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Windows 7 x64 with boot camp 4.0 - "unsupported model"

I just purchased and installed Lion yesterday on my late 2008 macbook (aluminum unibody macbook5,1 Core2Duo 8GB Ram). I then installed Win 7 64-bit professional without any problems, but when I ran the windows support software from BC 4.0, I received the message: "x64-bit unsupported on this computer model." I previously had the same Win7n 64-bit installed on snow leopard without any problems using bootcamp 3.2 (I might have had to do the compatibility trick to get the x64 bit drivers to install). So is there a way to force install the BC 4.0 x64bit drivers? Maybe BC 3.2 usable with Lion?... I have to imagine someone else ran into this same problem, any ideas or solutions would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Jul 21, 2011 11:18 AM

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Posted on Jul 21, 2011 12:27 PM

So where does 4.0 come from? these are Lion Apple Bootcamp64.msi driver packages?


As always, copy the full volume to Windows and find the file, and use the same trick as before - troubleshoot compatibility mode - to run it.


Nothing mentioned on Apple Support Bootcamp page about 4.0.

21 replies

Jul 21, 2011 1:52 PM in response to The hatter

Hey hatter, thanks for the reply.


Okay, so I tried to install from the CD, USB, and by moving the files to the desktop. Yes, with Lion, boot camp has been updated to 4.0 and yea, I didn't see anything on the website about BC 4.0 either. When running boot camp you have to "download windows support software" because Lion doesn't come with the CD containing the drivers.


I selected the 64bit.msi file and used troubleshoot compatability mode and the same error message appeared. I tried properties after and made sure run with previous version was check, same error.


Under windows update, they have optional updates for the drivers on my laptop, but I don't know what the consequences are to not having boot camp installed. No one has had this problem yet with late 2008 models?

Jul 21, 2011 3:02 PM in response to Doming0

You can and need to allow Windows Update, depending when etc or new, even post-SP1 which was 800MB (9GB temp space needed) there are still a lot more.


The Boot Camp Assistant thing "Download to CD" has NEVER EVER worked. And hugely disappointed it is still the same. That "ahem, FEATURE" was first present in 10.6.6, that is 9 months with no acknowledgement or support article or explanation - which also triggers and generates 100s posts and threads as to what/why and what to do.


If you have SL DVD, if you have Boot Camp 3.0.x and either have or just go ahead and update to boot camp 3.2 then.


And of course nothing here either, all of which tell me, someone didn't prepare the good old documentation.


http://support.apple.com/downloads/#Bootcamp

Jul 21, 2011 10:51 PM in response to The hatter

Thanks I installed BC 3.x and updated to 3.2 from the snow leopard CD. I was hesitant at first because when I talked to a tech guy from apple support he said 3.x wasn't compatible with Lion and when I told him the error I got about x64 bit not supported on this computer model, he said I should contact Windows support LOL.


Just an FYI about my issue, the windows support software that came with Lion, containing boot camp 4, had the same folder and file layout as the windows support software on the snow leopard install disc, containing boot camp 3. When I click on the 64bit.msi installer and chose compatability, the Lion version says "failed to install" and when i clicked on the 64bit.msi installer on the SL disc installed when I used compatability mode.


Thanks again hatter

Jul 22, 2011 6:17 AM in response to Doming0

What a bunch of PITA for the testing, clueless instructions.


It is an Apple issue, not MS or Windows.


Downgrade Boot Camp 4.0 to 3.2 (you don't need BC 4.0 on Windows 7).


Does this mean there is or will never be Boot Camp 3.3? That you have to pay and get Boot Camp 4.1 (because 4.0 is totally borked). maybe 4.0 only works on Macs that ship with Lion and came out after March 2011.


Maybe BCD edit? and why:

Windows and GPT FAQ


Some partitions (GPT requires EFI) were present with future changes planned. I think Apple stepped on those. Windows System Recovery has been around for years (Vista beta in 2006 at least). And non-standard proprietary use.


Mac Pro, I've always always kept Mac and Windows on their own drives, no issues, but not Lion yet (waiting for 7.1+).

