Guide: Windows 7 x64 Build 7000 on a Macbook Pro
Technology — By Yao Siang on January 11, 2009 at 8:20 PMMicrosoft released the Windows 7 Beta to the public on the 9th of January 2009. The ISO image of the DVD can be downloaded here.
A quick search in google showed that it is possible to install Windows 7 via Boot Camp on a Macbook Pro. I downloaded the 64-bit version of Windows 7 and burnt it into a DVD with Disk Utility. Basically, the installation process resembles Windows Vista a lot and the operating system itself is an improved version of Vista.
In this post, I will write how to get Windows 7 installed and fully working on a Macbook Pro.
UPDATED: You CAN use the normal Boot Camp installer located on the Leopard DVD. Trying to do that directly will probably give you error 2229 BUT you can just copy the “Boot Camp” folder on your hard drive and replace the BootCamp.msi and BootCamp64.msi packages with the ones from here (big thanks to limo79 for this!): http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=6908029&postcount=216
Credits to Atheos
1. Download and burn the ISO image into DVD.
2. Run Boot Camp Assistance (Applications -> Utilities).
(a) Follow the wizard to create a partition for installation of windows. At the end of the wizard, you will be asked to insert the Windows DVD and restart your Mac.
(b) If you have an existing copy of Windows installed via Boot Camp, you will either need to remove it and follow step 2(a), or choose “Start the Windows installer” and format the Windows partition later in the installation process.
3. Your Mac will restart and you will see “Press any key to boot from DVD…”. Press any key and the setup will load all the necessary files. You should see the Install Windows screen after the process.
4. Follow the Install Windows wizard. Choose “Custom (advanced)” and that will lead you to the partition screen.
5. In the partition table, there will be a list of partitions of your HDD. Select the “BOOT CAMP” partition, click on “Drive options (advanced)” and then “Format”.
6. Make sure that the Boot Camp partition is selected before clicking next.
7. The installation process will start.
8. You computer will restart several times during the installation. Remember not to hit any key when you are prompted to boot from the DVD.
9. After the installation is done, you will see the “Set up windows screen”. Again, follow the set up wizard till the end.
10. If everything is fine, you will be in the desktop screen now.
11. You will need to install the drivers now. Put in the Mac OS X Install Disc 1 and run the Boot Camp Utility setup.
12. Download the Boot Camp Update 2.1 for Windows Vista 64-bit here and install it. (You might want to set the compatibility under properties to Windows Vista and run as administrator.)
13. After all the installations, the custom F1 to F12 keys (eg. F10 to mute) and the eject key will work.
14. However, video and audio drivers need some update. For the video driver (nVidia 8600M), you can find it in the Mac OS X Install Disc 1 under Boot Camp -> Drivers -> NVidia -> NVidiaMobileSetup64.exe
15. As for the audio driver, you can download Vista_R209.zip here and run the setup.exe as admin and in Windows Vista compatibility mode. (credits to shannon here)
16. Run Windows Update and install all the updates.
17. You should have a fully working Windows 7 OS on your MacBook Pro! =)
Windows Media Player 12
Note: I take no responsibility for data lost or machine failure during the process. It is always wise to read through all the steps and download all the necessary files before starting the installations. Also, do not install Norton 360 Beta as it freezes up my Macbook Pro randomly!
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179 Comments
I just realised I could get Windows 7 BETA from microsoft directly.
“Thanks”.
I don’t think I’ll be downloading it – it expires on the 1st August 2009.
I’m too free to be messing around with my computer every now and then.
I tested it as a VM instead of messing with my OS X setup … it seems snappier then Vista even with 1G assigned.
It would be nice if MS would release a liveCD of Windows7 since it’s a limited test version anyway, why not?
Have you found proper drivers for the SATA controller in the new MacBook Pro’s yet? My setup gets a drive speed rating of 2.9 (which is slow for how fast this drive should be!).
