Does the new 2011 Mac Mini Server edition come with Bootcamp to enable installation of Windows 7

OSX Server does not inlude BootCamp.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3307

Stefan

Certainly with Snow Leopard Server and according to the above Apple KB article, OS X Server no longer includes the Boot Camp asisstant.

However the Boot Camp assistant is merely an application. It is perfectly possible to copy it across from another computer and then run it. After the Boot Camp partition has been created and you have installed it and the Windows drivers, you no longer need the Boot Camp assistant.

A word of caution. Installing Lion creates a Lion Recovery partition, this along with the Lion partition itself and other low level partitions can cause a problem with Boot Camp. This is because Windows XP will only boot from one of the first four partitions on a disk. With the Lion Recovery partition, the EFI partition the Lion actual partition and the Boot Camp partition for Windows you have used up four, if you try adding a second Mac partition you could hit this problem. However it sounds like your going to use the second drive for storage so you should be ok.

Note: Boot Camp does not work with RAID.

zinando wrote:

Hi John,

Are you saying all that is missing is the utility to partition the drive fro Windows (ie the Assistant)

once I copy this program from another Mac and create the partition Im good to go?

Ok can version 4.01 of the assistant (latest one i belileve) be downloaded from anywhere?

Pretty much yes. The other important function the Boot Camp asistant does, is to download the drivers you need to install in to Windows.

I don't believe you can download 4.0 or 4.0.1. Version 4.0 would be part of Lion and 4.0.1 would be via Software update.

You might want to actually verify this information you are giving there John. I have an intel xserve ( but running vanilla leopard) and bootcamp will not work on it at all. When I tried previously, it just says bootcamp is not supported on this machine. The gestalt or machID (or whatever it is called) of the mini server is different to the gestalt of the normal mini.

Further error to the details you have offered, Lion does not support bootcamp with XP- it MUST be with win7 or Vista now, unless you know some way around this new apple-imposed restriction.

However, If you really want this machine for running windows, I think it is possible to simply install windows7 directly, sacrificing the Lion partiton. i.e. no more mac os. I believe win7 supports EFI architecture machines now. Boot from the win7 CD and install away (kiss goodbye the macOS installation).

Maybe you could then install the mac os after win7 is installed (on the other HD)? not sure if the "hold alt/option key" at boot would then work on the server. Maybe...maybe...

I must emphasize that I have not tried this on this particular machine (2011 mini server).

It would be good to hear from someone who actually has this machine and has tried all this stuff.

I would like to know myself!

Namaste,

Dave

You are of course correct that Boot Camp Assisstant will not run on an Intel XServe. However the original poster is referring to a Mac mini 'Server'. Furthermore he is using Lion and normally Lion Server is merely an addon to an existing Lion setup and the original Lion setup would include Boot Camp Assistant.

I will admit I don't have a Mac mini Server model, but I would have expected it is possible to run Boot Camp Assistant on such a machine. Running Windows 7 on an 'ordinary' Mac mini is officially supported.

Zinando, did you have any issues getting Win7 installed?

Saw on another thread here where folks were having problems

getting it to install because of the lack of an internal CD/DVD

drive. Did you need to do anything special?

Zinando,

Your comment is very helpful. I have a couple more questions if you can help. As a new Apple user (just bought a new Mac Mini Server), where can I find the Bootcamp Assistant program? Also, I would like to install Parallels Desktop 7 to runs Window 7 as guest OS. Should I install the Parallels "after" completion of partition the internal drives and installing Windows 7? Would it be beneficial to put the Windows 7 OS on the second hard drive (different from Mac OS) if both Mac and Windows access hard drive at the same time?

sampple wrote:

Zinando,

Your comment is very helpful. I have a couple more questions if you can help. As a new Apple user (just bought a new Mac Mini Server), where can I find the Bootcamp Assistant program?

In the Utilities folder in the Applications folder.

Also, I would like to install Parallels Desktop 7 to runs Window 7 as guest OS. Should I install the Parallels "after" completion of partition the internal drives and installing Windows 7?

You do not need to create a Windows partition if you use Parallels. It creates a

"hard drive container" that is simply a file on the Mac. The only reason to use

a Bootcamp partiton is if you want to boot the Mini as a Windows machine.

You will have no access to the MacOS while doing this. If you use Parallels,

it creates a "virtual" machine that runs along side OSX and basically the

Windows7 virtual machine will just be another app that is running.

Therefore, with the virtual machine, you have access to both OSX

and Windows at the same time. Doing this does come with a speed

penalty particularly with graphics. When booting into a Bootcamp

install of Windows, windows gets the full capability of the hardware

and will get the maximium performance.

Now, can have your cake and eat it too. Create and install Windows

with Bootcamp and then install Parallels. Because of Parallels

capabilities, you can use the Bootcamp partiton with Parallels

as a virtual machine when you want both Windows and OSX at

the same time. Or, you can boot into Windows to get the

maximum performance when needed.

The last option is what I want (set up both bootcamp and Parallels). Base on my understanding, I will set up bootcamp and loaded Windows 7. Then I will install Parallels afterward. This will give me the option to run native Windows OS or run as vitual machine. Thank you for your time.

Your welcome and good luck!