Bootcamp on Mac Pro 1,1

[ashman70]

I know there are a ton of threads out there on this subject and I think I have read most of them. The issue is that I have modified my Mac Pro a little and so those mods may be causing my issues. I have upgraded the video card to an AMD 5770 and replaced the stock optical drive with an LG GGW-H20L bluray burner, which is also hooked up to one of the two spare on board SATA controllers.

When I try to boot off my Windows DVD, I get three blinky icons:

The Apple Symbol, a circle with a diagonal line through it or a folder with a question mark on it. Now, this could be due to my burner not being supported for boot, or my Windows DVD is the problem, its a burned ISO that is legit and works in Windows machines, just not sure what the issue is.

Thanks

AM

 

[interslicer]

couple of things: do you get all 3 icons when doing the same thing or do they come up after you try different things?

is it 64 bit windows? if so, the normal iso wont boot properly on mac pro 1,1s. it has to be modified slightly (there are tutorials online) but this shouldnt cause strange icons to pop up.

did you use the bootcamp utility? like did you follow the instructions, partition your hd and when it came to install windows you got these errors?

have you tried holding down option on restart to select either your osx partition or the windows install disk?

 

[ashman70]

couple of things: do you get all 3 icons when doing the same thing or do they come up after you try different things?

is it 64 bit windows? if so, the normal iso wont boot properly on mac pro 1,1s. it has to be modified slightly (there are tutorials online) but this shouldnt cause strange icons to pop up.

did you use the bootcamp utility? like did you follow the instructions, partition your hd and when it came to install windows you got these errors?

have you tried holding down option on restart to select either your osx partition or the windows install disk?

So I followed the bootcamp instructions, partitioned my OSX drive for bootcamp, when it came time to put in my Windows 7 64bit DVD, I did, system rebooted and the three icons show up blinking one at a time but cycling between all three. Turned my machine off, powered on, held down the option key and only get my OSX drive as an option, nothing else. Tried this several times and the behavior was always the same. I eventually could only boot into OSX my holding down the option key and then had to select my OSX drive as my boot drive, only then would it boot on its own into OSX again.

I think the fact that I never get my optical drive as a boot option tells me that its either a problem with my optical drive or my Windows DVD.

I am also having trouble finding a tutorial on how to mod the windows 64bit ISO to get it to boot properly, I did find a thread on it and thought I bookmarked it but can't find it with Google anymore.

Thoughts?

 

[Cindori]

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2372797?threadID=2372797&tstart=0


Note that you need a PC / Windows install to first modify the iso.
Pain, I know.

 

[ashman70]

Followed those instructions to a T and exactly the same thing happened as before. I should mention that I have an external drive enclosure connected via Firewire, but I have unplugged that, so now booting the computer or following the bootcamp instructions, results in the same thing, Mac boots, and cycles between Apple logo and a circle with a line through it. It seems nothing I do can get this Mac Pro to boot off the DVD, I don't even get offered an option. Holding down the option key during boot gives me only one option to boot off my OSX drive.

Thoughts?

 

[Cindori]

ah, you connected your disc drive to the onboard sata ports.

Those are not bootable. Mac Pro does not check them at boot.

If I were you, I would use disk utility to make a 10gb NTFS partition on your hard drive, then restore your Windows DVD on to that partition, then boot from the partition instead of booting the Windows DVD.

 

[ashman70]

ah, you connected your disc drive to the onboard sata ports.

Those are not bootable. Mac Pro does not check them at boot.

If I were you, I would use disk utility to make a 10gb NTFS partition on your hard drive, then restore your Windows DVD on to that partition, then boot from the partition instead of booting the Windows DVD.

Ok how do I go about restoring the Windows DVD to that partition? Then I have to change the boot partition in system preferences I assume?

The other thing I might just do is put the original super drive (which is IDE and must be checked at boot and be bootable) back in my system as a second optical drive and do it this way.

Thanks for all your help.

AM

 

[Cindori]

Ok how do I go about restoring the Windows DVD to that partition? Then I have to change the boot partition in system preferences I assume?

