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[Guide] How to Update AMD Bootcamp Drivers

G

Garrett998

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 25, 2011
43
9
After trying for several weeks to update the AMD graphic chips of the 2011 MBP, I have successfully found a way to update the catalyst drivers to 12.6. Please use the following guide to greatly enhance your FPS and overall gaming experience within bootcamp:


Try updating any other Windows 7 (Vista, etc) software before initiating this process.

Uninstall Old Drivers
Right click on toolbar
  • Click "Start Task Manager"
  • Open the "Description Pane" to identify any Catalyst processes running
  • Right click all Catalyst processes and click "End Process"
Run CCleaner
  • Select "Tools"
  • Uninstall tab
  • Uninstall "AMD Catalyst Installer Manager"
  • Delete AMD/ATI Folders
  • My Computer -> C: (windows install) -> Delete any AMD/ATI folders that relate to your display drivers...->Program Files (x86) -> Delete any AMD/ATI folders that relate to your display drivers
Remove current drivers
  • Control Panel -> Device Manager
  • Open "Display Adapters"
  • Right click on "AMD Radeon HD * (Your Card)
  • Click "Uninstall"

**RESTART YOUR COMPUTER**

Download 12.6 AMD Drivers For Windows 7

Notes:

These drivers only work with the following graphic cards:
  • AMD Radeon HD 7900 Series
  • AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series
  • AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series
  • AMD Radeon HD 6000 Series
  • AMD Radeon HD 5000 Series
 
I found the 12.4 mobility drivers more fit for the early 2011 1gb 6750m when playing Crysis 2

but might be me ;)
 
Getting an auto update after the first restart. Is that normal, or is there a way to shut it off???
 
Bump. Any word on the automatic update? I've followed all instructions and haven't seen any significant improvement in graphics performance.
 
Updating Catalyst

This guide it might work for a very limited certain uers. We may know that Windows also recognizes drivers registry entries wich most of are in use locked, and cannot be deleted with such programs like Driver Fusion (Driver Sweeper successor), at least not for me. So Windows will continue installing as PnP device your driver for the graphic card each time you delete it & reboot. Said that already, it won´t let you install any Catalyst package in this stage again properly, as it has issues with your registries. Maybe someone could drop more light into the issue.
 
The driver is uninstalled, not deleted. This update worked flawlessly for me in my mid-2011 MBP 15". To whomever OP may be, you have my thanks.
 
You need to install the drivers from the OS X cd or download them from apple. Drivers from AMD will not work.
 
tomlimb said:
Drivers from AMD will not work.
Click to expand...

Incorrect. As long as you have the full driver suite (~150 MB in size), it will install properly on a MBP. You can't get said file from AMD, as they require you to download a small web setup program first. Guru3D has a download section with correct links directly from AMD.
 
Happy to report that the version 13.3 Beta driver package as linked below worked for me fine. Some other observations:

- I'm running Win 7 64-bit, strangely enough I had no trouble keeping my drivers updated when running Win 7 32-bit.

- Don't choose to Delete the video drivers from your Device Manager tree. Nothing worked until I allowed them to be reinstalled, then it remembered all my settings and loaded the new driver.

- Always choose Custom Installation so that you will see exactly what the package is trying to give you. If one of the items is not "ATI Display Driver" then it's not working.

- Catalyst version 13.6 Beta does not appear to have Windows 7 drivers. It actually has one fewer MSI package than 13.3. If you're running Win 8 maybe it'll be fine?

- AMD's takeover has not make ATI products less of a headache. :p

- If all else fails, be aware that there is a 2011 Catalyst package specifically for Bootcamp, good for 2007-2011 systems. Even though the MAC Graphics choice in the driver search page doesn't normally give us the drivers we want, that's where the Bootcamp option is. http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/bootcamp-win7.aspx

And here's another good thread. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3866652?start=0&tstart=0
(Is Garrett998 also Ineidzcode? lol)
 
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StrudelTurnover said:
- I'm running Win 7 64-bit, strangely enough I had no trouble keeping my drivers updated when running Win 7 32-bit.
Click to expand...

The procedures are the same, and AMD has a 32-bit package, so there's no reason an update would not work on a system so equipped.

- Always choose Custom Installation so that you will see exactly what the package is trying to give you. If one of the items is not "ATI Display Driver" then it's not working.
Click to expand...

This step is not necessary because the driver does a hardware check before the installation can start and will halt if the core GPU is not listed in the appropriate .inf file(s).

- Catalyst version 13.6 Beta does not appear to have Windows 7 drivers. It actually has one fewer MSI package than 13.3. If you're running Win 8 maybe it'll be fine?
Click to expand...