Tony Arnold: I have not found the driver for SATA controller yet. My MacBook Pro only gets a speed rating of 2.9 for the primary disk data transfer rate too. This is indeed very saddening.
Attention: You CAN use the normal Boot Camp installer located on the Leopard DVD. Trying to do that directly will probably give you error 2229 BUT you can just copy the “Boot Camp” folder on your hard drive and replace the BootCamp.msi and BootCamp64.msi packages with the ones from here (big thanks to limo79 for this!): http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=6908029&postcount=216
The fix includes support for 32 and 64 bit versions as well as Boot Camp versions 2.0 and 2.1. I did that on my early 2008 MBP with Windows 7 x64 and *everything* works perfectly (ethernet, iSight, WLAN, keyboard backlight…), including the F-keys (volume, eject etc.) and the Boot Camp Control Panel. No need to run the separate installers. I advise getting the display driver directly from Nvidia site and if there is no sound you can also downoad newer driver from Realtek site. You might want to include this information in the post as an update.
i dont have the newer macbooks.
i have a late 2007 macbook model. i installed windows 7 from the windows xp i already running with bootcamp not like above. they thing is i cant run the mac os x 10.5 cd to install bootcamp.
i had to manually install most of the drivers. they only thing i dont have working is the f1 to f12. i donwloaded the update for bootcamp 2.1 for 32 bits but when i run it nuthing happens. anybody knows how to fix it?
Atheos: I did not get error 2229 when I run the Boot Camp installer in the Leopard DVD. But I will still update the post for users that encounter such problem. =)
dan: You must have the Boot Camp (Version 2.0) installed from the Mac OS X Install Disc 1 before you can update it to Boot Camp 2.1 (downloaded from Apple site).. Probably that is why nothing happens when you try to do the update.
I just installed Windows 7 x64 on my Macbook Pro ( Unibody 15 inch) worked fine using the boot camp installer from the CD for Leopard.
I’ve just installed it on my Macbook (late 07) and it’s awesome. The GUI is superfast and even a little faster than 10.5.6.
And the new taskbar (which obviously is a bit like KDE or OSX) works just fine. The media-libraries (finally for windows) mean progress too.
I can’t download the Beta! I get to this page: https://www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/productkeys/win7-64/enus/default.aspx but then I click the Download now button and NOTHING happens!!! Help please!
Does anyone get alot of sound static on windows 7? because i do, i installed the sound drivers from the leopard cd. if theres a fix to this please let me know.
Thanks!
Pablo C.
I totally agree with swedishhammer, this is beta OS. Why would you mess up with partitions (especially with Disclaimer at the end of article about possible lost of youe data)? Just install it in VM and later simply delete one file ….
i got everything working except my wireless on 7, i have the new 15 in pro, its wierd. i can get on AIM wirelessly
but i cant get on any website except google. did my own troubleshooting unsuccessful. anyideas? thanks in
advance
does it work on macbook 2.4ghz??
Pablo: Sound static? Music plays fine in WMP for me, no cracking or any noise.. =)
reebokshoes: Check in the Network and Sharing Center if you are connected to the Internet. My internet works fine even though it’s through VPN.
lewis: The method of installing Windows 7 is the same for 2.4Ghz Macbooks (and iMacs as well). I am not sure about the drivers part though.
Got it working fine, exactly as printed. Thanks for this brilliant walk-through. If only Windows itself were as painless
Zach Beauvais´s last blog post was Rhythm
All drivers and keyboards mapping are availaible here for free :
http://www.spacetitox.info
Windows 7 / Vista / XP / 2000
Bootcamp and VM….
French but easy understandable ( clic Windows 7 drivers and a google pub then downloads ) , english will be online soon.
These are the lastest drivers 2009.
Hi,
Thanks for the guide. I am having problems installing iTunes (64bit) though. I can download it with firefox but i cannot install it. Any solutions would be much appreciated.
