How I did install Windows 7 64 bits on my IMac Core 2 Duo

Question

Hey,
after wondering around, I'll just drop here how I finally found my way, so someone doesn't take days to find the proper tips and tricks and avoid the dead ends I went to.
Problem :
- Windows 64 DVD doesn't even start on my IMac Core2Duo 2,8Ghz (2007 model, I think) (something with the booting system) (the 'Choose DVD coot type' issue) ; Windows 7 RC1-32 bits used to
- If you find how to make, it, then your DVD hardware seems to be no more recognized (the 'Please provide DVD-ROM drivers' issue)
=> faking Windows 7 DVD was a dead end
So, after, I tried to install it on hard disk using a Virtual MAchine emulator :
Starting with Snow Leopard :
Setting up bootcamp partition and boot system :
1) I restarted Bootcamp process from scratch (removed and recreated windows partition)
2) I installed Windows 7 RC 1-32 bits with the image you may find somewhere on the web (could work with an older 32 bits windows) ; don't forget to reformat Bootcamp partition during install or you'll get stuck
=> now, the partition and Mac booting process are set up properly
Installing Windows 7 64
3) I reboot on MacOS, then launched the Parallel virtualisation stuff (I own it, but it may work with the trial version)
4) I created a bootcamp Virtual Machine, so my 32 bits Windows 7-RC1 on the Bootcamp Partition ran in Parallel
5) I started Windows 7 64 bits installation directly from Parallel :
a) inserted the DVD, connect it to the virtual machine from the Configure panel the usual way,
b) in the Configure panel, I made the DVD come first in the boot order (before hard drive)
c) I reboot my virtual machine in Parallels and let it go
6) when Windows 7 64 bits started, I didn't reformat Bootcamp Partition, it was already ok, I just followed the flow
After everything went ok, I had Windows 7 64 bits up and virtually running from my Bootcamp partition.
The real boot
7) I shut down that Windows 7 64 bits from the Virtual machine (windows menu>Shut down)
8) I reboot my IMac and... yeehaa ! Windows 64 was running.
Installing Bootcamp 64 bits drivers for Windows 7 64
I finally found a good french blog post on how to tweak Bootcamp64 launcher to tolerate Windows 7 and install 64bits drivers as it was Vista :
http://www.cnetfrance.fr/blog/comment-installer-boot-camp-sur-windows-7-39703366 .htm
In english, it means :
In windows 7 :
a) I found and downloaded Orca, an MSI file editor (easy to find on google)
b) I copied Bootcamp folder from my Snow Leopard DVD to my desktop (or wherever I could edit them)
c) I did edit the Bootcamp/Drivers/Apple/BootCamp.msi file with Orca
d) I just dropped, removed in the "Table" list the entry called "LaunchCondition" (Table list is the left part of the Orca window)
e) I started bootcamp and it runs the usual way
And now, I'm ok, playing (my old games in 32 bits compatibility mode ), with Bootcamp up and running.
Hope it'll help

Answer 1

No easy fix for a few reasons:
1) Bootcamp requires a hybrid MBR for the partition table. That is: both an MBR and a GPT partition table at the same time with the GPT one having all partitions and the MBR one having only the ones that are relevant, but at most 4 of them (including the protective partition and the Macintosh HD one). Which leads us to:
2) The MBR part of the hybrid partition table cannot work with 3TB hard drives. MBR is limited to 2TB.
I am working on a small EFI app that can boot Windows in EFI mode on a Mac and that would mean that you can go GPT only on your system. The progress of the app is slow due to the nature of EFI and for now requires that you do an unattended Windows install with slipstreamed graphics drivers, but we are adding VGA loading on top of EFI quite soon after the rest of the app stabilises. The status of the app is documented at:
Win7 x64 booting natively via EFI (no bios emulation)
Windows does actually successfully boot in EFI mode on most Macs (anything with a 64bit EFI should work), but does not have graphics support even if you load the driver due to the VGA pci registers not being set by the firmware. Furthermore, in Setup and Safe Mode, Windows uses VGA instead of GOP which is a failure by design since VGA is a BIOS standard and not really compatible without hacks with EFI. Other EFI implementations also add VGA compatibility at a high cost to the firmware complexity for the VGA cards available on the market that don't actually contain anything in their ROM except the VGA BIOS.
My recomendations:
1) Install on a second smaller hard-drive; or
2) Wait for the EFI app to come out officially and use that to boot Windows Vista SP1 x64 and Windows 7 x64 (RTM and SP1) in the native EFI mode.
3) Wait for Windows 8 which supports VGA-less booting acording to the AMD presentation at UEFI Plugfest.