Mac pro as a vista / XPx64 based workstation?

I now have a common pc workstation with ATI fire-gl services graphic card and 2GB of ram running Intel Pentium 4 3.20 GHz processor. It is something like 2 years old and I haven’t upgraded since the first day. I work as a web / graphic and product designer, software like 3Dsmax, Modo, Flash, Illustrator and Photoshop are essential. I’m going to buy a new workstation soon, have a budget of 4500 usd approx (should include a 23inches lcd), and I though of a Mac Pro as an option. My question is will I be able to use a 100% of its potential running Windows vista x64 or XP x64 via boot camp, how will the drivers install like those for motherboard? Will windows indicate it as a usual PC? I actually don’t need Mac OS X at all, I have a Mac book, and on my workstation I need windows only (as I have tons of software I paid for that work only with windows).

You could just pull the OEM drive with OS X on it once you have written the Apple drivers (to FAT32 disk or CD, I used a SD memory card).
There is room for up to 4 SATA drives.
It is doable but not sure if it is ideal. The Mac Pro's only weakness is probably its use of FBDIMMs. I don't mind the performance and welcome using ECC.
Vista 64-bit is happy with GUID and EFI so far and planned support once EFI reaches 2.0 (and probably 2 yrs out).
I put Vista on its own 10K Raptor.
What I want is to use VMware and have OS X and Vista run concurrently.
If you need a system with 8-cores and up to 32GB... and it is quiet.

Similar Messages

  • Mac Pro boots into Vista upon startup, not OS X?

    Hi,
    I installed Windows Vista on a second hard drive on my Mac Pro but for some reason it insisits on booting into windows every time i start or restart my Mac? Tried setting the startup disk to OS X but it still boots into Vista! I have to hold down the alt key to select which one to boot into. Is there a way i can fix this or at least force it to come up with the OS options by default rather than holding the alt key?
    Thanks.

    Zap PRAM/NVRAM uses P + R along with CMD + OPT
    If those NTFS drivers mean nothing, means you haven't installed either.
    They allow OS X to write to NTFS.
    And you have Boot Camp 2.1 installed.
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238
    http://www.geocities.com/texas_macman/pram.html

  • Mac Pro (early 08) Vista 64 Business OEM  Fails to finish installing

    I have this problem with the 64-bit Vista on my Mac Pro. I had no trouble installing 64 bit home basic on this same machine. Right now I am in the process of zeroing out all the data on my disk then attempting to reinstall.
    When I run the 64 bit installer cd everything goes fine with boot camp until the first restart.. when it starts back up it doesnt finish the installation like with home basic, instead it goes back to the install new vista/enter serial nonsense.
    It does create a windows partition full of files. I tried to boot into vista in safe mode. I just get an error that forces me to reboot saying I needed to finish my installation.
    My disk is not scratched.. I'm not sure the problem here.

    no, wireless is not working. I don't use it so it's not a big deal for me but I would certainly like to know how to fix it. You are right, it's probably a matter of drivers. I also run xp in bootcamp on the same computer and wireless works fine there. I mostly use xp because vista has a lot of glitches (this being one). One thing in favor of vista that I noticed is that it recognizes full 6GB of RAM. XP sees only 2GB which as I understand from posts on this forum is the best it can do.

  • Apple Blue Tooth Mouse & Keyboard will not Wake Mac Pro while in Vista

    I am running Vista Ultimate via Boot Camp OSX Leopard. I have a MAC Pro with apple blue tooth mouse and keyboard.
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    After I wake the computer via the power button, the keyboard is unresponsive for about 2 minutes. Turning the power on and off on the keyboard does not speed up the process. The same thing happens intermittently when rebooting into Vista.
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    The keyboard and mouse do wake the computer when in Leopard.

