Installation Windows XP with Service Pack 3

I am in the same position, but installed XP home inc service pack 3, I can get windows to see the lan line, nor will it run service pack 3 215mb down load, stuck really,

Interesting point you have picked up on. I say just install. Please do it by the BootCamp install guide, though. People try to wing it (even SP2) and hit avoidable snags. In any case - XP is very stable. IF you have BootCamp related problems I assure you they are going to be minor. The Apple hardware is very Windows friendly. It has been reported that experienced PC people have installed Windows on Apple machines without even using BootCamp. What choice do you have? Go for it. Just - as I say - start with BootCamp assistant - and carefully follow instructions.

Edit - Windows should (& will) install no matter what - but you need to update the Windows at Microsoft and you (also) have to install Apple drivers (keyboard, bluetooth and many more) using your Apple OS X disk. The instructions say you need to install Windows and then (after reboot to Windows) you shove your OS X install disk into the disk slot and Windows "sees" a drivers file on it. HOWEVER - you can also download this file even before your Windows install (free - don't click 'buy')/

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/application_updates/bootcampupdate21 forwindowsxp.html

save it to a USB storage stick, and plug IT into your Windows boot (and install it - the newest BC drivers). Don't forget to save and install a free antivirus (AVG or AVAST!) before you go online in Windows!

BootCamp instructions (so important) http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/BootCampInstall-Setup.pdf

Message was edited by: NA Smith

yes, done the USB stick, down loaded the .exe file on to the mac desktop, copied it to a USB stick, even copied it to to my widows desk top, it simply won't run?

Nearly got it to run on a CD-R, failed though, started to open,

Strange think is, XP can see a 1394 network connection, but internet explorer can't, have turned all firewall off for now, need to connect to the internet to register, any ideas?

What happens when you plug your Leopard install disk into the machine (with Windows booted)? Did you successfully instal any operational Apple BC drivers, or not?

There is a possibility that the downloaded drivers file you transferred from the Mac side to the Windows side got damaged between the two (rare, but it happened to me). If you can, borrow a PC and get it from there.

While you may feel that internet connectivity is your biggest problem, I find the report that an executable file won't execute much more worrying. Between the router and internet explorer there are so many ways to frustrate an internet signal, it could be anything, but a file that will not open is a more fundamental glitch. If executable files execute (other than the BC failure) then no problem.

If what you care about most is accessing graphics drivers and wireless drivers you can right-click My Computer, open hardware, open device manager, and right-click the exact name of the hardware and Google it. You should be able to download drivers right from the manufacturer. (Although that can be a struggle - the only Atheros drivers online for my MacBook are in Czechoslovakia. It was quite a search to find them....) Sounds like you will need to access a PC though.

This shouldn't be happening. If installing Windows SP3 prior to SP2 is ACTUALLY the cause this kind of trouble (I can't see how) then Apple will have to be working out a remedy PDQ. And you'll have to wait, as the first poster to this thread was worried about....

Ere, yuk disgusting, I have a filly working PC on my Mac, thanks for the tip on re inserting the mac install disc 1, it contained a boot camp file with lots of drivers in there, which recognised isight, blue tooth, wireless, ethernet,lan etc

My set up, Boot camp on a 40GB hard drive in bay 2, bootcamp part into 2, did the fat 32 thing, installed oem XP home, put in disc 1 of OSX install, sorted, and reg with microsoft, will probably only use it for my GPS software but hey, good to have it,

PS I down loaded the avuss software, thought it was free? looks like a 60 free trial, did I get the right one?

Thanks fort he help

Glad it worked for ya.

AVG & AVAST! (& even Antivir) are all excellent free antiviruses. They all like it if you register with them - AVAST! will (alternatively) allow a 60 day demo. If you register with AVAST! they won't bother you (they didn't me). They are a good group. AVG has a sterling rep. Antivir is good but the popup ad appears every day.

Smart idea: use all 3 and change every week or two (AVAST! you can use their 60 day demo and then uninstall and download a fresh free one - they are OK with it).

A word about free antivirus. It is lightweight - doesn't use any RAM, doesn't ask a lot of questions. An invisible, low maintenance houseguest. BUT. It only works with a good firewall (a hardware router - if you are using wireless THAT is a good firewall). AND it will recognize a virus, usually block a virus, but if you GET a virus THAT is where a free AV stops being a bargain. Free AV is poor at cleaning a virus from your system.

Here is my logic about that - Windows machines simply acquire Registry damage the longer you use them. Spyware, malware, adware, or even installing new applications permanently wrecks the originally pristine Registry. The answer is to perform a fresh install every 6 months or so. This is in fact less work (to me) than using Norton Internet Security or McAfee. IF my free AV sees a virus on my machine I shut down, reboot to OS X, and nuke the partition. Re-partiton and re-install. The nice thing about a fresh Windows install is all the speed that returns to it. Norton and McAfee are great at preventing ANY spyware or malware and they are great at cleanup - but your Registry is still never the same. And you have to pay and they slow down / heat up your machine considerably.

This brings up the issue of saving your digital valuables. Copy everything you value on your computer to external storage every day. Every hard drive will eventually die (one of mine did in 3 weeks!). Virus or not - we all need to save (back up) our stuff every day. (I use a high speed 8GB memory usb storage stick.) When the day comes, you'll have no regrets about picking up and moving on.

Ok, I installed XP with SP3 and then realized that I needed to install Bootcamp 2.1 before.

Now XP won't start up. What should I do to install the Bootcamp Update 2.1?

Help and thanks.