Installing Windows 8.1 and Bootcamp on 2013 nMP 6,1

[kfscoll]

Ok, I've called apple tech support, we tried a few things to no avail. He's sending my case up to their engineers and hopefully they'll get back to me before the end of the week, if not early next week. I'll post here as soon as I have a solution (if I get one). Let me know if you guys have any success!

Good luck and keep us posted. Personally I'm satisfied with the no-Boot-Camp-external-drive solution I came up with since I'd always wanted my Windows partition on an external SSD anyway. But I am curious why it's random as to who has problems with Boot Camp and who doesn't -- it's evidently much the same story with the 2013 rMBP folks, too.

 

[Lumpydog]

Good luck and keep us posted. Personally I'm satisfied with the no-Boot-Camp-external-drive solution I came up with since I'd always wanted my Windows partition on an external SSD anyway. But I am curious why it's random as to who has problems with Boot Camp and who doesn't -- it's evidently much the same story with the 2013 rMBP folks, too.

Good point - maybe size of SSD or Graphics Card Drivers?

Mine (Boot Camp Installed win 8.1 just fine):

256GB SSD
FirePro 500
16GB Memory

 

[kfscoll]

Good point - maybe size of SSD or Graphics Card Drivers?

Mine (Boot Camp Installed win 8.1 just fine):

256GB SSD
FirePro 500
16GB Memory

Maybe you're on to something. Mine (Boot Camp didn't work):
512GB SSD
FirePro D700
16GB RAM

 

[Anim]

Maybe you're on to something. Mine (Boot Camp didn't work):
512GB SSD
FirePro D700
16GB RAM

Same as my spec when it arrives. Boo. Not looking forwards to doing this now. Will probably just install on the internal and after Apple sort out their Bootcamp drivers will WinClone it to an external and recover the internal space.

 

[hfg]

FWIW: for those attempting Windows install to external Thunderbolt case...

I have had mixed results with booting Windows from an external Thunderbolt SSD depending on what enclosure brand I am using. Some don't seem to load a bootable driver (and briefly display a message about SATA interface chip) and then fail with "Boot drive not found ..." error messages. Note that this is using Mac Mini and iMac computers, I don't have a nMP at this time.

Thunderbolt enclosures which work for me:
Seagate GoFlex and Thunderbolt portable bus powered adapter sled
(and desktop powered GoFlex interface from other posters here)
LaCie Rugged SSD

Thunderbolt enclosures which have not worked (so far) for booting :
LaCie Little Big Disk (OK for data drive)
Oyen MiniPro Thunderbolt SSD (OK for data drive)
Promise Technology Pegasus J4 (doesn't claim to be Windows compatible)



-howard

 

[TekAzurik]

Maybe you're on to something. Mine (Boot Camp didn't work):
512GB SSD
FirePro D700
16GB RAM

hmm interesting. I also have the 512 and it didn't work. Perhaps it's an issue with the flash storage.

Anyone out there with a 512 had success? Maybe using a dvd instead of a USB drive?

Also does anyone know if it's worth it to spend the $80 on a superdrive and not $30 on ANY other USB powered dvd drive?

 

[kfscoll]

Same as my spec when it arrives. Boo. Not looking forwards to doing this now. Will probably just install on the internal and after Apple sort out their Bootcamp drivers will WinClone it to an external and recover the internal space.

Well, the problem many are having is that they can't get it to complete installation on the internal hard drive. The only way I was able to do it was by completely skipping Boot Camp and installing it on an external (right now a 2.5" 500GB HD in an Oyen Digital FW800/USB3 enclosure).

----------

FWIW:

I have had mixed results with booting Windows from an external Thunderbolt SSD depending on what enclosure brand I am using. Some don't seem to load a bootable driver (and briefly display a message about SATA interface chip) and then fail with "Boot drive not found ..." error messages. Note that this is using Mac Mini and iMac computers, I don't have a nMP at this time.

Thunderbolt enclosures which work for me:
Seagate GoFlex and Thunderbolt portable bus powered (and desktop powered interface from other posters here)
LaCie Rugged SSD

Thunderbolt enclosures which have not worked (so far):
LaCie Little Big Disk
Oyen MiniPro Thunderbolt SSD

I'm glad to hear the LaCie Rugged SSD worked...that's the drive I just ordered (256GB) that I plan to migrate my current installation to using Acronis Migrate Easy.

----------

hmm interesting. I also have the 512 and it didn't work. Perhaps it's an issue with the flash storage.

Anyone out there with a 512 had success? Maybe using a dvd instead of a USB drive?

