Which bootcamp drivers to use?

[PliSsK]

I recently managed to install Win 8.1 Pro x86 on my early 2008 24" 8,1 iMac using Bootcamp 2.0 in the original Leopard OS that came with the system. I now want to try to install bootcamp windows drivers.

I couldn't get either Windows XP, 7 or 8 (x86 or x64) to install in any of the more recent versions of OS X, although I didn't test it exhaustively, which is why I used Leopard. This was restricted to x86 version of Windows of course.

I tried to install bootcamp 4 drivers but the bootcamp set up file didn't work. I was prompted to download a more recent version of bootcamp drivers, v5, but it would not work with x86 Win 8.

I can of course click on the individual driver install files and choose those I require rather than using the main bootcamp set up file (all dated 2011); or I could go to the (non-Apple) manufacturers' web sites and download the latest drivers from there. I was however wondering if there was a better/more efficient way of doing this?

Thanks!

 

[Surrat]

I'm curious as to why you installed the 32bit version of win81. I know that retail win81 normal, or pro both include 32bit and 64bit disks.

That imac has a core 2 cpu, shouldn't it run the 64bit version of win81 just fine? The bootcamp 5 drivers are for 64bit only as far as I know.

If there is a reason 64bit cant be used, then sorry, I dont own any intel imacs.

 

[PliSsK]

I'm curious as to why you installed the 32bit version of win81. I know that retail win81 normal, or pro both include 32bit and 64bit disks.

That imac has a core 2 cpu, shouldn't it run the 64bit version of win81 just fine? The bootcamp 5 drivers are for 64bit only as far as I know.

If there is a reason 64bit cant be used, then sorry, I dont own any intel imacs.

I installed x86 Win 8.1 because I could not get x64 Win 8.1 to boot up from the DVD. You are correct, theoretically my iMac could support x64 windows as it has an x64 compliant processor. I believe the issue is with it only supporting EFI v1.1.

I have Win XP Home Edition already and I couldn't boot up from the DVD directly or in any Bootcamp other than the original Leopard that came with the iMac. I had read somewhere that you couldn't install Windows XP on an old iMac on anything other than the bootcamp from the original OS.

My iMac with Mavericks, which is what I'm running, has Boot Camp 5 and should support Win 7 x86. I had the DVD, but it wouldn't install or boot up from the DVD. I couldn't get Win 8.1 x86 or XP HE to boot up from Snow Leopard, or in SL boot camp. So I gave up, wiped the machine and installed Leopard again. Leopard bootcamp only supports x86, so I decided to install x86 Win 8.1 and hack it to perform better. I could probably have installed x86 Win 7 from Leopard.

I realised that the drivers for BC 5 were x64 only and that BC 4 drivers were for Win 7, so neither BC app would work in Windows after some experimentation. BC 3 wouldn't work either. So it seems clear that x86 Win 8.1 is not officially supported by Apple. Had I installed x86 Win 7 then I could have used BC 4.

Funnily enough, I downloaded the latest Nvidia GeForce 8800 GS driver for Windows 8.1 x86 - as the one on BC 4 was from 2011 - and when running the install exe in Win 8.1, it couldn't complete and totally scrambled my display driver so the display just showed large black and white squares. After restarting Windows enough times, I eventually got a message saying that the machine was going to revert back to the last stable configuration. Theoretically it should have worked.

My original plan was to install x64 Win 8.1 natively, without bootcamp, to increase speed, but I gave up on that plan when it became clear that this generation of iMac won't boot the DVD because it doesn't support UEFI or EFI 2.2 (?)

 

[Surrat]

Good grief, sounds like you went thru every option and the imac laughed at you.

My only intel is a mac pro 5,1 and windows 8.1 was effortless to install. I guess I didnt think it would be such a pain on other intel macs.

What about using bootcamp to install windows 7, with its drivers, then use 8.1 as an upgrade? Or just stay with 7, at least its still updated, XP is a lost cause.