solving a dual boot monitor problem

i have a friend that has a mac pro running windows XP on it.
the problem is that when i start the computer it automatically boots windows.
so i tried holding the option key during the booting process to get into
the dual boot mode (i hope i did that right). when i do that nothing shows up on the screen. i have tried arrowing left by pressing enter or simply pressing enter and still nothing. he had the videocard replaced recently and
the guy who fixed it gave him a drivers CD but its for windows only. do you think this is the problem because the MAC OS doesnt recognize the video card? or the OS is totally screwed? please chime in and give me your thoughts. thanks

??? Not enough info.

How long did you hold the option key down for? Even if this tech did blow away OS X, you should still get to the option to be able to select Windows.

If the guy put in a card without the firmware to run in a Mac, that could certainly be an issue. You need to find out what card it is and whether it is Mac compatible. My guess would be it's not, if it came with a windows only disc.

bobtomay said:

??? Not enough info.

How long did you hold the option key down for? Even if this tech did blow away OS X, you should still get to the option to be able to select Windows.

If the guy put in a card without the firmware to run in a Mac, that could certainly be an issue. You need to find out what card it is and whether it is Mac compatible. My guess would be it's not, if it came with a windows only disc.

Click to expand...

i had held the option key for more than 20 seconds. i have done this on a mac before and when i press the option key it loads the 2 icons pretty quick.
i think your right. the video card might not be compatible. when i have a chance, im going to check the card type and go to the company website. tlhis mac loads windows just fine. its strange though, if i turn on the computer by itself (pressing nothing) it auto loads windows. Shouldnt it load MAC OSX instead? kind of strange. thanks

The next time you are in Windows check the settings. I am working from memory here but I think the Boot Camp control panel (think that's what it is called) can be used to set the startup disk to Win XP