Also does anyone know if it's worth it to spend the $80 on a superdrive and not $30 on ANY other USB powered dvd drive?

I tried both a DVD and a USB drive and had no luck with either. My DVD drive is actually a desktop Lite-On BD burner in a 3.5" enclosure. I think the issue has something to do with the Mac's internal flash drive too.

 

[benjuddeffect]

Ok, I've called apple tech support, we tried a few things to no avail. He's sending my case up to their engineers and hopefully they'll get back to me before the end of the week, if not early next week. I'll post here as soon as I have a solution (if I get one). Let me know if you guys have any success!

I've been dealing with this problem for the last 2 weeks. Already and the ticket sent up to engineering and I was told there are lots of people with this problem and they know about it. Absolutely no idea when it will be fixed. I think it is a firmware issue since I have tried the following:

-Home version of 8.1 (Japanese)
-Pro version of 8.0 (English)
-Super Drive Load of Windows
-USB3 Blu-ray drive Load of Windows
-ISO directly on USB key Load
-3 Different variations of USB key
-External load of Win 8 via an external Thunderbolt drive
-Formatting in Tuxera before loading on Windows

All with the same error.

Having tried literally every solution set I could find, it really seems like waiting for Apple to prioritize this is the only solution. Shame. I love the computer but I also want to game with Crossfire on.

Hopefully this won't take 3 months like normal firmware updates.

 

[TekAzurik]

I've been dealing with this problem for the last 2 weeks. Already and the ticket sent up to engineering and I was told there are lots of people with this problem and they know about it. Absolutely no idea when it will be fixed. I think it is a firmware issue since I have tried the following:

-Home version of 8.1 (Japanese)
-Pro version of 8.0 (English)
-Super Drive Load of Windows
-USB3 Blu-ray drive Load of Windows
-ISO directly on USB key Load
-3 Different variations of USB key
-External load of Win 8 via an external Thunderbolt drive
-Formatting in Tuxera before loading on Windows

All with the same error.

Having tried literally every solution set I could find, it really seems like waiting for Apple to prioritize this is the only solution. Shame. I love the computer but I also want to game with Crossfire on.

Hopefully this won't take 3 months like normal firmware updates.

Thanks for the heads up. It's actually good to hear others have exhausted all the options, and I can stop trying all the stupid ideas I come up with. I'll just sit and see if Apple comes back to me with anything. I'd say everyone else on here struggling should call in and get their case sent up the chain so they prioritize it.

 

[Anim]

I've been dealing with this problem for the last 2 weeks.

Whats size is your internal SSD?

 

[kfscoll]

I've been dealing with this problem for the last 2 weeks. Already and the ticket sent up to engineering and I was told there are lots of people with this problem and they know about it. Absolutely no idea when it will be fixed. I think it is a firmware issue since I have tried the following:

-Home version of 8.1 (Japanese)
-Pro version of 8.0 (English)
-Super Drive Load of Windows
-USB3 Blu-ray drive Load of Windows
-ISO directly on USB key Load
-3 Different variations of USB key
-External load of Win 8 via an external Thunderbolt drive
-Formatting in Tuxera before loading on Windows

All with the same error.

Having tried literally every solution set I could find, it really seems like waiting for Apple to prioritize this is the only solution. Shame. I love the computer but I also want to game with Crossfire on.

Hopefully this won't take 3 months like normal firmware updates.

See my earlier post in this thread...there's a way to get Windows running without using Boot Camp. I'm using this method and it works fine despite the fact I could never get Boot Camp to work.

 

[TekAzurik]

See my earlier post in this thread...there's a way to get Windows running without using Boot Camp. I'm using this method and it works fine despite the fact I could never get Boot Camp to work.

The only issue is that your method requires a separate windows machine or parallels which is a very long way to go for this process. If it turns out it's going to take Apple months to fix this issue I will probably resort to it, but it's a day of work instead of an hour. Not ideal.

 

[FlotationDevice]

Success via Winclone on 6 core / D500 / 16 gig

All,

I was able to use Winclone to port my Windows 8.1 partition from a early 2013 rMBP to my new 6 core / D500 / 16 gig / 256.

I ran chkdsk /b per Winclone's instructions a few times--and before I did a windows cleanup to remove all the windows update crap that was taking about 500 meg.

If anyone needs some, I'd be happy to run benchmarking apps--I don't own Windows rendering/photo software but if you have something in mind I'll try it and post results.

 

[FlotationDevice]

Well slight update to my post...after running and restarting a few times for Windows updates, my Bootcamp appears bricked.