I've installed the 13.6 driver on my Windows 7 partition. They are compatible, but have a rather serious bug where my machine would not wake up from sleep; lifting the lid would result in a black screen. Reinstalling the 13.5 beta 3 set fixes this problem and is probably the best performing set I've used on my 6770M equipped MBP.

- AMD's takeover has not make ATI products less of a headache.
Click to expand...

Won't argue with you there. :)

- If all else fails, be aware that there is a 2011 Catalyst package specifically for Bootcamp, good for 2007-2011 systems. Even though the MAC Graphics choice in the driver search page doesn't normally give us the drivers we want, that's where the Bootcamp option is. http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/bootcamp-win7.aspx
Click to expand...

This should only be used as an absolute last resort. However, there are quite a few sets of Catalyst drivers that work on MBPs that are not nearly as old. Until 13.5 beta 3, I kept the official/WHQL 13.1 drivers around as my backup/standby.
 
saturnotaku said:
The procedures are the same, and AMD has a 32-bit package, so there's no reason an update would not work on a system so equipped.
Click to expand...
I'm not clear what you mean. My point was that in my experience the procedures were absolutely not the same. AMD's own autodetect application worked perfectly fine under my Win7 32-bit. Always had the latest non-beta drivers installed, no issues.

Even some of Apple's own Bootcamp drivers have not been working since I switched to 64-bit. I have no Bootcamp Utility in my tray. And the various keyboard support refuses to install. I can't change my keyboard to not require Fn in order to use Function keys normally, or make use of volume shortcuts. Quite frustrating for games, as I'm sure you can imagine.

This step is not necessary because the driver does a hardware check before the installation can start and will halt if the core GPU is not listed in the appropriate .inf file(s).
Click to expand...
No, you're misinterpreting the suggestion. The package was correct for my GPU, the version(s) of the installer did not function as expected. This entire thread is about installers not functioning as expected.

I didn't mean to suggest it was necessary to choose Custom Install, I mean it will save the user a lot of time trying to install packages that won't appropriately install a driver.
Several times the installer listed and successfully installed exactly two things: 1. The Updater package. 2. HDMI Audio support. No video driver and no Catalyst Centre. It did not halt, because it had no reason to. If it doesn't say plainly it will install a video driver, try something else. That's all I'm talking about.

Reinstalling the 13.5 beta 3 set fixes this problem and is probably the best performing set I've used on my 6770M equipped MBP.
Click to expand...
Great to know!
 
Last edited:
StrudelTurnover said:
Even some of Apple's own Bootcamp drivers have not been working since I switched to 64-bit. I have no Bootcamp Utility in my tray. And the various keyboard support refuses to install. I can't change my keyboard to not require Fn in order to use Function keys normally, or make use of volume shortcuts. Quite frustrating for games, as I'm sure you can imagine.
Click to expand...

That's strange because the Windows Support Software you get directly from Apple works perfectly for me, save for the graphic drivers being horribly out of date. The keyboard is 100% functional, and the chipset drivers even install in AHCI mode so I have TRIM support for my SSD. With Boot Camp 4 software, I had to resort to file and registry hacking to enable AHCI, and even then it wasn't without consequences. The Boot Camp control panel and sleep mode stopped working.
 
Macbook Pro 15" 2011 6750m

I followed all of the instructions, downloaded the 12.6 beta (just to be safe) and am at the point where the ATI Catalyst control center installer is asking me what I want installed. Included on this page is "AMD Display Driver 8.890.0.0000" Is this the correct driver or should it read 12.6 or some other version number. I just don't want to be installing exactly what I had in the first place again with no updates. I will go ahead and install, but wanted to be sure that I am actually updating something.

Thanks
 
I'm trying to follow this procedure, but unfortunately the links to the BETA drivers 12.6 and 13.3 do not work anymore.

I've tried with the latest beta drivers from AMD, but they won't install correctly. In the middle of the installation some error occurs and windows reverts back to the old bootcamp drivers.

Edit:

I found the 13.3 beta driver here: http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=385614

The installation stopped when trying to install .NET 4.5. I cancelled, then tried again with custom install, and removed anything that wasn't the driver itself. It worked, device manager now shows driver 13.3 as installed :)
 
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Which Macbook are you using? I'm using and early 2011 Macbook pro with AMD Radeon HD6750m and I need driver 13.1 for Dragon Age Origins.
 
Attempting to do this with the 2015 15" rMBP w/R9 M370X GPU... I get an error saying no applicable AMD hardware was found. Might have to modify some ini files in the beta driver package...
 
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