Thanks
FWIW, Windows 7 wouldn’t install on my unibody MBP. Blue-screen during the “installing features” phase. Tried it twice.
When I boot into the windows installer, my mbp keyboard won’t work, so i cant “press any key to continue”.
Any idea how to fix this?
I’ve installed Windows 7 on a late-2007 MBP. Everything works fine, except I can’t connect to my home network. I have no problem connecting to my neighbor’s (which does not use security), but mine (which uses WPA2) just don’t work. Any suggestions?
Harrison: Visit http://www.apple.com/itunes with Internet Explorer 64-bit. You should be able to download iTunes64Setup.exe. Mine installled without any problem and iTunes run fine. =)
Joseph: Did you have any USB devices attached to your MBP? Try removing it as it might be the one which triggered the BSOD. The last thing that I can think of is a bad copy of Windows 7 (probably not)..
Luke: Try to attach a USB Keyboard instead. It might help.
Daniel: Sorry I don’t have any wireless network here to tryout now. =/
I had install issues on my 2007 15″ MacBook Pro. I haven’t had Mac OS on it for at least a year, so there may be an EFI/Bootcamp firmware update I missed, but installing Windows 7 64-bit caused a prompt asking “Select CD-ROM Boot Type: _” and the keyboard was not responding. Should I assume it is a missing update? Or would I need to install from the bootcamp assistant in Mac OS?
WoW! What the hell just happened here?? @_______@
anyone got the solution for the problem brwyatt mentioned? I’m having the same problem!
i have a macbook 2.4ghz bought during april 24, 2008. will these instructions work for my mac? and what about the audio and video drivers for it?
I am having the same issues as brwyatt & Luke
when trying to boot to CD a prompt asking “Select CD-ROM Boot Type: _” and the keyboard was not responding.
Hey dudes, i do everything, i have a Macbook Aluminium @2.0!
I do the bootcamp, download the fix, download the new version, but the drivers not seens updated:
Built in iSight
Coprocesor
Sm Bus Controler
And the Nvidia driver, not appers to be instaled!
Any idea
I’m having the same problem with the “Select CD-ROM Boot Type: _” prompt.
Wow I wonder what the heck I’m doing wrong.
I am installing on a unibody MacBook 2.4GHz and the trackpad support never installs -the option doesnt even appear in boot camp. Tried 32 and 64 bit versions.
Also, although kbmgr.exe is running, I cannot use the F keys for macbook functions, with or without the fn key.
For those with the “Select CD-ROM Boot Type: _” problem, you might want to consider burning the ISO again. I use Disk Utility to burn (can be found under Applications -> Utilities). Also, it might worth taking a look at this site.
Bruno: Have you updated to Boot Camp 2.1?
Sean: The guide to install Windows 7 will work on your MacBook. Not sure about the installation of drivers though.
Jian Wei: Er…?
Hi guys! Great article!
How do you get the touchpad to work properly? I hate it the way it is… It doesnt show in the boot camp control panel….
Thanks,
Chale
I have a serious problem, I tried installing windows 7 on my black mackbook. But some files were missing from the install disc,
and now whenever I try to reboot it reboots in the windows instillation. Does anyone know what to do so i can boot it in Mac OSX?
I REALLY need the help.
I tried the solution from the website link Yao Siang posted, now im getting an error 5 saying the disk is not bootable!
Any idea why???
AlFr: Hold Option key during boot up and select Macintosh HD. You can change the default Startup Disk under System Preferences. =)
Chale: You mean options like the 2-finger scroll speed?
Luke: What application did you use to burn the ISO?
Cheers!
Hi Yao,
Not only 2-finger scrolll not enabled at all, but tap-to-click also… I see nowhere to configure how the touchpad works not in the control panel and not in the bootcamp control panel…
Thanks!
Yao Siang, I used disk utility first, and that didn’t work, so I tried burning it with imgburn but it gave me the same error.
I am also getting the CD Boot Type message. I never see the press any key to boot via CD.