    Were you ever able to find a resolution to this issue? I am seeing the same perplexing grayed out box in device manager. In my case I'm using a MS Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and my machine is a Mini.
    For anyone else who might happen upon this post, the exact click sequence is:
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  • Mac Pro as a Web Server and Workstation

    I'm thinking about getting a better computer, and plan on launching an intensive web app as well as some other web sites. The original plan was to get an xserve or two, and as the need arises add xsan to the setup.
    I see that the mac pro is fairly powerful and would make a great server, I could start with a mac pro, then add an xserve and xsan to the setup down the line. What I'd like to know is how it would hold up as a server, while I was using it for work at the same time.. could it handle both and how would it perform?
    *To give an idea of the type of setup:*
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    ram as needed min 4gb up to 32gb
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    flash
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    flex
    3 parallels virtual machines(2 windows 1 linux)
    firefox with 200+tabs
    4/5 other browsers running.
    ftp/mail/calendar and all those other peripheral apps
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    It is bad form to use a server as a workstation. You will be running server software, I assume, which is not really client software for which applications are written. You will also be hogging resources one way or the other. You may want to consider a Mini to serve up your website until you can afford an xServe. As far as Xsan, that is really high horse power, and is a good fit for video editing (you need two sxServes and a fiber switch to do an Xsan). You can probably get by with just a RAID attached to the server if you are just hosting web sites, at least in the beginning.

  • Mac Pro Boot Camp Vista Quickcam Ultravision

    Wondering if anbody is experiencing this issue? I completely lose sound when I install the Quickcam Ultravision Vista driver. A simple uninstall brings it back.

    You'd probably be better off posting your question in the Boot Camp discussions:
    http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=237

  • Mac Pro for Pro/E & Mechanica WF3.0

    Hi Guys/Gals,
    We are looking to purchase a workstation to perform Pro/Engineer modelling and Mechanica simulations. We'll also be running AutoCAD 2008 Mechanical. Our intent is to install Windows XP x64 via boot camp and get the same stability that could be expected running on non-Apple harware (ie not from boot camp) Configuration is planned as follows:
    (2) 3.0GHz QCore Xeon
    8GB System RAM
    Mac Pro RAID Card
    (3) 500GB 7200 rpm SATA in RAID 5 w/parity
    NVIDIA Quadro FX-4500
    - various other "seemingly" inconsequential bits include:
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    Bluetooth
    While all answers are welcomed and appreciated, theoreticals will not suffice as this MUST work. So, if there is anyone out there running this config, or experience with it, I'm really looking forward to hearing about.
    I would be interested in hearing any success/failure stories running Wildfire 3.0 under a 64-bit Linux OS on this rig as well. I want to keep as many avenues available as possible. If so, please indicate which Package management system/distro you were using.
    Thanks in Advance,
    Rich

    I'll start off by pointing to the Leopard / BootCamp page that specifies "32-bit only" for starters.
    There are forums for Ubuntu and SuSE though my experience with both was weak support for 64-bit (haven't tried the latest posted this month).
    I would save yourself $2K on the Mac Pro RAID and go 3rd party. Read the reviews on http://www.amug.com on RAID6 and other controllers for starters. You have to buy Apple drives to use with their RAID card, but the card isn't supported under Windows.
    Also, there were problems with heat and power load with ATTO SAS controller (which had to go in the top slot to get 8x). I mention because having Mac Pro today, you don't have PCI Express 2.0 bandwidth or power that "tomorrow's" workstation designed by Intel etc promise. And are needed.
    I'd wait for mid-November before ordering anything in Mac Pro line.
    Vista x64 keeps getting better, I think it will be an excellent fit on Mac Pro, but even there I'd say early 2008 when SP1 is ready.
    Not sure why you want Apple hardware.

  • Can video cards for the new Mac Pro be installed in the field?

