Can i download boot camp drivers outside of boot camp assistant

Question

Can i download boot camp drivers outside of boot camp assistant

My company is purchasing an 27" iMac 3.5GHz Quad Core i5 with 8GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive, AMD Radeon from a reseller in Tanzania.

We need to install windows 7 onto the machine to run our software (Mac OS is not an option) but will not have a reliable internet connection.

Is there any way I can download the boot camp assistant drivers for this machine from another computer so that a USB can be sent to Tanzania ready to partition the hard drive and install windows?

Many thanks for any assistance offered.

Chris

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.4), Not sure of the precise OS version

Posted on Jul 29, 2015 7:21 AM

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Answer 1

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jul 29, 2015 10:41 AM in response to chris.bulford

From System requirements to install Windows on your Mac using Boot Camp - Apple Support, you can download BC drivers manually, unless the matrix shows BCA.

Table key

The tables will have one of these symbols or entries in each column. This is what they mean.

BCA: Use Boot Camp Assistant (BCA) to download the latest Boot Camp software. The support software available from Boot Camp Assistant is newer than what is currently available as a manual download.
4 or 5: These link to the manual download for the related version of the Boot Camp support software you need to install Windows on your Mac. You can also get the right version by using Boot Camp Assistant.
DVD: For older Macs, Windows drivers are located on the Mac OS X installation DVD that came with your computer.
Dash "-": This version of Windows is not supported.

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Answer 2

Gabviper

Level 1

25 points

Jul 29, 2015 1:29 PM in response to chris.bulford

Yes, you can.

If you start Boot Camp, you have an option to download the software drivers. If you check only that option, it will download the software on the drive you select.

There should be two folders: "$WinPEDriver$" and "BootCamp". Inside the latter, you can find a Setup.exe file. You just have to launch it and it will install all the necessary software for your Mac.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have problems.

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Answer 3

Jul 30, 2015 3:16 AM in response to Gabviper

Thanks for the replies Gabviper and Loner T.

I should have added...I am currently in the UK and working on a 2010 MacPro 5.1 (running windows but I can always go into Mac OS) and would like to prepare in advance by downloading the drivers for the new iMac which is in Tanzania waiting to be picked up.

If I were to download the latest boot camp drivers for any new Mac (we have a MacPro in the office) would they be compatible with the iMac or would the downloaded files be machine specific?

Thanks for the help!

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Answer 4

Jul 30, 2015 4:58 AM in response to chris.bulford

A colleague has just informed me that Apple have provided him with links to the windows support software and the latest version of OSX he will download prior to travelling. So it would seem that to contact Apple direct is the way around this issue.

Hopefully this should provide us with the relevant files to get the iMac running windows without needing an internet connection in the field.

Thanks to everyone who had a look at this and to LonerT and GabViper for their reponses.

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Answer 5

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jul 30, 2015 5:51 AM in response to chris.bulford

chris.bulford wrote:

If I were to download the latest boot camp drivers for any new Mac (we have a MacPro in the office) would they be compatible with the iMac or would the downloaded files be machine specific?

The downloads are usually machine-specific, but each driver package can support more than one Mac model. From the matrix I posted earlier...

iMac

Mac model	Windows 8 64-bit	Windows 7 64-bit	Windows 7 32-bit	Windows Vista 64-bit	Windows Vista 32-bit	Windows XP 32-bit
iMac (Retina 5k, 27-inch, Mid 2015)	BCA	BCA	-	-	-	-
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)	BCA	BCA	-	-	-	-
iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2014)	BCA	BCA	-	-	-	-
iMac (27-inch, Late 2013)	5	5	-	-	-	-
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013)	5	5	-	-	-	-
iMac (27-inch, Late 2012)	5	5	4	-	-	-
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)	5	5	4	-	-	-
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011)	5	5	4	-	-	-
iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)	5	5	4	-	-	-
iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)	5	5	4	-	-	-
iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010)	5	5	4	-	-	-
iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010)	-	4	4	-	-	-

And Boot Camp Support Software 5.1.5621 supports the following

Post Date: Feb 11, 2014

File Size: 924.9 MB

System Requirements

MacBook Air (11-inch & 13-inch, Mid 2011)
MacBook Air (11-inch & 13-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBook Pro (15-inch & 17-inch, Mid 2010)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, & 15-inch, Early 2011)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011)
MacBook Pro (13-inch,15-inch & 17-inch Late 2011)
MacBook Pro (13-inch & 15-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch and 15-inch, Early 2013)
Mac Pro (Early 2009)
Mac Pro (Mid 2010)
Mac Pro (Mid 2012)
Mac mini (Mid 2011)
Mac mini (Late 2012)
iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010)
iMac (21.5-inch & 27-inch, Mid 2011)
iMac (21.5-inch & 27-inch, Late 2012)
iMac (21.5-inch) Early 2013
Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1, 64 bit

You can also use https://github.com/timsutton/brigadier as an option, if you want to. It would be good to allow the Mac the ability to connect to the Internet on a regular basis for possible software updates.

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