can i install vista on mountain lion?

Windows XP and Vista are no longer supported with Boot Camp versions 4.0 and later.

Item 3 in this Apple Boot Camp FAQ.

If you have 8GB or memory, you might explore support for Vista in one of the virtualization solutions such as VirtualBox (free), Parallels Desktop ($), or VMware ($). You would need to verify degree of Windows 8 support in these products.

Also, you have until the end of January to get Windows 8 Pro from Microsoft for $40 before the price increase to $199 begins on Feb 1.

Windows 8 is not yet supported in Bootcamp. Only up through Windows 7 so far.

I have found a way around to achieve to install Vista (and the Windows 8 upgrade).

Someone may find a way to simplify this scheme it worked as it.

To achieve this you need:

One Windows XP Installation CD (along with a product key, don't need to be genuine it will be a temporary install).

One Windows 7 Installation DVD (without the product key, you don't need to install it, it will serve to partition via bootcamp, and Upgrade DVD of Windows 8 might work aswell, but I didn't had it so I could not try with).

You need your Windows Vista Installation Disk aswell.

You will need an DVD of the Windows 8 Upgrade or a support where it is and avoid you using networking while under Vista (otherwise it's kinda a mess).

And lastly you'll need WMWare (fourth version might work, I did under the fifth version).

So by now, what is the procedure, I explain it. (Read carefully the whole explanation as some step require attention and to be fast, though none may be occlusive, and I think none is)

You need to create your partition with BootCamp, to achieve this first step you need to insert the Windows 7 DVD.

A the end of the partionning that can be long (you got to monitor it, because I don't remember if it prompt for restart), then the system would restart, at the restart while the startup sound is being played hold option (alt) key to invoke the boot loader and access the boot menu then eject your Windows 7 DVD and insert the XP installation CD, (convert the file system to NTFS during the first steps) then install it (XP). You should then at the end of the installation be under XP operating system. Restart. Hold option (alt) key to invoke boot loader then boot under Mac OS.

Then under Mac OS, launch VMWare, choose to create a virtualized system via BootCamp. It will then work and do it, run the Virtualized OS (XP). Share your DVD Drive (via configuration) to your virtualized machine, (eject XP installation CD) and insert Vista installation DVD. Install Vista on it (may not be necessary but it's the way I did it), you don't need to type your product key by now. Then you've Vista on your Bootcamp. YES BUT it won't run natively, some "hal.dll" problem I did not manage to solve (may be solvable via a CHKDSK /F but kinda complicated). So you will under WMWare reinstall Vista again, look carefully and prepare via the menu "force to quit" to shut down your WMWare software. The Vista installation process involve some step, it will first copy file (and it is wrote then expand it, after a reboot), at the end of the copying process your system (virtualized) will reboot, you'll halt WMWare at the interval (I waited somehow to finish it to halt, the virtualized machine not wmware), then your will restart your computer and hold option (alt) key to pop up the boot loader.

(This precedent step is kinda a mess, but if you read carefully you'll understand and achieve it).

By now you're at the boot menu, start the windows (or bootcamp) partition, it will complete the installation of Vista (enter your product key, genuine). Then you're under Vista, you'll start install Windows 8 upgrade, if you have the bootcamp 3.0 drivers, you can do it via internet (you may expect some problems), so better is to have the full upgrade of Windows 8 on a DVD or an USB stick and start installation (along with your genuine product key 😉 ).

The install will run smoothly (It did for me, and will for you, at least I hope so) and then you'll be under Windows 8.

END OF THE PROCEDURE 🙂

As I did they were some issue, the first one was the langage, Iam french it did install UK version (I can read englisch most of the time, but the qwerty layout persist on the login screen kinda annoying).

The second, a bit more annoying but certainly solvable is that it installed (for me the 32 bits version), preventing me to install bootcamp 5 (may be solved by installing bootcamp 4, that I download while writing this post), along with that the 32 bits system version would not recognize more than around 2 GB of RAM (got eight), and so not use 64 bits instructions. To solve that i read on one google result that the Windows 8 installer choose between 32 or 64 bits version at the moment you check your system, if your host system is 32 bits it will choose Windows 8 32 bit, if it's 64 bits host system then choose the Windows 64 bits version, may not occur with the upgrade DVD (I'll receive it, as I ticked send me the DVD when I bought the Windows 8 version).

If something is not clear or if you got issues you can ask within this thread, I'll try help you.

Have a nice day.

Now I need, to upgrade from 32 bits to 64 bits, but I don't know how. Does somebody know to upgrade (any version) of Windows of 32 bits to Windows of 64 bits. Without reinstall Vista (x64), either Win7 (64) of which I don't own any legal licence.

zituxwera wrote:

I have found a way around to achieve to install Vista (and the Windows 8 upgrade).

One Windows 7 Installation DVD (without the product key, you don't need to install it, it will serve to partition via bootcamp, and Upgrade DVD of Windows 8 might work aswell, but I didn't had it so I could not try with).

Why would you have a Windows 7 DVD without a product key?

Pete

petermac87 wrote:

zituxwera wrote:

I have found a way around to achieve to install Vista (and the Windows 8 upgrade).

One Windows 7 Installation DVD (without the product key, you don't need to install it, it will serve to partition via bootcamp, and Upgrade DVD of Windows 8 might work aswell, but I didn't had it so I could not try with).

Why would you have a Windows 7 DVD without a product key?

Pete

Zemmour Vs GreenPeace : le nucléaire Part

"partition via bootcamp" -> "it will serve to"