Why is Boot Camp so fussy?

[Draeconis]

I got my MBP a little while ago now and I'm really enjoying it, but I came across my first issue about a week ago. I call it issue, it's not really an issue as such but Boot Camp doesn't behave like I expected it would.

When I start it up, it asks for a 32bit XP SP2 or Vista Disk. I had a copy of Vista x64 ready to install, and predictably, it rejected the disk. So I tried my Vista 32bit disk.. and Boot Camp rejected it. I was a little confused by now, but didn't think much of it. I then tried a slipstreamed SP3 copy of Windows XP 32bit, and again, Boot Camp rejected it. Finally I tried an ordinary copy of XP SP2 32bit, and Boot Camp magically accepts it.

The point is, why is Boot Camp so fussy, when drivers for XP32, XP64, Vista32 and Vista64 are all on the Leopard DVD? I had to install XP 32bit SP2 just to then format the partition with Vista x64 and install that.

In addition, I'm wondering how to install Ubuntu on it? I'm guessing I'd have to install XP like with Vista and then format, but then I don't know how the MBPs EFIs emulation of BIOS will like the grub bootloader instead of the Windows one.

 

[JNB]

Boot Camp didn't reject it, it's just a partitioning utility.

Possibly the slipstreamed CD's aren't done in a way that are acceptable as an installation disk, or a slightly dodgy SuperDrive in the MBP. Hard to say, your description is a little hard to narrow down what is OEM, and what isn't.

 

[KelchM]

I'm not sure I understand how bootcamp is 'rejecting' your discs. When exactly does the bootcamp assistant even examine the installation media? It never did for me.

Every time I've used it I've simply launched the assistant, resized my OS X partition and then rebooted with the windows install disc in the drive. Then all you need to do is hold down option and select the windows disc.

easy.

 

[Draeconis]

They're all OEM disks apart from the xp sp3 disk which I created myself via slipstreaming. When I run Boot Camp, after it partitions the hard drive it asks for a valid 32 bit XP or Vista disk, does it not ask you? It then checks my superdrive and spits the disk out unless it's the oem 32bit xp sp2 disk claiming it does not recognise the install media.

 

[Cromulent]

They're all OEM disks apart from the xp sp3 disk which I created myself via slipstreaming. When I run Boot Camp, after it partitions the hard drive it asks for a valid 32 bit XP or Vista disk, does it not ask you? It then checks my superdrive and spits the disk out unless it's the oem 32bit xp sp2 disk claiming it does not recognise the install media.

SP3 was not around when the Bootcamp assistant was released in its current form. Just install SP2 and upgrade from there.