thanks
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anyone successfully install a fresh copy of Windows 8.1 on their Haswell rMBP?
- Thread starter radiohead14
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Bios install. It never gave me the option to do efi boot. Even if it did, bootup is like 15 seconds anyway.
what exactly is the advantage of an EFI install? i heard people say it's preferred to just go with BIOS, since EFI isn't supported or something like that.
I spent all of yesterday and 6 hours today trying to get windows 8 to install in bootcamp on my new haswell 15" 750m to no avail. I gave up and I am currently using a trial version of 7. I may just buy a key and ebay windows 8 when I ebay my old computer. I am so tired of messing with bootcamp. I only plan to use windows for games so no need to use 8. Just wish I hadn't bought it!
What problems did you run into? I have a 750m as well, and I'll probably attempt to install Windows 8.1 via Bootcamp in the very near future.
Not true. The MBA 2013 was the first computer ever to support UEFI boot on Windows using Bootcamp.
Everything goes smoothly until the end of the install at which point it says something like "cannot update boot configuration." At this point the install fails and all you can do is boot back into OSX using the option key.
There is a long thread on apple's support forums about this.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5474320?start=0&tstart=0
I tried a few of the proposed solutions that people came up with, but they didn't work for me. So, I gave up. Windows 7 is where its at! haha
Let me know if 8 installs for you. I've got to make a decision at some point of whether to buy a 7 key or try to install 8 again. 30 days...
got 8.1 to work by actually just going with the normal Bootcamp procedure. just pointed to my ISO file, and it made my USB External a bootable installer.
but i actually think i'm going to go back to Windows 7. from the 4+ hours i spent going through 8.1.. i'm just frustrated with it now. it seemed like there's an extra step to an extra step just to do everything. i know 4+ hours isn't enough to really learn the ins and outs, but my first impression was enough for me to know that i'd rather use 7 for now.
but i actually think i'm going to go back to Windows 7. from the 4+ hours i spent going through 8.1.. i'm just frustrated with it now. it seemed like there's an extra step to an extra step just to do everything. i know 4+ hours isn't enough to really learn the ins and outs, but my first impression was enough for me to know that i'd rather use 7 for now.
what i did for triple boot, i only used bootcamp to get the drivers, i partitioned with disk utility
0) partition drive into 3 parts (osx at 20gb, 20gb empty hfs, rest as fat32)
1) install refit
2) restart computer 2 times (until refit shows)
2.5) in refit menu go to partition manager and sync the MBR
3) turn off machine, insert windows 8.1 live usb (made using official windows 7 live usb creator), install bootcamp 5.0 drivers
4) turn on machine, pick usb from refit menu
5) install windows 8.1 (ends up as legacy boot)
6) turn off machine insert linux live usb
7) turn on machine pick usb from refit menu, install linux with eif grub2
now when you restart you should have all three operating systems to pick from in the refit menu, alternatively you can boot into osx and remove refit and you will just have to use the 'hold alt' option to pick the operating system
you cam mimic the above and leave out the linux parts to get osx + windows 8.1
alternatively:
0) use bootcamp to partition and make live usb and get divers
1) restart holding option
2) install windows 8.1
3) use hold option to pick windows (or install refit if you dont want to have to remember to hold option)
problems:
when you are installing windows 8.1 remember to 'format' the partition even if it is already ntfs, sometimes deleting the partition and creating a new one will help - else try go into osx, disk utility and delete and create the partition again (this fixed windows 8.1 "can not update boot configuration" for me)
0) partition drive into 3 parts (osx at 20gb, 20gb empty hfs, rest as fat32)
1) install refit
2) restart computer 2 times (until refit shows)
2.5) in refit menu go to partition manager and sync the MBR
3) turn off machine, insert windows 8.1 live usb (made using official windows 7 live usb creator), install bootcamp 5.0 drivers
4) turn on machine, pick usb from refit menu
5) install windows 8.1 (ends up as legacy boot)
6) turn off machine insert linux live usb
7) turn on machine pick usb from refit menu, install linux with eif grub2
now when you restart you should have all three operating systems to pick from in the refit menu, alternatively you can boot into osx and remove refit and you will just have to use the 'hold alt' option to pick the operating system
you cam mimic the above and leave out the linux parts to get osx + windows 8.1
alternatively:
0) use bootcamp to partition and make live usb and get divers
1) restart holding option
2) install windows 8.1
3) use hold option to pick windows (or install refit if you dont want to have to remember to hold option)
problems:
when you are installing windows 8.1 remember to 'format' the partition even if it is already ntfs, sometimes deleting the partition and creating a new one will help - else try go into osx, disk utility and delete and create the partition again (this fixed windows 8.1 "can not update boot configuration" for me)
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i've been going back and forth between 8.1 and 7 Ultimate.. i would stay with 7 if the scaling wasn't so bad.. i can't seem to get a good balance between readability and texts being blurry. 8.1 fixes some of that, but not all.. like some menus and popups are fuzzy and Chrome looks bad on it still.