Insert DVD
Select the partition in the list
Click on restore, drag the DVD to Source, the partition to Destination
Click Restore followed by typing in password[/QUOTE]

The other thing I might just do is put the original super drive (which is IDE and must be checked at boot and be bootable) back in my system as a second optical drive and do it this way.

Thanks for all your help.

AM

Certainly another option.

 

[ashman70]

The saga continues.....

So I now have both optical drives in the Mac, I am able to go through bootcamp, boot to the DVD, Windows does the initial install, then it reboots to a black screen that says 'press any key to boot from DVD' if I press a key it goes back to the windows install again, if I don't press anything nothing happens and it sits at the screen saying 'Press any key to boot from DVD' and never moves. If I reboot, hold down the option key and try and boot off the bootcamp partition, I get a black screen with a blinking white cursor in the top left corner.....

Thoughts?

 

[100Years]

Not to hijack this thread, but I thought I read somewhere that you do not have to modify the Windows 7 x64 boot image at all, if you are installing Windows on a separate hard drive from OSX...anyone confirm this?

 

[interslicer]

Not to hijack this thread, but I thought I read somewhere that you do not have to modify the Windows 7 x64 boot image at all, if you are installing Windows on a separate hard drive from OSX...anyone confirm this?

I installed it on a separate hd and I still needed to. But it only applies to Mac pros up to 2008 I think

 

[ashman70]

No my issue is that when I install Windows 7 Pro 64 bit, it goes through the installation, reboots and says 'Press any key to boot from DVD' pressing any key boots back into the installation, if I try to boot off the bootcamp partition, I get a blinky cursor in the upper left of my screen. I found a thread that talks about trying to repair the windows installation by running bootrec.exe commands, but nothing is working for me, all I keep getting when I try to boot into windows is 'Bootmgr is missing'.

Think I'll retry the windows installation one more time, see how it goes.

 

[nanofrog]

Not to hijack this thread, but I thought I read somewhere that you do not have to modify the Windows 7 x64 boot image at all, if you are installing Windows on a separate hard drive from OSX...anyone confirm this?

2006/7 systems aren't able to deal with versioned media. So you either use a specific version (obtained via downloading off of MS's site), or have to make a new ISO (has to do with the ISO specification, as the EFI32 systems cannot deal with versioning at all, which is what exists on Retail DVD's).

There's a couple of threads on this in here somewhere.

No my issue is that when I install Windows 7 Pro 64 bit, it goes through the installation, reboots and says 'Press any key to boot from DVD' pressing any key boots back into the installation, if I try to boot off the bootcamp partition, I get a blinky cursor in the upper left of my screen. I found a thread that talks about trying to repair the windows installation by running bootrec.exe commands, but nothing is working for me, all I keep getting when I try to boot into windows is 'Bootmgr is missing'.

Think I'll retry the windows installation one more time, see how it goes.

I'm still not sure what's going on (i.e. what SATA ports what disks are installed on, and certain if you've gotten around the versioning issues associated with EFI32).

 

[ashman70]

Thanks Nanofrog, I'll update you.

I have two optical drives, an LG Bluray connected to one of the extra on board Sata connectors and the original Pioneer superdrive connected via IDE.

I have the first two hard drive bays occupied with 750GB sata drives.

Using the bootcamp utility I have created an NTFS partition on one of my drives and with my media in the superdrive, I am able to boot and install windows going through the bootcamp utility. By getting this far I assume I am not experiencing any 'EFI 32 versioning issues' but you tell me.

My issue not seems to be getting stuck at the 'press any key to boot from DVD' message after the first reboot during the windows install. I am thus far unable to boot into Windows off the hard drive.

AM

 

[Cindori]

At that point windows should be installed, so try removing the dvd and boot from the partition.

 

[nanofrog]

Thanks Nanofrog, I'll update you.

I have two optical drives, an LG Bluray connected to one of the extra on board Sata connectors and the original Pioneer superdrive connected via IDE.

I have the first two hard drive bays occupied with 750GB sata drives.

Using the bootcamp utility I have created an NTFS partition on one of my drives and with my media in the superdrive, I am able to boot and install windows going through the bootcamp utility. By getting this far I assume I am not experiencing any 'EFI 32 versioning issues' but you tell me.

