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Level 1

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i7 iMac: Windows XP Drivers Fail (Video and Audio)

So I just received my new 27" i7 iMac w/ ATI Radeon 4850 HD video card, its wonderful on OS X, but the Boot Camp drivers for Windows XP SUCK.

I use Windows for work and gaming, here are my issues.

Problem 1) The Graphics drivers "ATI Radeon HD 4850 v. 8.661.0.0" occasionally fails (blue screen that reads something like: "ATI Driver tried accessing invalid memory point." The driver also flashes these yellow/blue dots all over my screen occasionally, and will even freeze the computer for about 5 seconds before the screen turns off and then back on (the driver crashes and reboots itself). Terrible... Unfortunately, ATI does not have any new drivers for this video card on their website, great. Solution?

Problem 2) The sound drivers - BootCamp installs 2 one from ATI v. 5.0.50000.17 (which simply does not work at all - goodjob apple). And one from CirrusLogic (Driver Version 1.0.0.26) Which works for sound, but not the microphone. So the issue is, that I cannot use my microphone at all. I've tried installing older bootcamp (2.0) SigmaTelXP drivers, but with no luck (they don't support the hardware). Obviously windows cannot find drivers for anything, since its an apple box.

Needless to say, having just spend $2,500 on a brand new computer, I'm dissapointed Apple couldn't have TESTED their drivers before putting them on a disk. Anyone know how I can fix these 2 issues?

27" i7 iMac ATI 4850 HD, Mac OS X (10.6.1), Windows XP SP3, .NET 3.5 Framework

Posted on Nov 16, 2009 8:10 AM

44 replies

zigkthx Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 12, 2009 9:07 AM in response to Ritchie9

Anyone fix the microphone not working in XP yet?

Barkhad

Level 1

0 points

Dec 12, 2009 4:24 PM in response to zigkthx

Yeh, any solution yet? Come on Apple =(

alb.ng

Level 1

0 points

Dec 14, 2009 4:26 PM in response to Barkhad

U know what, I gave up and gone got meself a sound blaster external USB sound card instead. installed it and running mic input from it and speaker output from the internal sound card. It's a work around for the time being. But at least it works.

Dec 16, 2009 9:50 PM in response to alb.ng

alb.ng wrote:
Mate, I paid 3.5K for this box. I want me money back!!!!

Well, Crocodile Dundee, I just have to say that you paid for a Mac NOT a PC. These machines are not designed to run Windows. Apple and Microsoft ALLOW you to run Windows on the Mac.

If you don't like your Mac, all I can say is, buy a PC. See what kinda luck you have there.

Dec 16, 2009 10:30 PM in response to tudorior

tudorior wrote:
Ok, so I'm back in XP.
So the driver info should be as such:

Driver Provider: ATI Technologies Inc.
Driver Date: 11/4/2009
Driver Version: 8.671.0.0

Okay dokey. Followed your instructions (hair raising experience for a Mac user not used to all this Windoze driver crap). I now have a driver version identical to the one above, and I am no longer getting the pink polka dots. Woo-hoo! However, tudorio, I notice that the computer is recognizing the graphics card as a ATI Radeon HD 4820 after installing the new driver. It was previously showing up in the Graphics properties as a 4850. Have you noticed this?

Cheers,

Thomas

Dec 20, 2009 8:31 AM in response to Thomas Mastin

any solution yet? i've tried everything and still can't use mi mic on windows xp

Dec 31, 2009 2:44 PM in response to manndave

Apple. Recording / MIC does NOT work in XP on Bootcamp. Fix it.

Rey Mo

Level 4

3,844 points

Jan 9, 2010 6:16 PM in response to tudorior

Just wanted to say thanks to tudorior for posting this fix... helped me out big time!

Barkhad

Level 1

0 points

Jan 9, 2010 11:48 PM in response to Rey Mo

What is going on....When are we expecting the FIX? COME ON APPLE!!!!!!!

Jan 14, 2010 12:15 PM in response to zigkthx

Just wanted to say thanks to tudorior for posting this fix... helped me out big time!

Jan 18, 2010 4:49 PM in response to AngelSosa

i have audio but my mic wont work 😟 can anyone tell me if I buy a usb mic would it fix the problem or still wont work because of the driver? or if I buy a usb headseat? please help me!!! i want to use ventrilo but my builtin mic wont work on windows xp

zigkthx Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 19, 2010 5:58 PM in response to gzarrillo

I just installed the BootCamp update through Apple Software Update. And it re-broke my video drivers.

Haven't noticed anything else yet, but yeah, the video drivers Apple provided as an "update" are still broken. Mic still doesn't work either (sound drivers weren't even updated).

Apple, big dissapointment. Not sure if the BootCamp Dev's read these forums, but as a developer myself, I can honestly say you're all a bunch of morons. Then again, I suppose I'm the real moron, they really have no need to support Windows XP anymore. Oh well... I just use Windows for gaming, so maybe this will get me off the computer, haha.

Please post fixes for Microphone drivers if you find them.

Mar 29, 2010 3:55 PM in response to zigkthx

I have the exact same issues, except I have an i5 not an i7:

- Green and purple glitches appear across the screen every few seconds.
- Every minute or two the screen will shut off, go dark for 5 seconds, and then come back.
- Some games don't work due to these glitches (for example, try playing Battlefield2 via Steam, I can't even get it to launch, however Valve's half-life games appear to work without a problem).

I have no advice, but have submitted a bug report to radar.apple.com. I suggest you do the same.

macmkaz

Level 1

20 points

May 4, 2010 2:37 AM in response to gzarrillo

My Plantronics DSP500 headphones work just fine with i7/XP/new video drivers. Just select the input/output to Plantronics in thesound control panel and you are good to go.

i7 iMac: Windows XP Drivers Fail (Video and Audio)