When I boot to that partition (on my SSD) I get through maybe half of the normal startup. Then the screen blinks, and thereafter only an occasional (maybe every ten seconds or so) picture of a computer with what appears to be either a microphone or TB cable on its left.

The picture appears only for a split second, then disappears for about 10 seconds.

MacOS partition boots fine.

Well my Windows playing was a curiosity relative to my intended nMP use, so not a big deal if I wipe the partition and give up. But if anyone has ideas, I'm game (and am happy to run benchmarks if it's still novel).

All,

I was able to use Winclone to port my Windows 8.1 partition from a early 2013 rMBP to my new 6 core / D500 / 16 gig / 256.

I ran chkdsk /b per Winclone's instructions a few times--and before I did a windows cleanup to remove all the windows update crap that was taking about 500 meg.

If anyone needs some, I'd be happy to run benchmarking apps--I don't own Windows rendering/photo software but if you have something in mind I'll try it and post results.

 

[kfscoll]

Well, it looks like the other shoe has dropped, and my Windows 8.1 installation is starting to randomly blue screen on me. It's weird because after the post-mortem reboot I get a message telling me not to disconnect my USB drive before the system has completely shut down. So, I'm hoping that the problem lies with the USB3 enclosures I'm using right now (they're Oyen Digital MiniPros). Hopefully my LaCie Rugged SSD will work better and get me past these blue screens but that's probably just wishful thinking -- it's more likely that I'll be waiting for a "real" Boot Camp fix from Apple just like everyone else.

 

[Stageshoot]

So frustrated. I've spend about 3 hours trying to install Windows 8 on my nMP. I've tried both 8.0 pro and 8.1 versions and both load all the way to the end, then I encounter so weird error saying it couldn't complete the install. Happens at 100%.

Could it be some issue with the fact that I'm using Japanese windows?

Having exactly the same error on my nMP trying to install win8 from a stick, I know the stick is good but it just crashes at end of install with the error

2 hours on phone to apple and the onLy solution they can offer is return it as faulty (which I doubt it is)



Mine is. 6core 512 16 D700


So it seems so far it's just the D700 users having a problem getting windows on

I had a look at the EFI workaround method but it's a bit much for my fuddled old brain

 

[Bones13]

Hex/256/16/D700 is my spec too. I have read all sorts of success and failure with getting a bootable external TB SSD Bootcamp.

D700 cards, and 512 SSD internal drives have been implicated on this thread, as have various external SSD enclosure interfaces.

I have bootcamped several MBPs (no rMBP though, latest is the last 17inch), and redone my 3,1 MP many times during the years as I upgraded this or that. From time to time it's been a driver, or moving a card. From one slot to another, that makes a difference.

A new thread has been started for people to list their working bootcamp install. I think we will learn more from the successful installations. I know I have felt very stupid trying over and over to get something like this done, only to find some, often tiny, error that was wrong all the time.

 

[vhp3]

No success

I am not able to get past the final stage of the install. I have tried about 3-4 different solutions that I have found on web (create manual partition, win disk util to add letter to EFI drive, etc).

The error I receive every singe time:

WINDOWS COULD NOT UPDATE THE BOOT CONFIGURATION. INSTALL CANNOT PROCEED

My specs:
nMP / 6-core / D700

I am using the win 8.1 download installed to thumb. So frustrating!!!

 

[kfscoll]

We're going to have to wait on a Boot Camp update from Apple on this one. Sucks.

 

[jesush1234]

Hello;

I am also having this exact issue on a brand new MacPro.

(3.5ghz 6-Core, 16gb ram, 1tb SSD, D7OO)

I tried installing both Windows 8 and 8.1 using a USB stick via Boot Camp and Disk Utility, It gets stuck at the end of the installation. "can't update boot configuration"

I also called apple support and they were gonna escalate this issue.

Any other ideas to get this working?

Thank You!

 

[Killerbob]

So it seems like nobody with the D700 videocards have had a successful installation of Windows via Boot Camp. I have seen people on D500s and D300s have no problem, and it doesn't seem to matter what size SSD is used. So, the videocard drivers for Boot Camp need to be updated - that might take a while...

 

[kfscoll]

Well, it looks like the other shoe has dropped, and my Windows 8.1 installation is starting to randomly blue screen on me. It's weird because after the post-mortem reboot I get a message telling me not to disconnect my USB drive before the system has completely shut down. So, I'm hoping that the problem lies with the USB3 enclosures I'm using right now (they're Oyen Digital MiniPros). Hopefully my LaCie Rugged SSD will work better and get me past these blue screens but that's probably just wishful thinking -- it's more likely that I'll be waiting for a "real" Boot Camp fix from Apple just like everyone else.