My issue not seems to be getting stuck at the 'press any key to boot from DVD' message after the first reboot during the windows install. I am thus far unable to boot into Windows off the hard drive.

AM

I agree with Cindori. Pull the Windows DVD out, and reboot the system (hold down the Option key to bring up the Boot Manager), and see if it shows Windows. If so, select it and it should launch.

 

[ashman70]

Thanks guys, already tried this though, and while Windows does show up while holding down the option key, if I select it, I get an error message 'BOOTMGR is missing'. I will retry the install this morning and see how it goes.

Thanks for your help thus far.

AM

 

[ashman70]

So back to square one. I redid the windows install after erasing my bootcamp partition. Windows installed, on the first reboot after the installation, I held down the option key, ejected the DVD and chose the windows partition, all I get is a black screen with a white binky cursor on the top left corner. Successive attempts to boot into windows end with the same result.

Thoughts?

AM

 

[Cindori]

So back to square one. I redid the windows install after erasing my bootcamp partition. Windows installed, on the first reboot after the installation, I held down the option key, ejected the DVD and chose the windows partition, all I get is a black screen with a white binky cursor on the top left corner. Successive attempts to boot into windows end with the same result.

Thoughts?

AM

Are you formating the partition when installing windows?

You should


Format via Bootcamp Tool

Boot from Windows DVD

Format again to NTFS

Install windows

 

[interslicer]

try this: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/209-69-windows-bootcamp-black-screen-blinking-cursor-ages-boot

"1. Put the Windows 7 installation disc in the disc drive, and then start your computer.
2. Hold down Option key till all available disks are displayed and select DVD. Press a key when you are prompted.
3. Select a language, a time, a currency, a keyboard or an input method, and then 4. click Next.
5. Click Repair your computer.
6. Click the operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.
7.In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Command Prompt.

Type (these commands are safe)
Code: Bootrec.exe /FixMbr
Code: Bootrec.exe /FixBoot
Code: Bootrec.exe /RebuildBcd
*Press ENTER after each command.*
*Restart your computer.* "

 

[ashman70]

Are you formating the partition when installing windows?

You should


Format via Bootcamp Tool

Boot from Windows DVD

Format again to NTFS

Install windows

I used the bootcamp utility to create and format the partition, during the windows install I only get as far as the initial graphical install where it essentially installs the OS to the partition and shows you by percentage, how its progressing, then it wants to reboot, if I leave things be, it reboots to a black screen, says press any key to boot from dvd, if I do so, it goes right back into the install again, so its like an endless loop. If remove the dvd and try and boot off the partition, I get the blinky cursor.

 

[ashman70]

try this: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/209-69-windows-bootcamp-black-screen-blinking-cursor-ages-boot

"1. Put the Windows 7 installation disc in the disc drive, and then start your computer.
2. Hold down Option key till all available disks are displayed and select DVD. Press a key when you are prompted.
3. Select a language, a time, a currency, a keyboard or an input method, and then 4. click Next.
5. Click Repair your computer.
6. Click the operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.
7.In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Command Prompt.

Type (these commands are safe)
Code: Bootrec.exe /FixMbr
Code: Bootrec.exe /FixBoot
Code: Bootrec.exe /RebuildBcd
*Press ENTER after each command.*
*Restart your computer.* "

Tried this already, all I end up with is an error message 'BOOTMGR IS MISSING'. Weird thing is though that I never get the option to select language, time, currency etc.

AM

 

[interslicer]

if you wait like 5 minutes on the blinky cursor screen, does it ever get past it?

 

[interslicer]

Tried this already, all I end up with is an error message 'BOOTMGR IS MISSING'. Weird thing is though that I never get the option to select language, time, currency etc.

AM

also thought this problem was fixed with the clean windows reinstall you did. does it still happen?

 

[ashman70]

also thought this problem was fixed with the clean windows reinstall you did. does it still happen?

No this message does not appear anymore after the clean install. I believe I have left it at the blinky cursor for at least five minutes, but I'll try again see if it progresses, but at this point I am thinking the windows install is incomplete. I am also considering throwing in a dedicated drive for windows, although I am unsure whether that will make much of a difference at this point.

AM