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User profile for user: eivers88
eivers88 Author
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Installing Windows 8 on late 2012 iMac 3TB SATA Disk

Yes I know installing windows on the new 3TB iMac through bootcamp is not officially supported, but after doing some research it seemed that it was quite possible to do so anyways. Twocanoes seemed to have the best solution for going about this so I gave it a try

http://blog.twocanoes.com/post/42453643591/bootcamp-on-a-3-tb-fusion-drive

I seem to have run into a problem at the very last step. I successfully created the partitions as above, created a bootable usb with bootcamp on a different mac, and then when I go to select what drive to boot from, my bootable usb shows two different drive options (Windows and EFI). If I select Windows, I can successfully install it on to my partition, but no compatibility drivers seem to be installed with it (internet, graphics, bluetooth). If I boot from the EFI option, I make it to the windows installer, but then receive an error telling me:

"The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks. Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu."

Any help on what I am doing wrong or what I might try will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

iMac (27-inch, Late 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Mar 2, 2013 9:55 PM

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User profile for user: mende1
mende1
User level: Level 10
93,538 points

Posted on Mar 2, 2013 10:00 PM

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities


In the past, Windows could be installed in PCs with UEFI 2.0, but Windows 8 adds compatibility for EFI 1.x computers. What does it mean? You can install Windows in EFI mode on any Intel-based Mac with a 64-bit processor (Intel Core 2 Duo or newer).


This mode provides a better hardware compatibility for the installer, but it will give you headaches to make it work. For example, a Mac uses a hybrid GPT/MBR table for the hard drive. It uses GPT to start in OS X, and MBR to start in OS X. The problem you have is that a Mac emulates the MBR automatically when you make a partition for Windows in the hard drive, and this is the reason why you can't install Windows in EFI mode on your Mac.


In order to install Windows in EFI mode, you will have to leave some free space in the hard drive, and then, create the Windows partition in the Windows installer, after starting in EFI mode. However, I don't recommend you to do this, because after installation, the compatibility will be worse. You may have Internet working and the graphic card, for example, but Apple won't release updates for it, because it's not considered Boot Camp.


In conclusion, install Windows using the "Windows" option during startup, and wait until Apple releases Boot Camp drivers compatible with Windows 8. EFI mode for Windows provides some great advantages, but Apple doesn't support it at the moment

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User profile for user: mende1
mende1
User level: Level 10
93,538 points

Mar 2, 2013 10:00 PM in response to eivers88

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities


In the past, Windows could be installed in PCs with UEFI 2.0, but Windows 8 adds compatibility for EFI 1.x computers. What does it mean? You can install Windows in EFI mode on any Intel-based Mac with a 64-bit processor (Intel Core 2 Duo or newer).


This mode provides a better hardware compatibility for the installer, but it will give you headaches to make it work. For example, a Mac uses a hybrid GPT/MBR table for the hard drive. It uses GPT to start in OS X, and MBR to start in OS X. The problem you have is that a Mac emulates the MBR automatically when you make a partition for Windows in the hard drive, and this is the reason why you can't install Windows in EFI mode on your Mac.


In order to install Windows in EFI mode, you will have to leave some free space in the hard drive, and then, create the Windows partition in the Windows installer, after starting in EFI mode. However, I don't recommend you to do this, because after installation, the compatibility will be worse. You may have Internet working and the graphic card, for example, but Apple won't release updates for it, because it's not considered Boot Camp.


In conclusion, install Windows using the "Windows" option during startup, and wait until Apple releases Boot Camp drivers compatible with Windows 8. EFI mode for Windows provides some great advantages, but Apple doesn't support it at the moment

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Installing Windows 8 on late 2012 iMac 3TB SATA Disk

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