    Current Configuration of the new Mac Pro is as follows:
          ACES MacPro Workstation Seat
    Processor
    6-Core/3.5GHz/Xeon E5
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics
    2X AMD FirePro D500
    Hard Disk
    1 TB
    Display
    24" LED / HP
    Media Player
    2GB FIPS USB Drive
    Mouse
    Apple Magic Mouse
    Keyboard
    USB
    Ports
    4-USB 3.0;
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    1- HDMI
    Netwk Interface
    Ethernet/802.11n
    Card Reader
    NIST SP 800 Compliant
    My question is can the Graphic Display cards be removed and replaced in the field by an experience Mac Technician?
    Any special tools required?

    Now here is the back, showing the heatsink paste still in place, and the thermal pads used to cool the RAM chips to the central cooler:
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    One reason for this design is that to make a leap forward, you would have to water-cool the slots for a traditional form-factor PCIe slot Mac pro. Then do it again to include a second GPU. In my opinion, this model Mac Pro is about conquering the cooling problem of this much CPU and GPU compute-power in one box.
    NVIDIA graphics card replacements? maybe eventually, but not at this writing.

  • What is the best storage solution for the new Mac Pro

    Hi All,
    With limited funds when purchasing the new Mac Pro, I'm starting to look at storage for music/pictures/video etc - I'm thinking of storing this data externally and connecting via Thunderbolt or Firewire or USB3 to access the data... Not sure what type of storage to use, upgrading to 1TB PCIe-based flash seems excessive for costs and I would like at least 2TB, anyone have any suggestions?
    What are the alternatives for storage... (single disk Raid) I've recently had to replace my internal WD hard drive (lost everything) and the backup time capsule failed, again knackered disk (looks like WD format error with Maverick OS bug), don't want to format them just incase..
    With the new Mac Pro coming with 256GB PCIe-based flash storage, I'm reluctant to upgrade the storage because of costs and would like some redudancy when it comes to storage.
    Any suggestions?
    Many thanks
    Russ

    landing page at OWC for Thunderbolt products.
    Helios enclosure (the new dual-slot Helios PCIe chassis) and moving various hard drives into Thunderbolt cases (in time) but mainly into my favorite USB3 hard drive enclosure.
    For those without eSATA enclosures, a simple eSATA to USB3 adapter might do the trick.
    USB3 is plenty fast to house two hard drives.
    If you can, I'd try to order with 500GB to get started and have more room for system and default for scratch or even for Aperture/iPhoto or Lightroom.
    Always take the precaution and zero a drive before use. Want a solid enterprise ideal for RAID, then look no further than Seagate Constellation series. 128MB cache doesn't hurt and fine for RAID5, NAS or whatever you want.
    There should be retail PCIe-SSD products in 2014.
    Large storage, http://macperformanceguide.com/topic-thunderbolt.html

  • New Mac Pro vs iMac for 3D/Gaming/Development

    I have a dilema
    I have been eagerly waiting to find out the specs of the New Mac Pro in order to purchase one for an all in one development machine but I can't quite make up my mind.
    I am a 3D Artist and a Programmer and a game player.   For 3D I use 3D Studio Max and VRay which is a realtime renderer (which I use to speed up visual workflow before rendering to the CPU) and this makes use of GPU Rendering, specifically CUDA but OpenCL is also supported in later versions,  Unfortunatly Shader Units on AMD cards seem to run at half the speed of NVidia CUDA cores from reading various sources on the web.  So thats a negative against the Mac Pro (Boot camped into windows of course)
    The programmer side of me writes iOS Apps and OSX apps so any Mac will do here.
    The gamer side of me plays cutting edge titles like the upcoming Call of Duty Ghosts.
    So, my choices are a fully maxed out 27" iMac with 1TB Flash drive, 32GB ram and the NVidia GTX 780M with its 4GB ram vs a D500 6 core Mac Pro with 512Gb PCI-e Flash storage + monitor
    I want to stay with Apple because I prefer their software and support (I wish Max was available on OSX!).
    Is it unlikely that the Mac Pro will offer a CUDA based graphic option like the iMac?  it doesnt have to be Quadro based as I find the 4GB GTX 7,8 series are fine for <5 million poly scenes and that with the multicore Mac Pro would make it a great choice for what I need.
    Thanks for any help
    Anim

