Boot Camp Vista, anyone?

M

mralston

Junior Member
Got Vista running on a Boot Camp partition.

I want to boot this installation up in Parallels Desktop (build 3186). If I tell it I'm setting up Vista it disables the Boot Camp option. If I tell it I'm setting up XP, it allows me to use the Boot Camp partion, but when it attempts to mount the partition it complains that it is "Unable to open disk image Boot Camp!".

I suspect that the reason for this is that MS have taken the opportunity to update NTFS and that Parallels isn't ready mount disks formatted with the new version.

Obviously Vista has only just come out and Boot Camp itself is still in a beta state, so I can forgive Parallels for not being ready to comply with my wishes as yet, but never the less it's still fustrating. I'd gotten used to not rebooting unless I needed 3D graphics and haven't got the space to install a second (non-Boot Camp installtion) of Vista at the moment.

Any idea when Parallels will be able to boot Vista up off my Boot Camp partition?
 
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I'd like to second this thread. I'm very interested in getting this up and running as well.

Btw, did you need to do anything out of the ordinary to get Vista up and running under Boot Camp? I had tried Vista under parallels about a month ago, but as soon as it started applying updates in Vista, it wouldn't work.

Thanks!
 
I third this. I'm actually upset that Parallels supports Vista, but not through Boot Camp. Though I can see an good argument that Apple doesn't even technically support Vista through Boot Camp, so why should parallels. However, if I were parallels I'd be working diligently on that option as it's only a matter of time that Leopard rolls out and will allow Vista in Boot Camp. And for parallels, sooner rather than later is key.

Also to answer your question, installing Vista under Boot Camp is cake. No hacks or anything fishy needed. There's an excellent walk-through at http://vistaonmac.pbwiki.com

Nick
 
nicka said:
There's an excellent walk-through at http://vistaonmac.pbwiki.com
Click to expand...

I used this walkthrough to get the drivers running post-install and it covers pretty much all you need.

The only thing I noted is that not all devices were in the same place within Device Manger (or whatever Vista calls it now) as the walkthrough said. I had to hunt around for a few devices. Not sure if my iSight is working, but I don't much care at the moment. I assume it will be perfect when Leopard launches.
 
Vista drivers for Boot Camp coming soon?

Rumor has it (if you believe in those things) that the Boot Camp drivers to support Vista will be available very soon. Perhaps these will fix our issue or perhaps it will give the Parallels team (who are kicking butt, by the way) what they need to get this working.

We can hope! :D
 
Bootcamp is quite old technology

why do you need both and the bother ?

April 5, 2006—Apple® today introduced Boot Camp, public beta software that enables Intel-based Macs to run Windows XP. . .
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/apr/05bootcamp.html

and what does anyoe need Vista for - except factory installed on a new machine - at this stage?

Windows OS updates take about a year to mature

Hugh W
 
I don't want to start a flame war here and I respect your opinion, but I do have to disagree.

I wouldn't call Boot Camp 'old' just yet - it's not even out of the beta stage. When Leopard has been out for a few years then I'd agree it could be considered old.

Whilst very convenient, running Windows in Parallels has some downsides...

One big one for me is the lack of proper 3D support. I regularly use a model helicopter simulator to get practice in without crashing my real one. The simulator won't run under Parallels as the 3D acceleration isn't up to it. I runs very nicely in Boot Camp. The same applies to most modern 3D games.

When I first started using Parallels I was very impressed by how fast it was able to run the guest OS using the new virtualisation on the Core Duo chips. Recently however, I've found of that Parallels often slows everything down imensly. When booting up the guest OS, other Mac OS applications freeze. The same happens when switching between applications in the guest OS and Mac OS applications. I have a niggling feeling in the back of my mind that this may have started at the point when I switched to booting Parallels using XP from a bootcamp partition, but I can't think of any obvious reason why. At the same time as I installed Vista on my boot camp partition I upgraded the memory in my MacBook Pro to 2GB, but I haven't been able to test how this affects Parallels as yet.

I'm a great believer in using the latest available 'stable' version of any software. In the case of Windows I find this to be extra important due to the security problems which have plagued it in recent years. Hense my reason to use Vista rather than XP now it's out on general release. Windows is constantly having updates and patches to fix security problems and I believe it inviting trouble not to keep up with them.

Anyways, the point is that I want to use Vista and use it within both Boot Camp and Parallels. It's nearly Spring so Apple should be releasing Leopard to the world pretty soon. I'm sure that when it does Boot Camp will be out of beta and recommend using Vista. Parallels have demonstrated that they're trying to stay at the cutting edge so will have to support booting Vista off a Boot Camp partition.

I respect and appreciate the hard work Parallels have done so far (I bought it after all) and eagerly anticipate the next version.
 
I fourth (fifth?) this.

I have Vista installed through Boot Camp on my Mac Book Pro Core Duo. I woud really love to be able to boot it using Parallels like I did with XP.

The reason I am using Vista is because I have been given a retail box of Vista Ultimate, and my older Windows XP install was done using the 160 days trial. I use this computer for buisness (being a consultant) and would love to be able to boot my Vista install.

I hope it becomes supported soon...
 
Yeah, I am most keen to see this supported too. In fact, not to sound like a doink, but it's what's holding me back from picking up a MacBook Pro. So c'mon, Team Parallels, Apple needs my money.

:o)


Anyone try the update that was released today to see if it affects this issue?
 
Hugh Watkins said:
and what does anyoe need Vista for - except factory installed on a new machine - at this stage?
Click to expand...
Because my copy of Windows 98SE isn't usable enough in Parallels, and I don't want to shell out the money to purchase a full install version of Windows XP when Microsoft is trying to End-Of-Life it in less than 12 months. That money IMO is better directed at Vista, buggy as it is.
 
