Windows 8.1 on a late-2009 iMac ? Why not ?

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Level 1

99 points

Windows 8.1 on a late-2009 iMac ? Why not ?

I have a 27" late-2009 Core i5 iMac. Using BCA (v5.1.4), I was able to install Windows 8.1 Enterprise 64-bit. But, I found after the install that BCA had not installed any of the support software. That meant that Windows was the default boot device instead of Mac OS X (which I wanted) and that could not be changed.

From within Windows, I tried to run the support software installer manually. I got an error msg saying there were compatibility issues. I was directed to download another version of BCA. It downloaded v4 ! I tried to run the v4 edition but got another error saying that "x64 is unsupported on this computer model".

Not being able to install the support software, I decided to delete the Windows partition altogether. I tried doing that using BCA but it stopped with an error saying "Your disk could not be restored to a single partition. An error occurred while restoring the disk to a single partition".

So, I had to use Disk Utility to manually restore to a single partition. Because the non-existent Windows partition was still the default startup disk, also had to reset the startup disk too.

Windows 8.1 x64 will clearly run on a late-2009 Core i5 iMac. Actually it ran well - very fast. It booted in 50% of the time it takes OS X. So, why don't BCA and the Windows Support Software support W8.1 x64 on my iMac ?

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3), late 2009, Core i5, 2.66Ghz, 12Gb

Posted on May 8, 2015 9:55 PM

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Answer 1

Garry Brooke Author

Level 1

99 points

May 9, 2015 2:14 AM in response to Rudegar

Sorry but, I don't understand. What do you mean by "go into bootcamp" ? I looked at System Preferences in OS X. There was no choice - only my OS X volume was visible after Windows was installed on the second partition by BCA. In Windows, there was no boot camp utility with which to change the startup disk nor to see the OS X volume (for moving files etc.) in Explorer. This is because BCA did not install the Windows Support software and I couldn't either as noted above.

I have to admit that Apple's support pages advise that my iMac is not compatible with Windows 8 - only with up to Windows 7 (System requirements to install Windows on your Mac via Boot Camp - Apple Support). So, I have headlined this post "Why ?".

Does anyone know ?

P.S. Sorry, didn't mean to seem so crotchety. Many thanks for your input.

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Answer 2

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

May 9, 2015 4:44 PM in response to Garry Brooke

If the System Requirements page shows W7 64-bit as the last supported system you have the option of installing W7 64-bit and once Windows is up and running, upgrade it to W8.1 64-bit since the Windows installation is now self-contained and does not require BCA to upgrade.

From Boot Camp 5.1: Frequently asked questions about installing Windows 8 - Apple Support

Can I perform an upgrade install from Windows 7 to Windows 8?

Yes, if both versions of Windows are 64 bit. Before upgrading, be sure to install the latest Boot Camp Support Software.

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Answer 3

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

May 9, 2015 5:44 PM in response to Garry Brooke

Can you try

a. Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac - Apple Support

b. How to Reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

It should reset partial Bootcamp NVRAM settings to allow the Mac EFI to control the Apple Bootmanager.

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Answer 4

Garry Brooke Author

Level 1

99 points

May 10, 2015 9:18 PM in response to Loner T

Loner T, many thanks. It's all academic now as I gave up last week and deleted the partition. After that, I had to set the startup volume in OS X and since then all has been well in OS X.

But, I'll keep a note of your suggestion in case the iMac does a weird startup in the future.

My main question is why Apple say my iMac is not compatible with Windows 8. Perhaps they just don't want to spend the time updating BCA to handle older Macs ?

Cheers.

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