Installing Windows XP's 64-bit Edition on a Mac Pro
So I've just bought a new Macintosh workstation, one of the fancy ones with too many Xeon "Woodcrest" 64-bit processors inside. I'm gonna install Windows XP, 64-bit edition, on it, because the 64-bit edition is free for 3 months, and I don't own any edition of Windows.
Notes
- the XP64 installer doesn't recognize the keyboard when plugged into the display's USB hub. I've restarted the installer with the keyboard plugged into the back, and that is successful.
- I have chosen a 32-Gig NTFS partition. That seemed like a good idea at the time.
"Setup cannot copy the file: urlmon.dll" - I'm gonna skip it.
- Setup cannot copy anything. Drat. Hard disk drivers?
- Try again. Boot into Mac OS X, un-make the partition, restart and make a smaller one, partition it with FAT32 ("quick," because I'm in a hurry.)
- Installing! "Setup" is done, and we're booted off the hard disk. I wonder if the installer program is a 64-bit implementation, or just running in emulation?
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Windows XP64 boots! Default drivers result in a stretched and fuzzy display (1024 X 768), without ethernet or such. The eject key on the keyboard does not, of course, work.
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Apple's drivers are not intended for 32 bit systems, and they don't recognize this version of windows as valid. So you can't use their drivers, and the installer won't install the startup disk utility. I have x64 drivers for graphics, ethernet, and the chipset, and now I need to find some for the onboard sound ("Intel High Definition Audio," according to Apple System Profiler).
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Windows Update to the Rescue! There is a "Universal Audio Architecture" audio bus update, and about four dozen security updates. Will this let the audio be detected?
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That didn't work (the audio controller was detected, but drivers couldn't be found). I bought a Griffin iMic instead, a lovely USB audio input/output device. Mac OS X recognizes it, and so does Windows, by virtue of generic and appropriate device drivers. Providing mic-in or line-in and minijack out, it does what I need. My system is universally usable, my games are nicely playable, and so I end my writings.