Problem with Core i7 iMac and Windows 7

Edit : just figured it out, see reply

Hi,

I just got my new 27" iMac, and wanted to install Windows 7 64 bit via Boot Camp.
The installation went fine, but now when the iMac restarts, after the Windows loading screen, I just get a black screen, no display.

Windows works, I was able to use it in VMware. I read here and there that there were problems with the ATI card in Windows 7, so I tried to install the Boot Camp drivers in VMware, even the ATI Catalyst ones.
Even after that, no display in Windows.

I read that someone here used a external display to make windows work at first. Do you think there is an other solution?

Thanks a lot.

 

Well, I finally found a solution. I think it could be useful for people in my case. Here is what you should do (you need another computer available).

Solution for Core i7 iMacs and Windows 7:

- Install Windows 7 normally. When it reboots at some point, you should get a black screen and nothing else.

- Start your Boot Camp partition as a virtual machine in VMware.

If VMware does not want to start the Boot Camp partition because Windows was not stopped normally, reboot into Windows in Safe Mode (press F8 when Windows is about to start). It will tell you that it cannot finish the install in Safe Mode, then it will reboot. Press ALT when it reboots and boot into Mac OS X.

- Use VMware Fusion to install LogMeIn (a VNC program) on the Windows partition. You need to create a LogMeIn account as well in VMware. Now your iMac should be added to your LogMeIn account.

- Reboot into Windows. You will get a black screen of course, but now you will be able to use LogMeIn to control the iMac.

- Put the Mac OS X DVD in the iMac

- Go to LogMeIn.com on an other computer and use Remote Control to control the iMac. Go to the Mac OS X DVD > Boot Camp > Drivers > ATI > and run ATIGraphicsSetupWindows7

- Install the drivers normally

- Boom, your iMac display should finally turn on.

- You can quit LogMeIn.com on your MBP

Hope it helps some

 

No, it really was a graphics card problem. I could hear the Windows starting sound and was able to control the iMac using LogMeIn. I just had no display. Installing the drivers enabled the iMac display right away.

They are not trying to phase out Windows support, it's just that Windows 7 is not officially supported yet, they said it would be before the end of 2009 I think. For the time being, you have to hack a bit to make it work, apparently on the new iMac even more, because it worked directly on my MBP.

 

Simpler that what I did for sure. Thanks!