RSSHackers Install Windows XP on Intel Mac
By Nate Mook | Published March 16, 2006, 12:43 PM
While Windows XP won't natively boot on Apple's new Intel based Macs due to lack of EFI support and Microsoft has no plans to change that in Vista, one hacker has found a way around the limitation and snagged a $13,854 prize in the process. But the approach requires heavy editing of an XP install disc.
Colin Nederkoorn launched a contest to encourage the technically savvy to get Windows XP installed on an Intel iMac, Mac mini or MacBook Pro. Donations were collected from a number of companies and individuals, with the sum going to the first person that discovered a reproducible method for booting Windows on a Mac.
"I told my boss that this would replace my IBM desktop and I could boot Windows XP on it. I am still confident it can be done," Nederkoorn said. He put up $100 of his own money and encouraged others to do the same. Delicious Monster and Uneasy Silence were among those who contributed.
News of Windows XP booting on an Apple iMac first surfaced earlier this week in the form of pictures on a Flickr account, which largely prompted skepticism. However, two users dubbed "narf2006" and "blanka" followed up with images with a full video of XP installing on the system.
The solution was sent to Nederkoorn and his testers, who verified it on Wednesday. It's a complicated endeavor, however, including formatting a Mac system and creating a custom Windows XP SP2 installation disc, which could potentially violate Microsoft's copyright.
Even if Windows is successfully installed, there are still a number of limitations. Windows drivers for Apple's hardware are currently nonexistent, rendering the iSight and Apple Remote inoperable. In addition, graphics support is basic, meaning no games will run.
"There is no chance you could play a game using this solution, aside from minesweeper," Nederkoorn wrote in a blog posting. "It looks like a fix for this may be a ways off yet."
Still, the news is likely to elate those who have been closely following the contest and are willing to put in a couple hours of work to have an Apple machine that boots both Mac OS X and Windows XP. A user who needs Microsoft's IE browser at work, for example, could revert to OS X at home.
As for narf2006 and blanka, their nearly $14,000 payout is in the mail. According to Nederkoorn, "All further donations will go into an account to sustain the open source project that will be launched with the initial solution."
cybertlc, I have some questions for you (or anyone else if they can be helpful) if you do not mind answering them they would be of great help.
You say that you installed XP on your OS X 10.4.5, right? Did you find a way to dual boot it onto the system or did you run virtual PC on it? How does it run? Are you able to play good games on it?
If you did find a way to actually install it so you can choose between the two OSs how did you install the windows? Sorry for all of the questions, but I really want to dual load it and play PC games and not have to worry about the huge lag I get from virtual PC.
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|Crap is a company that cut an existing product to avoid installing another OS. That was what Apple made removing the compatibility module from the existing EFI from Intel. Apple is doing a pretty bad job lately... Apple is known because of their work doing easier any job, and now they are doing childish things without apparent reason. I believe that Mac OS is better than Windows but it's seems Steve Jobs don't think the same. What's going on?
Congratulations to the hackers for doing what Apple denied without reason!
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|I don't get why someone would want to install such a crappy OS on such a nice system. If anything people should be installing the new Apple OS (I like to call it AppleBSD) onto the IBM clones.
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|Well, I guess "crappy" is a very subjective word. Most of the best applications in the world run on Windows. Most of the best games run on Windows. Even ATM machines run on Windows.
Can't really say the same about MacOS.
And I mean "best" as in "in real life" kind of "best", not just because certain charismatic leader says so on the stage.
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|"Even ATM machines run on Windows."
Your statement implies that all ATMs run Windows. That is definately not so. At one time, about 75% of ATMs ran OS/2. I don't know what the current percentage is, but I doubt it's 0%. Where did you get the "information" that all ATMs run Windows?
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|How about you STOP inserting words into his post. His post reads "Even ATM Machines run on windows". Where, in that statement, did he say all. You even quoted it. Just because to YOU it reads "all" does not mean that is what he wrote. Dont read too far into a statement. Stop trying to troll
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|Yeah, I didn't say "all". Didn't imply "all". Didn't even imply "majority". mmkay!?
