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Apple Fails To Deliver On Windows 7 Boot Camp Promise

Posted by Soulskill on from the see-you-next-year dept.

SkydiverFL writes "For those fans of Apple's Boot Camp package, it looks like you might be waiting on the next 'end of year' to use Windows 7 on your shiny silver boxes. Back in October of this year, Apple published a rather short, but affirmative promise stating quite simply that, 'Apple will support Microsoft Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate) with Boot Camp in Mac OS X Snow Leopard before the end of the year. This support will require a software update to Boot Camp.' The support page has no updates regarding the new version. Maybe they're waiting for iSlate?"

17 of 279 comments (clear)

  1. The Vista drivers work fine by jonbryce · · Score: 4, Informative

    There is no need to wait. I installed Windows 7 bootcamp on the day it was released on Technet, and it worked fine with the Vista drivers.

    1. Re:The Vista drivers work fine by Z_A_Commando · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I have a friend with a 2008 MacBook Pro that absolutely could not, for whatever reason, get Windows 7 to run correctly on Bootcamp. He would start it up and be able to get to the login screen, but his MBP would report the keyboard and touchpad as something non-generic and require a driver that doesn't yet exist for Window 7. He could force-install a generic driver but the exact same thing would happen the next time Windows restarted because it detects a less than ideal driver and replaces it.

      Last I checked he was running 7 inside VMware instead, but he'd rather run it without a host OS under Bootcamp. As has been said lower here, it's not about the ability to run Windows 7 on Bootcamp, it's Apple's support of it. What's disappointing is they've had a lot longer than the GA of Windows 7 to put together this "update" and still haven't done it.

    2. Re:The Vista drivers work fine by PatJensen · · Score: 4, Informative

      This is not true. I also installed Windows 7 off of TechNet at launch, but a lot of stuff is broken. You will not get external audio jack support with Windows 7 OEM drivers on iMac 2009 machines. You will also not get internal microphone or mixer support with Windows 7 OEM drivers on iMac 2009 machines. If you intend on using any Voice over IP applications, Cisco IP Communicator, Ventrilo, Microsoft OCS - install Vista. And, updated sound drivers will not fix your problem. The Intel chipset drivers that ship native to boot camp are what are needed to map the mixer. Windows 7 driver support on iMac's are a sorry state of affairs.

  2. Umm... by Darkness404 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Um, I was under the impression that it was trivial to install Windows 7 on a Mac even without official boot camp support (per http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/01/15/using-boot-camp-to-install-windows-7-on-your-mac-the-complete-walkthrough/) whats the difference between the tutorial and what you would do normally?

    --
    Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
  3. i just posted this comment on my 27" imac by rizawbone · · Score: 4, Informative

    running windows 7. what's the issue? everything works great.

  4. Apple haters... by TimHunter · · Score: 5, Funny
    ...line up here on the left. No need to crowd, there'll be plenty of room for everybody. This is Slashdot, so remember the rules. Only fags and hipsters use Macs. "Fanboys" is spelled "fanbois." Macs are expensive, shiny and there aren't any games worth playing.

    Use the Preview button!

  5. Re:Why bother? by furball · · Score: 4, Informative

    PC World's fastest Windows laptop in 2007 was a MacBook Pro

  6. Why do you eschew choice? by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If you buy a Mac Laptop, you can run Windows, Linux or OS X, all fully supported.

    If you buy a Windows laptop, you can't officially run OS X - and of course it comes pre-loaded with Windows, not OS X.

    Considering you also get better quality hardware, it seems reasonable to pay a little more for more choice.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Why do you eschew choice? by mfnickster · · Score: 4, Informative

      If enough people request it, I'm sure Apple will include it.

      They already did-- but they call it "safe sleep," and it's not easily accessible from the System Preferences.

      http://developer.apple.com/mac/library/documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/man1/pmset.1.html
      http://www.jinx.de/SmartSleep.html

      --
      "Slow down, Cowboy! It has been 3 years, 7 months and 26 days since you last successfully posted a comment."
  7. Bootcamp a gimmick by fermion · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I always saw bootcamp as a gimmick to encourage MS Windows users to switch to Apple Hardware. If one buys a mac, and really can't stand OS X, one can always go back to MS Windows. Or if MS Windows must be run occasionally, then Bootcamp is an effective way to do so.