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This definitely needs fixed

I agree that they need to address Vista on Boot Camp not working in Parallels. I wanted the ability to boot straight into Windows or to run it thru the VM. To install with Boot Camp you supposedly needed a full blown copy of XP with Service Pack 2. Like one of the other posters, if I have to shell out for a new version of Windows why not get the latest and greatest?

As far as I could tell, the documentation for Parallels said that they supported Vista (although they do only 'officially' support certain versions). They also said that they support running your Boot Camp Windows in a VM. Nowhere did I see that they didn't support Vista through Boot Camp. :eek: Maybe they did and I just didn't see it, but if it's in their docs, it's buried like this forum....


.
 
How can Parallel support Vista in Bootcamp if Bootcamp doens't support Vista.
It seems to me that at this point it is impossible to install Vista in Bootcamp till the moment that Apple offers the oppertunity to install Vista.
As soon as that happens you'll probably be able to use Bootcamp with Vista in Parallels Desktop for Mac.
;)
 
I am confused. I just installed Vista with Boot Camp last night. Was this not supposed to work or something? It seemed to work fine for me, both 64-Bit and 32-Bit versions.

I really wanted to be able to set up my Parallels to use the Boot Camp option, but like everyone else it was greyed out. I then tried to fool the program by installing Windows XP Professional, and then upgrade to Vista but that just gave me the famous "Unable to open disk image Boot Camp!" error message.

I wish there was a work around. Because being able to dual boot and access the Vista Partition in Parallels would be AWESOME.
 
Hugh Watkins said:
Bootcamp is quite old technology
Click to expand...

I wouldn't even call bootcamp a "technology"... its just exploiting the fact that Intel Macs are essentially "designer" PCs and are quite capable of running Windows without any emulation or virtualization.

Bootcamp is just a suite of helper applications that hand-hold the user through the delicate process of partitioning their hard drive and installing Windows directly to the new partition without disturbing OSX - plus a handy driver disc with standard Windows drivers for the PC-compatible components in the Mac.

Since Apple updated the EFI firmware to include the BIOS legacy module (missing from the first releases), you can just stick in a windows CD and install it straight on to the Mac as if it were a regular PC - but unless you know exatly what you are doing you'll kill OSX in the process - unless you have a Mac Pro and can easily remove the original hard drive while you install windows to a new one (which is what I did).

Its old tech in that Linux has been doing the same thing for years, but it is no more obsolete - and barely more complex - than running Windows on a real PC. Its the only way to let Windows use the full power of your hardware for games etc.
 
Quick question for those of you who have installed Vista through bootcamp....does the hardware on the mac support the 3d menus and other eye candy? I have Vista installed on a MBP with 2 gb of RAM (1 gb allocated to Vista) and it is pretty solid.

Unfortunately, the video card that is emulated by Parallels isn't up to snuff for Vista...

Thoughts
 
dotcomjunkie said:
Quick question for those of you who have installed Vista through bootcamp....does the hardware on the mac support the 3d menus and other eye candy? I have Vista installed on a MBP with 2 gb of RAM (1 gb allocated to Vista) and it is pretty solid.

Unfortunately, the video card that is emulated by Parallels isn't up to snuff for Vista...

Thoughts
Click to expand...


Yes, it does. All the eye candy of Aero works fine. Windows rates my MPB (2.33GHz Core Duo with 2GB RAM) as 4.1 on its 'Windows Experience' scale.
 
Mac Mini Core Duo Install Experience

I just installed Vista last night on my mini. I used Bootcamp to remove the XP partition, then re-create the partition in bootcamp. I booted to Vista and installed it.

Vista found my Intel graphics driver and Atheros Wireless driver and Gigabit network adaptor. USB and firewire devices work fine. My keyboard and mouse are fine.

Aero works great. At first my mini was rated 3.0, but after installing updates and driver updates (Intel and Atheros had a driver update), it moved up to 3.4. My mini has 1.66Ghz Core Duo, 2gig ram, 80 gig drive, intel graphics, DVD burner.

I think the items I'm missing are Sigmatel sound driver, ACPI drivers, Bluetooth driver, and I think thats it. I wont use the XP drivers from Bootcamp CD because I want Vista drivers. If I need to use sound or bluetooth, I'll just use OSX until Apple releases drivers (which rumor has it is soon).

I hope this helps some people w/ Mac Mini's who arent sure whether to take the plunge to move to Vista.
 
mralston said:
Yes, it does. All the eye candy of Aero works fine. Windows rates my MPB (2.33GHz Core Duo with 2GB RAM) as 4.1 on its 'Windows Experience' scale.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Now I have to decide whether I want to go the boot camp route. I really like the flexibility of Parallels - after seeing Vista in action I like it. The sound performance is really a bummer in Vista through parallels.

Hmmm...
 
So if I understand correctly???????

Am I to assume that no one at this time can point parallels to a bootcamp installation of vista and have it work? I've been banging my head against the wall here for a couple of days now (well not literally :) ) wondering what was up with this. When following the directions to create a custom setup, and using the bootcamp partition, it is greyed out. When is this supposed to be fully supported?
 
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I seventh this!!

I really want this going -ie, to run parallels against my real (bootcamp) Vista partition. It would be amazing to be able to just install my programs in one place, have one environment, but just be able to choose whether I ran it natively or through Parallels in Mac OS.

So come on Parallels! Give us a sign :)

By the way, I am using the fully activated version I bought today: Build 3188 (7 March 2007)

I am disappointed as I used the betas, and thought that now it was released, and it claimed to be 100% Vista compatible, that this issue would have been fixed...

Marcos
 
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