Is a usb keyboard needed to switch between OS X and Windows in bootcamp when holding down the option key, or should the Apple bluetooth wireless keyboard work as well?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Do I have to use a usb keyboard to dual boot w/ Option Key?
- Thread starter dartmouth5
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Yes I'd always thought a bluetooth keyboard option key wouldn't work - after all when you first start up OSX or Windows sometimes it takes a few moments for the keyboard to connect, it certainly doesn't always feel instant
I don't know anything about the tech but i can say in my experience yes the option key thing does work with my bluetooth keyboard, every time
I don't know anything about the tech but i can say in my experience yes the option key thing does work with my bluetooth keyboard, every time
A bluetooth keyboard will work, but you have to get the timing just right. Otherwise, the key press won't be recognized and it'll automatically boot to your default OS. Most of the time I just press the Option key several times in a row immediately after I hear the startup chime and then hold it down. This works about 90% of the time with the occasional miss.
A wired keyboard would be best, though, if you plan on using it often...
A wired keyboard would be best, though, if you plan on using it often...
ok wow i didnt realize it was a problem sometimes
seriously, it always works for me
the only difference from what the above poster described maybe is, same as with the remote method, you hold down the key/remote button through the whole bootup process, until you get the selection screen
seriously, it always works for me
the only difference from what the above poster described maybe is, same as with the remote method, you hold down the key/remote button through the whole bootup process, until you get the selection screen
I never worked for me. I changed for a wired keyboard because I couldn't get the option key to be recognised. I did at first swap to another bluetooth keyboard, because in the apple store their imac worked 100%. The new keyboard worked a couple of times, then stopped again. I thought it could be a corrupt windows installation causing the problem. I re-installed but it still didn't work.
So I just bought the wired one and kept the wireless one for backup.
So I just bought the wired one and kept the wireless one for backup.
When do you guys press the Option key during boot? Before the startup sound? Right at the startup sound? Immediately after the startup sound? Or do you wait a second or two after the startup sound?
I can't seem to get the timing right every time. Sometimes when I press it right away when the gray screen appears and the startup sounds, I still see the Apple logo and it boots to OSX. Then I have to do a restart and try again. Other times, it works just fine. But as I mentioned above, I've had the most success by pressing the Option key about 3 or 4 times successively right after I hear the sound.
I can't seem to get the timing right every time. Sometimes when I press it right away when the gray screen appears and the startup sounds, I still see the Apple logo and it boots to OSX. Then I have to do a restart and try again. Other times, it works just fine. But as I mentioned above, I've had the most success by pressing the Option key about 3 or 4 times successively right after I hear the sound.
Sorry if this doesn't apply to bluetooth keyboards but why not just hold down the key from as soon as it starts up until you see the boot options?
hm well i cant give a solution but i can note
1) i usually press during the black screen before the grey screen comes up, and just keep holding the key down until the boot menu. im not amazingly precise about it though, i never got the feel there was a magic moment i needed to hit
2) i do know that at least with bootcamp 3.1 and windows 7 anyway, and maybe other combinations, how you set up your bluetooth keyboard in windows can mess with your keyboard behaviour in osx. I think I've fixed it now but it was an issue for a few days. So yes that can happen.
1) i usually press during the black screen before the grey screen comes up, and just keep holding the key down until the boot menu. im not amazingly precise about it though, i never got the feel there was a magic moment i needed to hit
2) i do know that at least with bootcamp 3.1 and windows 7 anyway, and maybe other combinations, how you set up your bluetooth keyboard in windows can mess with your keyboard behaviour in osx. I think I've fixed it now but it was an issue for a few days. So yes that can happen.
Yes, that's exactly the way it should be done. The problem is that sometimes the key is not registered because the keyboard has not been initialized yet. There have been times where I pressed the Option key as you described and held it down, but it booted directly to OSX instead.
I wish there was an option in OSX where you could set the default boot option to bring this up instead of having to choose one or the other. For example, in OSX or Windows 7, I can set the default OS to boot to. But I cannot set the default to bring up the option menu when booting. That would be the simplest method. I really would like the option every time I boot my iMac to choose which OS to boot to. Obviously, that's what the Option key method is for, but having this as a default would be much better.
So I found the best time to hold down the option key on the wireless keyboard is after the startup chime and right after the blank white screen comes up, that way the green light on the keyboard stays on long enough to bring up the OS X / Windows hard drive choices.