NOTE: Thanks, Metshrine.
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|No problem, I hate it when people assume things about my posts and put words into my mouth. I know how you feel :)
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|He was probably refering to those ATM machines that crash and prevent anyone getting access to their money. ;-)
(Have a look on Google if you've not heard of this one.)
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|View the video here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=nzH6OFpXgzI
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|A possible solution would be to look at ReactOS or similar WINE / Emulator based projects... WINE for Intel Based MacOSX would probably be much more reliable then tweaking an OS that is not intended for running on this setup.
WINE would almost be more 'native' that this method...
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|I had no doubt that someone would get Windows running on it... afterall, despite some people's whining about hardware support in Windows, it's really not that hard to track down drivers and make it happen, because Windows supports so much variation in hardware.
On the other hand, I'll be more impressed when someone gets MacOSX running smoothly on a Non-Mac Intel system with sufficient driver support.
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|haha
that's what i've been waiting for too
need to run a proggie but can't buy a mac for one program that i need to run
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|And you are telling me that with ALL of the software available today you cant find this same app for a pc?
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|There are two audio applications on the Mac that have no windows counterpart that I am interested in running for my business:
http://www.gallery.co.uk/metacorder/intro.html
http://www.vosgames.nl/products/BoomRecorder/
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|Much love.
Hopefully the hardware barriers come crashing down, and the OS wars ignite!
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|so people trying to get OSX installed on a PC and WindowsXP installed on a Mac. Even if people can do this there isn't driver support for it and so other then having the shell it won't really benefit any power user. Correct me if I'm wrong.
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|Don't the new Macs use ATI?
Aren't the rest of the parts commodity Intel parts?
Shouldn't be *too* hard...
Of course, I have not touched the issue at all.
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|You are wrong. The hardware is identical, both have AGP, USB, same system boards.. basically everything works fine.
So drivers will be a synch.
what part of "Intel System" are you missing?
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|I think he's confusing Intel with iNtel. ;)
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|says the guy with "tool" in his name.
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|now i really wish i could afford a powerbook
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|You might mean Macbook Pro... :)
But powerbooks are expensive too.
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|This is even usable in the corporate world.
OSX for graphics, then boot XP and log into the corporate network for connectivity.
Cudos to them!
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|Either using VanderpoolTechnology or software VirtualMachines it's much better than a dual boot approach in a corporate environment.
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|You can do this before, ever heard of Virtual PC? Its a MAC product, XP boots under OSX.
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|Actually Virtual PC for Mac is a Microsoft product:
http://www.microsoft.com...alpc.aspx?pid=virtualpc
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|It's emulation-based so it's disgustingly slow.
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|Respect!
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|Actually you can boot OSX 10.4.5 on any Intel box with a newer processor (supporting SSE2) already. It works perfectly.
I have XP and OSX 10.4.5 dualbooting on my setup at home right now. Lots of people are doing it if you know where to look.
Why boot XP on a Mac when you can boot Mac on any Intel based machine?
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|Exactly!!!! And for a lot less money too!
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|Wow, your e-p**** must be huge with your friends for having xp and osx 10.4.5 dualbooting!
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|Actually, yes. Mac has some great video editing software, and their iLife suite is awesome. Can't get that for the PC now can you? There are other reasons as well, maybe you should look into them? Why do people dualboot Linux and Windows? There are reasons, even if YOU don't have any.
*I see you edited your comment now, apparently to not look as unintelligent as you did. Bravo! For others, he was asking why ANYONE would want to dualboot OSX and XP - which is what I was responding to.
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|Sure didnt edit my comment, but thanks for playing. I dont care what people think of me or my opinions, I dont ask that you like them.
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|Ha! You didn't edit your comment? You're quite the liar, it even SAYS you edited it. Next!
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