Can I install Windows XP on my MacBook Air (2010) with a Non-Apple DVD Drive? I've read on some forums that while the DVD Drive works normally when connected to a MacBook Air, it won't boot when using a Non-Apple DVD Drive. Is this true? I really don't want to spend £66 on an Apple Superdrive unless I have to because it'll only work with my Mac and not any other laptops.
MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.6.7)
How are you going to install Windows, Boot Camp or Virtualization software. I think Boot Camp on 10.6.7 only support Windows 7 which means you would need Virtualization (Parallels or Fusion) to run XP. As for the drive any USB drive should work fine OR you can use Remote Disc which is a much more elegant solution.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1777?viewlocale=en_US
Roger
Hey Roger. Thanks for the reply! I want to install it on a separate partition using Bootcamp. So Windows XP isn't supported anymore on 10.6.7? Isn't the Remote Disc method only for installing OS X? I'm a bit unsure if i should get a Samsung DVD-drive for £20. I don't really want to spend £66 on the Apple Superdrive that'll work only with the MacAir.
The problem is NOT the superdrive.
Bootcamp on a MBA late 2010 does NOT support XP or Vista, only Win7.
As jochen2d stated, Apple officially dropped driver support for Windows XP on this model. If you absolutely have to run XP, there are 3rd party drivers and work arounds out on the Internet but it's not supported and subject to features of the machine not working or behaving properly.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1049637
Also, I'm fairly certain that you cannot use Remote Disc to perform a Boot Camp installation. At least I know I've never gotten it work.
It's possible that this article is out of date - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2298
The article over dropped support for Windows XP - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4410
Hi,
I was in your situation - bought my 11 inch Macbook Air last month, and wanted to install Windows XP because I have two statistical software programs that only run in Windows. For all of my other needs I prefer OSX. So, the first question is, are you planning to use Windows XP sparingly, or do you want to do more intensive tasks with it, such as gaming?
* If you want to use it for a bunch of tasks, especially gaming, then I would advise installing Windows 7 via Bootcamp. That way you're not splitting your RAM and processor usage. And because XP isn't supported, as pointed out.
* However, if you're like me and are only using it for a few simple tasks, here's what I did. I installed VirtualBox (open source analog of Parallels and VM Ware. Not as many bells and whistles, but it sure does get the job done. And hey, it's free). Once I did that, it was pretty easy to install Windows XP - the external DVD drive that I used (not a Superdrive) worked fine, though I ultimately burned an ISO of the XP install disk and installed it that way. Works beautifully. Better yet, VirtualBox, XP and my Windows programs (including MS Office) only takes up 4GB of space on my hard drive. The issue I had with Bootcamp is that I realized that I was going to have to allocate 20GB to safely install and run Windows 7 in the new partition. And I only have a 64GB SSD. Now, with all of my programs, both OSX and XP installed, my personal files and a few gigs of music, I still have over 30GB of free space.
Thanks for the answers everyone! I wanted to install XP to play games. The reason I wanted to install XP instead of 7 is because it takes up only 2GB as opposed to 15GB for Windows7, wanted to save hard drive space. I have the 13inch Air with 256GB, I have around 70GB free so I think I can make a 40-45GB partition to install Windows7. Now I just have to order an external dvd drive!
Thanks! 🙂
Can I install Windows XP on my MacBook Air (2010) with a Non-Apple DVD Drive?
