So I recently got an x86 MacBook, and needed to install Windows on it. Long story short, the process of installing Windows was a hassle. I want to prevent others from having the same experience I had and decided to make this guide.
I'll start with the basic things you need to know. There is a difference between 64bit and 32bit, you can't install 64bit OS on a 32Bit Processor and this is due to the processors architecture. You will need to use DVDs or CDs,no flash drives, this is non-negotiable as well.
Now that the basics are out of the way, let's begin.
You will need a DVD with a 32bit version of the Windows you are installing, and it must not contain any 64bit versions of Windows otherwise you will recieve the "Select CD-Rom boot type" error. There are ways of making the disc boot if there are 32bit and 64bit versions of Windows but I did not have a Windows laptop that I could use for this process.
Also, I would recommend using Windows 7 since Apple supports that. I tried Windows XP and could not get the wifi to work with my Atheros 9280 card, but I did get the wifi card to detect signals but connecting would result in a BSOD. Windows Vista gave me a "Cannot install on a GPT Disk" error and would not go further, I tried running an XP disk and formatting it in NTFS but still no luck. I am assuming Windows 8 is supported, but I have not tried it. Windows 10 technical preview wouldn't work for me and the installation would just loop.
I would recommend using Bootcamp for this, since it user friendly and easily creates partitions. Since Snow Leopard is the max OS for 32bit processors, Bootcamp 3 is all we got. When you are running Bootcamp 3, you must choose the option "I already have a disk" instead of "Download Bootcamp drivers" since they will not download to due a glitch on Apple's side. If you have a Snow Leopard disc, you should be fine since it contains all the drivers. If you do not have a Snow Leopard disc, you can get one on Apple's site for $19.99.
If there is an ISO that you need for this process, you can easily burn it through disc utility. I know some people have a 32bit-ONLY version of Windows in an ISO format. Just open Disk Utility, and insert the disc. Then click burn and find the ISO you would like to burn. Burning an ISO will take about 10-20 minutes depending on the size. A 4gb ISO took me over 20 minutes.
If you are using Bootcamp, you will recieve a "Insert a disc" and once you do the Mac should boot into the disc automatically. If you are not using Bootcamp, then you will need to hold down the ALT key with the disc inserted and you will recieve options on what you would like to boot. If you insert a disk after pressing alt, it will not show up and you will need to reboot and press alt again.
The Windows setup should start up fine. You will have to choose a partition which will be the BOOTCAMP one if you used Bootcamp or some other name if you did not use Bootcamp.
Let the Windows install run and expand files which usually takes 20 minutes. Once it finishes, you will need to insert your Snow Leopard disc and install the Bootcamp drivers and then restart. That's about it, I hope this guide is helpful and worthy of sticky for people needing to install Windows on x86 Macs.
I will add images soon.
This is a Wiki, so anyone can change what I wrote if it is wrong.
I'll start with the basic things you need to know. There is a difference between 64bit and 32bit, you can't install 64bit OS on a 32Bit Processor and this is due to the processors architecture. You will need to use DVDs or CDs,no flash drives, this is non-negotiable as well.
Now that the basics are out of the way, let's begin.
You will need a DVD with a 32bit version of the Windows you are installing, and it must not contain any 64bit versions of Windows otherwise you will recieve the "Select CD-Rom boot type" error. There are ways of making the disc boot if there are 32bit and 64bit versions of Windows but I did not have a Windows laptop that I could use for this process.
Also, I would recommend using Windows 7 since Apple supports that. I tried Windows XP and could not get the wifi to work with my Atheros 9280 card, but I did get the wifi card to detect signals but connecting would result in a BSOD. Windows Vista gave me a "Cannot install on a GPT Disk" error and would not go further, I tried running an XP disk and formatting it in NTFS but still no luck. I am assuming Windows 8 is supported, but I have not tried it. Windows 10 technical preview wouldn't work for me and the installation would just loop.
I would recommend using Bootcamp for this, since it user friendly and easily creates partitions. Since Snow Leopard is the max OS for 32bit processors, Bootcamp 3 is all we got. When you are running Bootcamp 3, you must choose the option "I already have a disk" instead of "Download Bootcamp drivers" since they will not download to due a glitch on Apple's side. If you have a Snow Leopard disc, you should be fine since it contains all the drivers. If you do not have a Snow Leopard disc, you can get one on Apple's site for $19.99.
If there is an ISO that you need for this process, you can easily burn it through disc utility. I know some people have a 32bit-ONLY version of Windows in an ISO format. Just open Disk Utility, and insert the disc. Then click burn and find the ISO you would like to burn. Burning an ISO will take about 10-20 minutes depending on the size. A 4gb ISO took me over 20 minutes.
If you are using Bootcamp, you will recieve a "Insert a disc" and once you do the Mac should boot into the disc automatically. If you are not using Bootcamp, then you will need to hold down the ALT key with the disc inserted and you will recieve options on what you would like to boot. If you insert a disk after pressing alt, it will not show up and you will need to reboot and press alt again.
The Windows setup should start up fine. You will have to choose a partition which will be the BOOTCAMP one if you used Bootcamp or some other name if you did not use Bootcamp.
Let the Windows install run and expand files which usually takes 20 minutes. Once it finishes, you will need to insert your Snow Leopard disc and install the Bootcamp drivers and then restart. That's about it, I hope this guide is helpful and worthy of sticky for people needing to install Windows on x86 Macs.
I will add images soon.
This is a Wiki, so anyone can change what I wrote if it is wrong.