    While it is valid to complain that Apple missed a deadline, I am kind of surprised that Apple even made the effort to create a deadline. I cannot imagine people paying Apple prices to run MS Windows on an exclusive basis. I can imagine them paying such prices to run virtual machines with other OS.

    I would rather see Apple point customers toward Parallels or Fusion rather than working on trying to get MS Windows to work as the base OS. What would be even more cool is a kernal that could then be used to run any number of OS in virtual mode.

    --
    "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
    1. Re:Bootcamp a gimmick by stokessd · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I always saw bootcamp as a gimmick to encourage MS Windows users to switch to Apple Hardware. If one buys a mac, and really can't stand OS X, one can always go back to MS Windows. Or if MS Windows must be run occasionally, then Bootcamp is an effective way to do so.

      I use BootCamp for playing games (I still play a lot of UT2004) and for doing CAD (Autodesk Inventor and PCB design). All those really benefit from direct booting into windows. Plus the fascist copy protection in the CAD programs makes it difficult to run in parallels. I do use parallels for light CAD work and such, and I just boot from the BootCamp partition using parallels. IT's the best of both worlds.

      I need windows around to do things like PCB design, because there are no viable Mac alternatives. There is a lot of scientific packages are just plain don't exist on the Mac. With the Mac I have OS X for my daily stuff and much of my engineering design work, and occasionally use Windows for the few things I can't do on the mac. All on one quiet machine.

      Windows 7 works fine on my mid 2009 17" MBP using the vista drivers. I run XP though, as I don't need or want the extra features of "7" and the smaller footprint of XP makes it nicer for my needs.

      Sheldon

  8. Lost a little of my soul, but no other issues by RunzWithScissors · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Oddly, Windows 7 works just fine on my MacBook Pro 15".

    There was a Firmware update about 2 weeks ago, which may have been what we were waiting for; but I had no problems with it when I installed it today.

    -Runz

  9. Re:Virtualbox by BrentH · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Graphic cards arent virtualized. So if you want games, you gotta go to the Bootcamp!

  10. Re:Virtualbox by binarylarry · · Score: 4, Informative

    Not entirely correct.

    Virtualizing the graphics card already has support for all the major VMs (VirtualBox, VMWare, Parallels, etc) and it's being actively worked on with support from the big GPU ISVs.

    --
    Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
  11. uhhh... by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 4, Funny

    Maybe they're waiting for iSlate?

    iGuess...

    --
    You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
  12. Its Very Doable now by anethema · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here is some info not provided in the rest of the 'I'm posting from Win7" posts here is some helpful information.

    First, the Snow Leopard DVD includes boot camp 3.0, which VASTLY improves the use of the touchpad under Windows XP or Vista. It also mostly works under Windows 7.

    If you don't have a Snow Leopard DVD, here is a link to the drivers on TPB:

    http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5054638/Bootcamp_Driver_3.0_for_Windows_32bit__amp__64bit_%28from_Snow_Leopard

    After installing this updating the sound drivers and video drivers would be advisable since the ones that come in boot camp suck and/or cause crashes.

    http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us for video drivers. Select windows-7 then 32 or 64 bit depending on which you've chosen.
    ac
    http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=14&PFid=24&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false

    After this it should be reasonably stable.

    --


    It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
  13. Re:Why bother? by RedK · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You're comparing a tower PC to a small form factor PC. The only Dell comparable to a Mac Mini is a Studio Hybrid (the Zino and Zino HD use low power processors that aren't up to par with the Core 2 Duo in the Mini). The small form factor PCs are always a bit more expensive due to requiring laptop parts instead of desktop parts. Price out a Studio Hybrid vs a Mac Mini and compare more than just 3 specs (RAM, HD, CPU) and you'll see Apple isn't priced out of the market like you claim. But of course, that would require a good faith effort on your part.

    --
    "Not to mention all the idiots who use words like boxen."
    Anonymous Coward on Monday August 04, @06:49PM