    From a 3D Artist perspective, this review helped me understand quite a bit regarding the technology behind OpenCL with NVidia vs OpenCL with AMD and the New Mac Pro
    http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-06/13/mac-pro-overview
    It seems my only options are to use an external thunderbolt enclosure with a GPU in it (e.g. a Titan) and hope it performs ok, plead with the Chaos Group to work on OpenCL with AMD (again) to make VRay support AMD or buy a PC and do what I want.  I will also need to get an iMac for iOS development but wont need the top end one if going this latter route,
    Thanks
    Anim

  • Dual graphics cards and single 4K display - Mac Pro (late 2013)

    I'm considering a new Mac Pro as my next graphics/development workstation. I see that the new Mac Pros have dual graphics cards (i.e. dual D300, D500, D700.) I was wondering if there is any benefit to having the second graphics card if I only have only one 4K display connected via Display Port 1.2? Would the two cards work in tandem to output to the single 4k display? Can the second GPU still be used for OpenCL, even if it is not connected to a display?
    Thanks

    There is no option to have only one Dxxx, and yes some apps do and no the number of displays does not affect video output.
    Whether it is right for you vs say a maxed out iMac or something else is something you should continue to research and consider.
    www.barefeats.com and www.macperformanceguide.com as well as other forums and sites.

  • Customizing Mac Pro

    I'm just wondering to what extent Mac Pro can be customized outside of Apple products. I know that third party RAM can be used, but what about HDD's and gfx cards? What type of mobo is in the Mac Pro? I can't seem to find answers to these questions.

    Third party RAM is OK, but some brands will not be able to handle the thermal characteristics inside the Mac Pro, and may generate errors. It's best to stick with vendors that sell Mac specific memory such as Crucial, Other World Computing, etc. A search on these forums will turn up other vendors people have done business with.
    Any SATAII hard drive will work. On a more technical note, however, Seagate drives (7200.10) have been shown to have a firmware bug that affects their write performance - this may have been fixed by now, but I personally am avoiding Seagate Barracudas for the time being, until it's been demonstrated that the bug is fixed.
    You are limited to the Geforce 7300, ATIX1900, or the Quadro FX. Macs use EFI, not BIOS, so you will need a Mac specific card. If you use Bootcamp, it is possible to run Windows using a run of the mill PC graphics card, but it won't work with OS X.
    The motherboard in the Mac Pro is a proprietary design based on the Intel 5000X chipset - so you won't be "modding" it in any significant way, or overclocking, even from Bootcamp.

  • 2008 Apple Mac Pro with SAPPHIRE TRI-X R9 290 4GB GDDR5 OC (UEFI)

    Dear Apple,
    Can you please add hardware/drivers support for the Sapphire Tri-X R9 290 GDDR5 OC (UEFI) Graphics cards to the latest Mac OS X 10.10 operating system?
    We have a few Apple Mac Pro's that we installed older Radeon 7970 graphics cards in (a few years back) and now we are upgrading the graphics cards to the newest Radeon R9 290 Series cards (Sapphire Tri-X R9 290 4GB GDDR5 OC UEFI).
    We chose the Sapphire Tri-X R9 290 4GB GDDR5 OC (UEFI) (11227-00-40G) Graphics cards.  
    The Sapphire Graphics card can be found here:
    http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?cid=1&gid=3&sgid=1227&pid=2091 &psn=&lid=1&leg=0
    We have been trying to figure out how to get this graphics card to work with the latest OS X 10.10 Yosemite.  We are installing two Sapphire R9 290 graphics cards per machine.
    We want to make sure that the OS X drivers support multiple monitors, CrossFire, as well as HDMI audio, and support GPU hardware support in the latest OS X 10.10 Yosemite.
    Has anyone managed to get the Sapphire Tri-X R9 290 (SKU ID: 11227-00-40G) working in a 2008 or 2009 Apple Mac Pro?
    We have 24 Apple Mac Pro's and we purchased 48 of the Sapphire Tri-X R9 290 graphics cards (to install into the Apple Mac Pro's) and we're trying to figure out how to add driver support to OS X for the Sapphire Tri-X R9 290 / Radeon R9 290 to the latest Mac OS X.
    If I go into the "Graphics/Displays" Hardware section it shows that the Sapphire card (in Slot 2) is installed, but it only displays the name "Display".
    The properties of the Sapphire Tri-X R9 290 graphics card are:
      Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
      Device ID: 0x67b1
      Revision ID: 0x0000
      Kernel Extension Info: No Kext Loaded
    Any ideas as to how to install hardware drivers to get these graphics cards to work properly in OS X 10.10 Yosemite and to enable GPU hardware support in OS X and also enable HDMI Audio?

