Boot Camp Catalina / Windows 10 Weird Driver Install Error

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Level 1

4 points

Boot Camp Catalina / Windows 10 Weird Driver Install Error

I have spent 3 days trying to sort this out, including 3 calls to Apple Support, who were really nice but ultimately couldn't help... I have:

15" Mac Book Pro mid 2014 with a clean install of Catalina and the latest 64bit Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft (1909).

Running Boot Camp Assistant, everything configures fine with Win 10 and Boot Camp Windows Support 6136 being written successfully to my 16GB USB. I had to split the 4GB Windows install file in two because of the FAT file length limit, but that has worked fine.

Windows 10 then does its install, BUT during the install Boot Camp does not automatically install its drivers and support software. So, I finally boot into Windows 10 without any network connection (no WiFi drivers) and Microsoft basic video drivers etc. Ok, I thought, I will just have to manually click on the Boot Camp Setup.exe to get that sorted.

BUT upon double clicking the Setup.exe I get a Windows error "The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable". Listing the path to the Setup.exe file. Same if I double click the nVidia drivers setup.exe. So, I try again with a different stick. Same error. So then I copy the Boot Camp folder from the 'stick to the Desktop. No errors during copy and checking various text files all appear fine. Double click Setup.exe - same error.

Right click Setup.exe and Run as Administrator, alert asks if I want to trust Apple (so its reading that its an executable OK, recognising the files header etc) I say yes and the error now says "Windows cannot find {full path} Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again" - listing the correct path to the file that I just double clicked and Windows reported was an Apple file so its definitely there!!!

Thats when I called Apple. Since then I have re-installed macOS and gone through the Boot Camp download/install process 3 times, including trying Boot Camp Windows Support files downloaded via High Sierra - all the same, the Boot Camp Setup.exe doesn't work.

Apple's only solution was to manually find and install the drivers myself. Which I have done via the Boot Camp files on the USB stick as some of them work fine (Wifi works with the Broadcom Win8 driver for example). Using them I have sorted the Broadcom WiFi, nVidia graphics, Apple touch pad and camera.

The only thing missing is the Boot Camp Control Panel that is normally accessible from the System Tray (bottom right thingy). If I try to run the installer for that I get an error saying "This application requires elevated privileges. Launch the installer through setup.exe" which is my stumbling block. I have also tried running this from the command line with msieexe.exe and /a .. but that returns a 2203 which is probably due to the lack of privileges. Really pain is that I need the BC Control Panel to enable two finger right clicks on the track pad.

Anyone any ideas how I can manually install the Windows Boot Camp Control Panel? i.e. how I can gain the required privileges. Or, ideally, any idea why the Setup.exe isn't working in the first place! - all very odd. Originally I thought there might be confusion from my Time Capsule backup (El Capitan) being restored into Catalina before the Boot Camp process began. Thats why I formatted (erased) the SSD and installed a fresh, clean, Catalina but the error persists.

I am guessing that its not compatible with Windows 10, but surely everyone would have the same issue so Apple would know about it, and clearly they haven't a clue.

MacBook Pro

Posted on Dec 9, 2019 9:08 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Loner T

Level 9

59,513 points

Dec 9, 2019 11:18 AM in response to RicardoCoste

BC 6.0.6136 package from around 2012 (MBP9,2) and used on 2014 Macs is 5 years older than a W10 1909 (November 2019) ISO. You may want to find an older ISO. I have had to use W10 1511 on a 2014 iMac.
macOS Catalina is supposed to contain the fixes for exFAT USB creation, but may not. macOS Mojave does.
- Download macOS Mojave 10.14.5 Boot Camp Update
- Download macOS Mojave 10.14.6 Combo Update
macOS Catalina has About the read-only system volume in macOS Catalina - Apple Support, which will break AppleControlPanel.exe in the .6136 package. Your choices are
- when are boot camp drivers going to be up… - Apple Community
- Mojave Doubt - Bootcamp - Restart in Maco… - Apple Community

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Answer 2

RicardoCoste Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 10, 2019 4:46 AM in response to Loner T

Mission accomplished many thanks. For anyone else reading this thread:

The Boot Camp Assistant appears to provide drivers based on the age of your hardware, so you need to begin with a copy of Windows that is dated close to the age of the drivers / the age of your device. Then use Windows update to bring the copy of Windows up to date.

There appear to be incompatibilities between the Apple Boot Camp driver installer and later versions of Windows 10 that cause the installer to crash with random errors. Whilst it is possible to manually install drivers to get the hardware functional (I successfully installed the Broadcom Windows 8 WiFi driver and Apple drivers for display / camera / trackpad / SD reader from the Boot Camp USB) I couldn't get the Boot Camp Control Panel to install and that meant I couldn't get the Trackpad to simulate a right click with a two finger press. Windows is kinda rubbish without the ability to right click!

I have informed Apple Support that they need to suggest people use a Windows OS that is close to the age of the drivers rather than simply using the latest version of the OS. Its obvious really but many thanks to Loner T for suggesting it.

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Answer 3

RicardoCoste Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 9, 2019 12:24 PM in response to Loner T

Thanks for that.

The 6136 package I have is dated approx spring 2016, I mentioned to the Apple techs that it seemed far too old for a current Windows 10 install from Catalina and they agreed but couldn’t provide / find later drivers hence the suggestion to search the net.

Makes absolute sense to use an older version of Win 10 to match the age of the drivers so I will try that next. Ironic that the Apple techs insisted I try downloading the latest Windows 10 from Microsoft as a first test.

I think the Windows error messages I am getting are none sensical and given Windows isn’t complaining about incompatibility it must be that the driver install is crashing with an unknown error and Win 10’s error reporting is confused. Hence the drivers that are working are those that don’t crash.

Downloading an old ISO now will try it tomorrow, real delight repeatedly installing operating systems :-)

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Answer 4

Loner T

Level 9

59,513 points

Dec 9, 2019 1:16 PM in response to RicardoCoste

If you do end up using an older ISO and get W10 working, you can update to the latest W10 using Windows Update, which should cover the last release of that build as noted in https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-information/. If It is no longer supported, you will be updated to the next build, but all your drivers should work, if they worked correctly when installed using the older W10 ISO.

RicardoCoste wrote:

Downloading an old ISO now will try it tomorrow, real delight repeatedly installing operating systems :-)

Be careful where you get the older ISO from. I have had to build my own catalog, to avoid Microsoft arbitrarily pulling retail ISOs from the general website. MSDN membership may also help you.

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