Installation of Boot Camp with XP SP1

[mrbean850]

Hi,
like a number of ppl, I only had a legit XP Pro SP1 and not an SP2 version as required for a seamless Boot Camp install. (Actually I do have a legit SP2 CD but the activation key has been mislaid!... damn).

I was looking at going down the somewhat convoluted "slipstream" path to generate a working SP2 build utilising the SP1 key I had but what I have found is that the BootDir registry hack that had been used in the past for SP3 compatibility, also works for SP1 installs.

Basically the problem is that the Apple supplied Windows drivers requires the Installer from an SP2 build and the SP2 update fails on a Boot Camp partition without the BootDir hack.

So my suggested install method is as follows... ymmv. (Note this has been done with two identical MacBook Pro's with the latest Leopard build).

Create the BootCamp partition as per the standard instructions and using your XP Pro SP1 CD going through the usual Windows install dialogs to the point where it want's to restart.

I have found that when the Windows tries to shutdown to perform a restart that it hangs. Just hold down the power button on the Mac to force a shutdown leaving a minute or so just in case Windows is being slow.

Boot back to Windows (via standard Boot Camp Option button) and perform the registry hack as published elsewhere for SP3 updates. Basically it is adding a key 'BootDir' with a value of 'C:\' to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup

Note that you need to be able to right click on the mouse in regedit to create this key and at this point without the Apple drivers installed I don't think trackpad supports this so I have used a generic two button USB mouse.

Once this registry entry is added you can install the SP2 update (as downloaded from Microsoft - WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe).

Once again I have found that Windows still hangs after the SP2 install restart until the Apple updates are applied... so nail the power button again after a pause or two.

Once you are back to Windows again you can now install the Apple drivers found on the Disk 1 of you Leopard CD although I would recommend downloading the latest v2.1 from Apple if not. (Note there is a minor update to v2.1.1 available through the Apple Software Installation program).

I am not sure if you could go direct to SP3 using this method but I have tended to stick with SP2 as SP3 tends to slow bootup/shutdown. Most Mac users would use FireFox/Safari in preference to IE so you have already improved the security of XP

Hopefully this method work for you too.

 

[sabregreen]

You should slipstream SP2. The process you went through is unneeded. Slipstreaming is a better option since it replaces SP1 binaries. This makes the source updated from the get go. SP3 should be used however since this includes security patches. All windows security patches should be installed period.

Slipstreaming is very easy actually. All you have to do is:
1. Copy the XP cd source to your hard drive in a known folder. I suggest in the root of your OS drive(should be C in a folder name that has no spaces.
2. Then, download SP2. Once you have that, you need to extract the SP2 files by opening up the command prompt and dragging this SP2 file to the window and at the end tack on -x:c:\sp2. You can change sp2 to a different folder name if you wish.
3. Now, slipstream the SP2 files into the XP cd source you copied to your hard drive. To do this, go into the i386\update folder of the service pack files you extracted. So by example, c:\sp2\i386\update. Drag the update.exe file to the command prompt and tack on -s:c:\xp on the end. So it looks like c:\sp2\i386\update\update.exe -s:c:\xp. Change the xp folder name to the folder you used.
4. Once this is done, you need to create the bootable image. You can use a program called cdimagegui. Google this and download it. In this tool, you put the source path of the xp source folder you copied to your hard drive. Then, you go to the creation tab and hit create I believe. I don't have the program in front of me, but Its self explanatory from here.
5. Once that is done, burn the image to a cd. The file will be in iso format so nero, imgburn, etc can be used.

 

[chscag]

It's even easier if you let Autostreamer do it. (It's freeware.)

Regards.

 

[mikeb310]

Can you give me alittle more detail about the reg key. I added the BootDir and still can't install SP2

I bought a copy of XP Professional SP2 from Buy.com and they sent me one without and are not willing to replace or refund. I am screwed out of $$$ now please help

I have 15GB of space and it is saying I am 4mb short - what else can I do to get it to download??