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Windows 8.1 EFI on new Retina MBP 13"

T-Bob

T-Bob

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 23, 2013
677
366
New here, considering first time macbook but primarily for Windows use with ideally a small partition for OSX. There have been issues previously with EFI install and sound drivers I believe?

So wondering if new MBP fixes that, and also a general question, can MBP boot Windows as obscenely fast from power on as competing machines using EFI (Sony Vaio Pro i returned was 6-7 seconds from cold).
 
Ok maybe no-one knows about that yet. But what about general Windows installs. I hear the backlit keyboard, and touchpad aren't as good in Windows, how much worse are they?
 
i have mavericks, linux, windows 8.1 on my oct 2013 iris pro 15" rmbp

in windows using bootcamp 5.0 drivers the backlight and keyboard lights work perfectly and even have ambient sensors, the sound works fine, the touch pad works fine (although you need to leave the little bootcamp toolbar program running for multitouch), it boots fast though i have not timed it
 
actuallyinaus said:
i have mavericks, linux, windows 8.1 on my oct 2013 iris pro 15" rmbp

in windows using bootcamp 5.0 drivers the backlight and keyboard lights work perfectly and even have ambient sensors, the sound works fine, the touch pad works fine (although you need to leave the little bootcamp toolbar program running for multitouch), it boots fast though i have not timed it
Click to expand...

Thanks for that.

Here is the current state of play for Windows on new Retinas:

https://discussions.apple.com/message/23625662?ac_cid=tw123456


Seems Bootcamp needs an update for EFI installs.
 
boot up with windows 8.1 is really fast for me.. just as fast as os x. i installed via the usual bootcamp procedure.. does that mean it's not efi?
 
radiohead14 said:
boot up with windows 8.1 is really fast for me.. just as fast as os x. i installed via the usual bootcamp procedure.. does that mean it's not efi?
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I've never done it, but on install there should be an EFI option in bootcamp that you select?
 
T-Bob said:
I've never done it, but on install there should be an EFI option in bootcamp that you select?
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i don't think there is one. might have to run it later to see, but as far as i know.. there wasn't an option.. both times when i ran it on my Air with Windows 7, and now with my rMBP with 8.1
 
radiohead14 said:
hmm.. definitely did not see that. will read up more on it tho. but to be honest.. bootup via the normal bootcamp procedure is real fast already. is there any other advantages of having it installed via efi?
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What is the speed from power on to desktop/metro?

I found 7 seconds boot so fast that is is like waking from sleep on an older generation. If you double that to 14 seconds then that is suboptimal. EFI is faster.
 
The only advantage to EFI is that you can save a few seconds off the boot times, which isn't really that much anyways given the SSD. I don't see why people fuss over trying to get it installed for an EFI boot.
 
neteng101 said:
The only advantage to EFI is that you can save a few seconds off the boot times, which isn't really that much anyways given the SSD. I don't see why people fuss over trying to get it installed for an EFI boot.
Click to expand...
No, you're missing a major point (or two).

With EFI installation and GPT you are not limited to 4 partitions any more. You can have as many as you want (up to 128) without any fear of mismatched MBR and GPT partition tables.
This means no more wrecked Boot Camp partitions when you upgrade OSX, for instance.
No more (illegal) hybrid MBR monstrosity.

It's much more than the possibility of just faster booting.
 
Quackers said:
With EFI installation and GPT you are not limited to 4 partitions any more. You can have as many as you want (up to 128) without any fear of mismatched MBR and GPT partition tables.
Click to expand...

Uh - and why would you want all those partitions? The whole point of having a Mac is to have a simpler life... creating a ton of partitions is old school stupid in this day and age.

I just don't understand why people feel the need to make things needlessly complicated for themselves. If you didn't bother trying to get smart, you wouldn't have any corrupted partitions and boot records/etc. It works perfectly fine, if you do it via Boot Camp Assistant and just create the single partition for Windows.
 
Why even use Windows at all? Everything is fine in OSX, Safari, Finder, OpenGL, Office 2011 Zzzzz

But seriously, people have different needs, and one is the need for speed with simultaneous device detection baby.
 
T-Bob said:
Why even use Windows at all? Everything is fine in OSX, Safari, Finder, OpenGL, Office 2011 Zzzzz

But seriously, people have different needs, and one is the need for speed with simultaneous device detection baby.
Click to expand...

Yes why are you even buying a Mac primarily for Windows. You should switch to OSX and keep a *SMALL* Windows partition at most. Stop being silly and using that pig ugly monstrosity called Windows. ;)

Its like buying a Ferrari and running it on regular gas. :(
 
neteng101 said:
Uh - and why would you want all those partitions? The whole point of having a Mac is to have a simpler life... creating a ton of partitions is old school stupid in this day and age.

I just don't understand why people feel the need to make things needlessly complicated for themselves. If you didn't bother trying to get smart, you wouldn't have any corrupted partitions and boot records/etc. It works perfectly fine, if you do it via Boot Camp Assistant and just create the single partition for Windows.
Click to expand...
Nice attitude. Who mentioned I would be using "primarily" Windows? Not me.
A Mac comes with an EFI partition, a recovery partition and an OSX partition.
A Boot Camp partition makes 4. That's the maximum with the hybrid MBR created by Boot Camp.

