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User profile for user: David Dixon
David Dixon Author
User level: Level 1
44 points

Bootcamp XP cannot see wireless

Hi, I'm setting up Bootcamp w/XP Professional on a MacBook. Ethernet works fine, but it cannot see the wireless card. It works fine on the Mac side. I've reinstalled the Broadcom XP 32 bit driver from the system disc. I've tried reinstalling Windows, I read about updating BootCamp to 3.2, but I think that may be only for Windows 7 or Vista. I did try to install BC 3.2, but it said I had to have 3.1. The 3.1 installer said I had to have 3.0. I can't find that anywhere so have not done that 🙂

So, any ideas on how to get the wireless to work in BootCamp?

thanks

Dual 2.8 Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Feb 8, 2011 9:36 AM

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9 replies
User profile for user: David Dixon
David Dixon Author
User level: Level 1
44 points

Feb 11, 2011 8:37 PM in response to zeropoint

OK, the SP3 suggestion put me on to the right track. What I discovered is that Apple's instructions say after installing Windows to insert the system disc and install all the drivers, but what it should say is:

After installing Windows, +immediately run all available Microsoft updates, including SP3+, THEN insert the disc and install the drivers. Unless I installed SP3 before the Apple drivers, the wireless driver would not install.
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User profile for user: Jaygyver
Jaygyver
User level: Level 3
739 points

Feb 18, 2011 11:26 PM in response to David Dixon

And you can't boot into Windows without the Boot Camp drivers.

Boot Camp 3.0 is already installed as part of 10.6.x. You have to go one at a time 3.1 then 3.2.

You update the Boot Camp drivers from the -Windows side-.
Go to the Control Panel/Scheduled Tasks/AppleSoftwareUpdates.
Or go to the Main BootCamp page and download the files onto the Windows side and install them one at a time.

"""Unless I installed SP3 before the Apple drivers, the wireless driver would not install."""
Are you saying it downloaded them while it was in the middle of installing?
Cool. Glad you got it working.
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User profile for user: David Dixon
David Dixon Author
User level: Level 1
44 points

Feb 19, 2011 5:06 AM in response to Jaygyver

Thanks for the suggestions, but to clarify...

In the Boot Camp install, after you've installed XP it reboots into Windows. At that point you're supposed to insert the system disc that came with your Mac and it auto runs the installers for all these drivers. I'm just saying that I found that the wireless driver would not install this way, since my XP disc is SP2. I found that I had to do the Boot Camp setup, install Windows, let it boot into Windows, then stop there. I then installed all the myriad of XP Microsoft updates, THEN put in the system disc and let it install all the drivers. Doing it in that order, the wireless driver would install.

And, I did have Internet access, just not wireless. Ethernet networking worked all along so that's how I was searching for drivers and doing the updates.

Sorry for the confusion.
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User profile for user: Daleslad
Daleslad
User level: Level 2
428 points

Apr 2, 2011 3:08 PM in response to David Dixon

David I'm having exactly the same problem that you had and just tried to remedy it doing it your way.
Unfortunately I hit a snag, you said you were always able connect with the internet using a cable and so was I when I did the usual install. However when I tried to connect using the cable without putting in the Mac system disk after the Windows XP install, it would not do it.
So unfortunately I wasn't able to do the Microsoft updates like you.
Checking my network connections in the control panel there is just one driver.
It is a LAN driver and that is a 1394 Net Adapter.

There was one part during the installation of Windows XP where it gave you a choice between installing network drivers automatically or Manually. I did check on Manually but went back and changed it to Automatic after it started asking for information I didn't have or didn't understand.
Do you remember which one you chose.
Thanks
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Bootcamp XP cannot see wireless

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