I am trying to install it on Dual Core Mac Pro , 100gb partition.
hey guys,,can I run macintosh leopard and windows XP together???
wayan´s last blog post was Plugin Wajib WordPress (Bagi Pemula)
I was under the impression that the intel core 2 duo processor in the macbook pro (I have a Macbook Pro 4,1 acccording to my System Profiler) was 32-bit. Is it truly 64-bit like the tile of your post indicates? I had no idea the macbook/macbook pros had 64-bit CPUs in them if that is indeed the case.
Confused about x64: I’m sure that the MacBook Pro 4,1 supports 64-bit as I have the same laptop too. Infact, most Core 2 Duo processors can support x64 (I can be wrong).
wayan: Yes, you can. Just run Boot Camp to install Windows XP and you can choose which OS to boot by holding Option key during startup.
Luke: Do you have another computer to test if the DVD is bootable? If the same DVD is bootable on other computers, you might have left out some important updates on your Mac. You can perform a Software Update for your Mac (can be found at top-left Apple logo -> Software Update). =]
Previously, I had trouble installing Windows XP SP2 through Boot Camp. MBP boots from the CD, but I got a “Disk read error” message. When I tried with another copy of WinXP SP2 (different ISO), it just boots fine.
Chale: For my case, tap-to-click is not working but 2-finger scroll works fine (although not as smooth as in OS X). Also, 2-finger to right click works fine too. I don’t see any options to configure the trackpad in control panel. =/
I tried booting it on my pc, but it gave me the same error, that it wasnt bootable.
Ive been doing a little reading up, and have discovered that my santa rosa macbook pro isn’t capable of 64 bit, which is probably the reason i’m having so much trouble.
@Luke I’m having the same problem as you with the booting. The thing is, the disk worked fine on my PC, and also when i upgraded my macbook’s vista 64 SP1 to windows 7 x64. (I broke drivers and have had to do a reinstall which I am stuck at right now) I’m not sure why we’re unable to boot directly from the DVD. If your macbook was purchased around the same time as mine, you are fine with x64. I bought mine in Early Feb 2008.
Another option we have, is to install vista, then ‘upgrade’ to Windows 7 from within windows. This may required SP1 to be installed.
Best of luck.
Yao Siang im having the same problem as luke, i tried everything !!! my macbook pro is 2.4 GHz intel core 2
Duo…. intalling windows 7 64x FAILED … IM downloading the 32X now and ill let u know .. if you have any
solution plz help … i have read every forum on the net !!!
I’m having the same problem as Luke.
I know my MBP is 64 bit capable cause its Core 2 Duo and I can run x64 openSUSE. I burned the DVD with both
Disk Utility (took like 5 hours) and Toast, I also did the imgburn thing twice.
x86 does work for me.
Ill do the Vista thing Daaz said meanwhile.
Luke: Santa Rosa MBP is capable of 64-bit. If the DVD wasn’t bootable on your PC, definitely it will not work with Boot Camp. I suggest you try the 32-bit version of Windows 7 instead. =)
Ryanb: Well, I had Windows XP SP3 installed with Boot Camp in my MacBook Pro previously. To install Windows 7, I simply select “Start the Windows installer” in Boot Camp [refer to step 2(b) on top], then pop in the Windows 7 x64 DVD, reboot, and it boots up from the DVD normally. Next, I format the Boot Camp partition and install a fresh copy of Windows.
If you have an existing copy of Windows in Boot Camp now, can you just verify that the method above actually works? Thanks. =)
DAAZ: Okay, I guess you will face less problem in getting the x86 version to work.
Robert: Wow, 5 hours to burn the ISO with Disk Utility? Something must have gone wrong somewhere. I burnt with the maximum speed (although not recommended) and it took just a while.
Dear All,
I had problems installing windows 7 64x.
so i tried the 32bit and it worked perfectly i suggest you do the same.
Peace!
p.s : i used DiskUtility to burn the .iso file