Aug 3, 2011 12:04 PM in response to Doming0

When you have already Boot Camp 3.x installed and willing to upgrade to 4.0, then launch the Boot Camp Installer (inside your Lion Utilities folder), but first format a Hard Drive with Disk Utility in Windows NT format, or an USB stick in exFAT. The Boot Camp Assistant will save the Boot Camp 4.0 drivers on your disk. When the Boot Camp Assistant ask to insert the Windows 7 CD, just quit the Boot Camp Assistant. The new 4.0 Boot Camp drivers will be on your disk. Better to copy the folder WindowsSupport to your Windows 7 Boot Camp desktop (Users/desktop). Sometimes Windows 7 does not recognize the hard drives formatted with Disk Utility. Restart your Mac with Boot Camp selected, and once you are in Windows 7, open the WindowsSupport folder on your desktop. You see an application SetUp, but don't click that one cause it will give errors. Open the folder <Drivers> and select Bootcamp64 with the so-called right mouse click and select "Run as Administrator". The installation in 64-bit should be no issue this way.

Aug 3, 2011 1:36 PM in response to kernel4

I followed your instructions and succesfully installed bootcamp 4.0. I assume running 3.x is fine for my computer model, I just thought I might be missing out on some new features. I haven't found anything new about it (other then new drivers for other computer models), although I am not a techy or anything so who knows. I also downloaded the newest Nvidia drivers using there website scan and install, I assume that's fine. Thank you for the continued responses and help.

Aug 26, 2011 7:36 AM in response to Doming0

So I installed Lion and proceeded to partion BootCamp for installing Windows 7 Prem 64 bit. I downloaded the drivers/BootCamp mangr through OS X BootCamp setup. Transfered them to a FAT32 Thumbdrive. Installed Windows 7 and then went to install Drivers through Thumbdrive. Had to wait a long time because apparently the drivers for USB do not install with Windows 7 properly because my data rate must have been super slow. It took about 30 minutes to get all the drivers installed. Once they were installed and I rebooted things were fine.

Just a off the topic note about BootCamp drivers. I noticed through a Chip ID program that on my 20110 Macbook Air the 320M Nvidia core clock is only at 425Mhz?? That's slower then spec. I tried to install a Nvidia 320M driver in Windows and of course BootCamp would not allow it. I wonder if Apple's custom driver downclocks the 320M?

Or if the ID program is reading it wrong?

Nov 29, 2011 10:48 PM in response to John Scott1

Downclocking may be done in hardware (ROM) as a means of safeguarding the part against overheating, among other reasons that consumers like you and me aren't meant to be privvy to. Let the speculation begin.


Usually, chip vendors ship a basic design spec and materials to a notebook maker, who in its turn will modify that base spec in order to satisfy its needs and to add features that it wants. In the Air's case, Apple has to balance the chip's potential power (strength) with both energy use and heat output; to cram a hot-running chip onto a wafer-thin motherboard in a case with very little room for fans or big vents is just asking for trouble down the line. At 425 MHz, Apple could have found the point where heat wasn't as much a problem while still allowing the chip to function as intended.


As for the driver not installing, that's because Apple's custom chip carries a PCI Device ID different from the stock 320M MCP. A little constructive hacking of the installers and/or INF files should help if you're comfortable with doing so. Search out "NVIDIA driver modder" and you'll get a better understanding of how that works and the tools to do it.


Nate

Dec 8, 2011 11:48 AM in response to Doming0

In the Windows 7 Start Menu Type “cmd”, then right-click on the program that appears and choose “Run As Administrator”.


Then enter;


E:
cd "WindowsSupport\Drivers\Apple"
msiexec /i BootCamp64.msi



"E:" is the drive of my pendrive. use your own drive


it worked for my 2009 iMac



This in fact, should be the correct answer. After a Senior Techinician who I know personally told me that there is a list of Apple products that do not support 64bit, I managed to install it on my 5,1 Aluminum Macbook without a problem using the command line.


Thanks a bunch!

Windows 7 x64 with boot camp 4.0 - "unsupported model"

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