Some people like to install a Linux system on their laptop - Ubuntu for instance.
But they can't if they've already got a Boot Camp partition (without some jiggery pokery).

Other people might like to have a data partition to share data between their OSX and their Boot Camp partition - but they can't when using a hybrid MBR.

It's not a matter of getting "smart", it's a matter of choice and having that choice taken away.

Mac's start off with an EFI partition and GPT.
For some unfathomable reason as soon as you want Windows on that system Apple decide that you have to go from GPT-only to hybrid MBR plus GPT. This is a dangerous and unsafe combination.
Apple also insist that the neither the Boot Camp partition nor the OSX partition can be resized once Boot Camp is used. That's ridiculous!

Just look at the number of posts on the forum at the moment asking why their Boot Camp partition doesn't boot any more since they upgraded to Mavericks.

It's a ridiculous system and it needs to be changed, imho.

Not smart, just sensible.
 
Quackers said:
Some people like to install a Linux system on their laptop - Ubuntu for instance.
Click to expand...

Waste of time doing a native install of Linux, just run it in a VM. Like I said, people are just wasting their time making their lives needlessly overcomplicated.

Just look at the number of posts on the forum at the moment asking why their Boot Camp partition doesn't boot any more since they upgraded to Mavericks.
Click to expand...

Thanks to people who made their lives more complicated than they needed it to be. It pays to KISS - keep it stupid simple!

Not smart, just sensible.
Click to expand...

Sensible would be avoiding needlessly complicating your own life, and wasting your time with trying to juggle a ton of EFI boots. I looked at rEFIt once upon a time, and couldn't run away from it quick enough, I knew better than to even attempt messing with it.
 
T-Bob said:
What is the speed from power on to desktop/metro?

I found 7 seconds boot so fast that is is like waking from sleep on an older generation. If you double that to 14 seconds then that is suboptimal. EFI is faster.
Click to expand...

it's about 9 secs. i do have Classic Shell installed tho, so it bypasses the lock and apps screen and just goes straight to my desktop. it really feels about the same as booting into os x.
 
neteng101 said:
Yes why are you even buying a Mac primarily for Windows. You should switch to OSX and keep a *SMALL* Windows partition at most. Stop being silly and using that pig ugly monstrosity called Windows. ;)

Its like buying a Ferrari and running it on regular gas. :(
Click to expand...

Eh believe me I wouldn't even consider it if there were a handful of Windows machines at spec parity. Don't like the ecosystem, and don't like a machine with a pointless light on the back that is worse than most car badges.

I get that 99.9% of Mac owners hate Windows but some hobos have to run that cheap gas :D

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radiohead14 said:
it's about 9 secs. i do have Classic Shell installed tho, so it bypasses the lock and apps screen and just goes straight to my desktop. it really feels about the same as booting into os x.
Click to expand...

Nice. Is that 9 secs from power switch or 9 secs from Partiton selection?
 
T-Bob said:
I get that 99.9% of Mac owners hate Windows but some hobos have to run that cheap gas :D
Click to expand...

It has its functions, no reason to hate it, just no reason to run it more than one needs to. But I can see why you're looking for EFI support nonetheless.

Apple has a pretty poor record of supporting/fixing stuffs that doesn't exactly fit into their world view, it is just how they are, and Windows on Mac has always been a 2nd fiddle. Boot camp could see more love, so could EFI support, etc... but that's the reality when you buy a Mac, you're really buying into the Apple way or they'll leave you by the roadside stranded.
 
Quackers said:
Apple also insist that neither the Boot Camp partition nor the OSX partition can be resized once Boot Camp is used. That's ridiculous!.
Click to expand...

i also learned that you can't use Disk Utility to erase a Bootcamp created partition. it just keeps telling me it failed to unmount. not sure if it's just my case, but the only way to do so, is to go through Bootcamp again.

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T-Bob said:
Nice. Is that 9 secs from power switch or 9 secs from Partiton selection?
Click to expand...

from partition selection, but that can be 9 secs flat if i just boot into windows as default from the bootcamp preferences.
 
radiohead14 said:
i also learned that you can't use Disk Utility to erase a Bootcamp created partition. it just keeps telling me it failed to unmount. not sure if it's just my case, but the only way to do so, is to go through Bootcamp again.

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from partition selection, but that can be 9 secs flat if i just boot into windows as default from the bootcamp preferences.
Click to expand...

Yeah thought you could default Windows. Genius told me you always had to press shift. Then again he also said they don't use ssds just the inbuilt 'flash' so had a lot of salt with me.
 
neteng101 said:
Waste of time doing a native install of Linux, just run it in a VM. Like I said, people are just wasting their time making their lives needlessly overcomplicated.
Click to expand...

Between statements like this and your view of Windows bootcamp, why are you even reading/posting in this subform?!?!
 
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