Well, I've been running Windows 8.1 for about three hours today off my external and so far (touch wood) I haven't had any blue screens. I've been playing Far Cry 3 and so far so good. Windows did grab a bunch of updates last night and I overwrote Apple's Boot Camp D700 drivers with the latest AMD Catalyst driver release (the cards are identified as "Radeon HD 7900 series" FWIW) so maybe that helped.

Again, Boot Camp hasn't work for me, but the workaround I posted earlier is showing great promise. I'm really interested in seeing how it works once I move my Windows installation from a slow spinning laptop drive in a USB3 enclosure to a Thunderbolt SSD.

 

[vhp3]

Well, I've been running Windows 8.1 for about three hours today off my external and so far (touch wood) I haven't had any blue screens. I've been playing Far Cry 3 and so far so good. Windows did grab a bunch of updates last night and I overwrote Apple's Boot Camp D700 drivers with the latest AMD Catalyst driver release (the cards are identified as "Radeon HD 7900 series" FWIW) so maybe that helped.

Again, Boot Camp hasn't work for me, but the workaround I posted earlier is showing great promise. I'm really interested in seeing how it works once I move my Windows installation from a slow spinning laptop drive in a USB3 enclosure to a Thunderbolt SSD.

I was going to try your workaround, but I have the install.esd file.

 

[vhp3]

My Working Solution

Ok so after almost 24 hours of owning the nMP. I have been trying several methods of installing WINDOWS on my internal SSD. I failed every time. I tried several methods that I found here and other places.

Last, I tried something a bit different. I purchased my nMP to replace my late 2103 iMac. Yes, I like new and shiny! Here is how i got a working copy installed to an external Thunderbolt SSD. My plan was to clone my iMac bootcamp partition to my new SAMSUNG 840 EVO w/segate go-pro thunderbolt adapter.

1) Ran chkdsk for errors / did the did the SYSPREP.
2) I formatted my SAMSUNG w/disk utility and followed the instructions to make a FAT partition with GPT selected under options.
3) My bootcamp on my iMac was larger than my Samsung SSD. imac= 768 vs Samsuing=500. I had to shrink the partition in Winclone while restoring the image to the Samsung. It worked!
4) I disconnected my SSD from the iMac and plugged into the nMP.
5) Reboot and configuration screen, etc. Super quick boot into windows.
6) Installed bootcamp drivers and reboot
7) Tried opening AMD Catalyst and there was an error. I started to think this was not going to work.
8) I went to device manager --> Display Adapters --> and did update software.
After a reboot I was able to open the Catalyst Manager.
9) I downloaded the latest drivers from AMD and tried a couple games. All seems to run very well.

I hope it stays this way. I will try to keep you updated if anything changes.

 

[kfscoll]

Ok so after almost 24 hours of owning the nMP. I have been trying several methods of installing WINDOWS on my internal SSD. I failed every time. I tried several methods that I found here and other places.

Last, I tried something a bit different. I purchased my nMP to replace my late 2103 iMac. Yes, I like new and shiny! Here is how i got a working copy installed to an external Thunderbolt SSD. My plan was to clone my iMac bootcamp partition to my new SAMSUNG 840 EVO w/segate go-pro thunderbolt adapter.

1) Ran chkdsk for errors / did the did the SYSPREP.
2) I formatted my SAMSUNG w/disk utility and followed the instructions to make a FAT partition with GPT selected under options.
3) My bootcamp on my iMac was larger than my Samsung SSD. imac= 768 vs Samsuing=500. I had to shrink the partition in Winclone while restoring the image to the Samsung. It worked!
4) I disconnected my SSD from the iMac and plugged into the nMP.
5) Reboot and configuration screen, etc. Super quick boot into windows.
6) Installed bootcamp drivers and reboot
7) Tried opening AMD Catalyst and there was an error. I started to think this was not going to work.
8) I went to device manager --> Display Adapters --> and did update software.
After a reboot I was able to open the Catalyst Manager.
9) I downloaded the latest drivers from AMD and tried a couple games. All seems to run very well.

I hope it stays this way. I will try to keep you updated if anything changes.

View attachment 458218

This is very similar to what I had to do to get Windows running on my nMP. Basically both you and I had to get a good Windows installation working on another Mac's external drive and then, once Windows was up and running, we had to plug that external into the nMP and let Windows reconfigure itself for the new hardware.

FWIW Windows has been running great all day. Maybe a driver issue was causing my BSODs.