Mac Pro Early 2009 Win 8.1 install fails

1. Yes it is. I've not tried anything larger than 500GB for Windows. There's a Time Machine drive on there as well, 1TB, but I'm leaving that alone for obvious reasons.

2. Might be it. I have an 'Early 2009' MacBook (nVidia 9400M) and tried running BCA with the W8 DVD installed- thinking if I could get a working install on that I could transfer it- but no, 'Windows 8 is not supported'.

I know Win XP is no longer supported, but could I temporarily fit the Windows drive from my MP 1,1 (32 bit XP, 250GB dedicated HD, rather than a partition) and then somehow get 8.1 running (according to the small print on the package it is 'not designed for installation on devices running Wndows XP or Vista'- gee, thanks Microsoft....)?

This setup should work. I know it can work. If only it would work......

I don't have a Windows 7 install- had the RC version installed on the 1,1 waaaay back, but no DVD. Winclone I have though.

Having checked, although Microsoft say 8.1 'isn't designed' for installation on XP/Vista boxes, 'you'll need to install it from a Windows 8.1 DVD and perform a clean installation'- so nothing transferred. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/upgrade-from-windows-vista-xp-tutor ial Not that much of a problem compared to all the black screens- annoying, yes, but certainly not unsurmountable.

Rather than physically transferring the XP drive from the 1,1 into the 5,1 (which would mean swapping the drive sled as well as the drive), now thinking the least-worst way forward is...

1. Create a Windows partition on the 5,1- manually via Disk Utility might in this case be easier, if not BCA..

2. Use Winclone to clone the XP installation onto that partition. I have an image already, handily.

3. Fingers crossed, I should hopefully then be able to run the 8.1 installer from the DVD......

Thanks, will report back when I've had a go.

Right, I got the 1,1 out of mothballs & (over the course of several hours) Wincloned the XP install, then cloned it onto the 5,1's Bootcamp partition, and....

Clone failed, not sure why. Gah! The XP install was probably borked anyway- booting into Windows it doesn't detect the mouse or keyboard so I can't log in.....Running it as a VM on Parallels Desktop works fine.

Might end up buying W7 at this rate......

No joy so far. XP install on the 1,1 is definitely borked, won't run properly even through Parallels. Have backed up the user data and will do a clean install- which will mean installing an XP-friendly OS X version on the machine (it's running Lion, BCA on that version only supports 7) & then running Boot Camp Assistant or doing it manually through Disk Utility (found instructions for that already). Fortunately, I have a slipstreamed install disc which should save some time. More to follow when I get round to having another go.

Right, the saga continues......

The good news: Did a clean, manual install of XP on the 1,1. It had been seven or eight years since I put it on in the first place, I'd forgotten what a PITA a Windows install was. First reboot went straight back into Lion. Even though I used the slipstreamed install CD it couldn't be left on its own, four or five prompts, and once it was up and running I tried to install the ATI Catalyst drivers unsuccessfully twice before I remembered the default video driver had to be deleted first. Radeon 4870 driving the monitor in its full 1920x1200 glory, documents restored, but the applications and the (no doubt) umpteen system updates can wait for another time. Unborking was a success, that'll do for now.

Slightly emboldened, I tried the 8.1 DVD in the MacBook. It booted. Yay! Perhaps it would work in the 5,1 after then.....

You've guessed it, bad news.

Ran BCA, 250GB partition created, on rebooting I made sure to hold down Option and select the Windows DVD. It booted OK, installer detected the partition, reformatted it, copied files for a while, reboot.............black screen again. It was past midnight by then, so I powered it down, startup with option key again to get it back to Yosemite boot, shut it down.

This morning- won't boot from the Windows partition (available as an option in Startup Disk), which had 8.something GB of files on it, won't boot from the DVD at even though it did the previous night.....Partition deleted again. I got another HD last week (a dedicated disc is so much less bother), so I'll probably install that and try again next week.

Finally, finally got 8.1 installed this morning. Feels like the labours of Hercules.....

New Seagate 1TB drive installed in bay one on the 5,1. Discovered the Windows 8.1 DVD would boot from the EFI Boot partition on it, so I've been using that as it never seem to have booted from the Windows one...but I'll come to that. Product key goes in fine, select the new HD as install location...won't play ball. Reformat the HD, run checks in Disk Utility...several times...no dice.

How I eventually got there:

Repartition as Mac OS Extended. Run BCA, let it do the hard drive setup, reboot [and why, oh why, must I go through the option-key & select disc palaver every time, when it knows what I want to do..ho hum], select the Windows, not the EFI Boot, option on the DVD. Hallelujah, it boots from the disc, installer selects the Seagate OK, reformats it, installs the files, reboots to a black screen (I forgot how you can't get it to install unattended), but I just shut down, option-boot into the Windows HD option I now have. Install completes. Pop in my USB with the Boot Camp driver set. Install. Reboot. Full resolution, everything working. Couldn't set up the network stuff as my ISP connection was down, but I'll sort that.

And relax.........

Thanks for the help Loner T!