Boot Camp Vista Install Problems

Hey Everyone,

i am trying to install Vista via boot camp 1.2 beta. I created a partition, via boot camp and everything is great until the final step when boot camp asks you for the windows disc to start installation.

I got my Windows Vista home Premium (very fancy name) free from microsoft as i attended the vista launch at xmas. i think it's what's called an OEM edition as it comes in a paper CD cover with no box or manual or anything.

Anyways long story short when i click "Start installation" with the windows disc in the drive boot camp says "The installer CD can not be found". This i cant believe because finder has actually found the disc and mounted it. I can browse the disc and look at all the files. It seem boot camp has an issue with it.

Has anyone come across any issues with boot camp not recognizing Windows discs?

If you have the CD version of Vista Home Premium...that would explain it (only 32 bit, DVD versions of Vista are supported with bootcamp). Also...@ Xmas, I believe Vista was still @ the RTM stage..and had yet to go Retail (for Home Premium). You may need a retail version..but I'm not 100% sure about that.

Chris3d said:

If you have the CD version of Vista Home Premium...that would explain it (only 32 bit, DVD versions of Vista are supported with bootcamp). Also...@ Xmas, I believe Vista was still @ the RTM stage..and had yet to go Retail (for Home Premium). You may need a retail version..but I'm not 100% sure about that.

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I'd say you're probably right. Bootcamp seems very fussy about what it will and won't install.

You can't do a straight install you have to install Windows XP SP2 first then install Vista over that.

I installed vista hated it, took up so much space. I set apart 12 gigs for Windows and it took up 10 1/2 gigs uninstalled it immediately and reinstalled Xp. Vistas not that great IMHO

http://my.opera.com/Yojimbo/blog/show.dml/511293

Hey everyone thanks for the replies.

Just to clarify. The version i have is vista home premium. It is a DVD rom and is 32-bit.

It IS the proper retail version as it arrived only a few weeks ago.

There was a post above stating that i need to install windows XP and then vista - this i find really hard to believe. That can't be true, can it? i read nowhere on the apple site that to install vista via boot camp that i needed windows xp first

I don't think that SHOULD be necessary to install Vista, but it will bypass the current problem you are having. Once you have XP up and running...just insert the Vista disc. That's where you'll have to choose whether you want to try the full install...or go with the upgrade. Upgrading would probably be the safest route.

Guys this is crazy - i have to have XP to install vista? - ha ha are apple taking some marketing ideas from microsoft (i.e making me buy XP just to install vista) - unfortunately i don't own a copy of Windows XP so this isn't an option.

surely there is a way to do this and it's just something silly i'm missing.

Solution found - well sort of

Hey all,

for anyone interested - this is how i came to solve this issue.

I went to a mates house to try and install with HIS vista disc and MY license key to see if that would help. Boot camp reported that it couldn't read HIS disc either(this is so weird because he has successfully installed vista on his mac).

Anyways so i restarted my mac and held down the 'C' key to boot from the DVD drive and got into the Windows installer that way with MY disc. Vista install allowed to to select the partition created by boot camp and install.

So there you have it. Had to go the long way but didn't need to buy windows XP!! - bit weird how it couldn't read any vista disc.

Oh well!