    Over a YEAR has passed, and we still can't get Apple to add the latest hardware drivers for the newest/latest AMD Graphics Cards (AMD R9 290 series).
    We have contacted AMD, and Sapphire, and everyone has pointed their fingers back at Apple, and said that Apple is the only ones that can add the latest graphics drivers to their Apple OS X Operating System.
    So the problem lies on Apple, and Apple refuses to update it's operating system to support the newest/latest hardware.
    AMD pointed us right back to Apple and said that it's Apple's OS X Operating System, and that it's Apple's job to add and write the newest/latest graphics display drivers to their OS X operating system.
    AMD says it's Apple's fault.  Sapphire says it's Apple's fault.  Apple just refuses to do anything, and ultimately it's Apple's operating system and Apple's closed-ended ecosystem that refuses to allow customers/users to upgrade their Apple Mac Pro computers to the newest/latest hardware.
    In the end, I guess the only solution is to abandon Apple Mac Pro products, and just start purchasing "Microsoft Windows PC" computers that we can upgrade and that have PCIe slots that we can just swap out the graphics cards (every year) with the newest/latest graphics card hardware.
    Here:  http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview.cfm?catid=440&threadid=181379
    Here:  https://www.sapphireforum.com/showthread.php?33574-2008-2012-Apple-Mac-Pro-with- SAPPHIRE-TRI-X-R9-290-4GB-GDDR5-OC-(UEFI)&p=277467#post277467
    Apple seems to be a "dead end" and they don't support their high-end customers and don't seem to support Apple Mac Pro (high-end) users.  Apple only seems to be concerned about selling iPods and iPads and iPhones, and they've abandoned their HIGH-END Apple Mac Pro users that want HIGH-END workstations for professional use.
    I guess if you want a high-end workstation, you have to go back to buying a Microsoft Windows PC, and start going back to using the Adobe suite, and just completely abandon Apple and Apple products all together.  (Apple is not in the business of designing or selling "high-end" products anymore).  Apple just designs low-end "overpriced" hardware, that you can't upgrade, and must toss in the garbage every other year, because you can't upgrade it.
    Apple has been heading this way for years, and the newest/latest "Black Shiny Trash Can" (that is NOT upgradeable and has no upgradeable PCIe slots and no way to even upgrade the video cards) and Apple has turned into a "disposable" computer company/business that just builds "All-In-One" garbage computers (that become extremely outdated and must be thrown away every other year, because they are not upgradeable) and you can't swap out video cards using standard COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) latest Graphics Card adapters, and we can't even get the latest Mac OS X operating system to support the newest/latest graphics display hardware, it seems like our only choice (as others have stated before) is to abandon Apple products and begin moving/migrating back to Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro machines.
    We can't get Apple to support their customers or update their operating system or support the newest/latest hardware in their operating system, so it seems to be a "dead end" ecosystem, and Windows 8.1 Pro and using standard PC hardware is probably a much cheaper/affordable route and it's a long-term solution, because Apple seems to come out with one nice product (every ten years) and then they don't support the product or it's users, or don't follow-up with Apple OS X operating system upgrades, and then you are stuck with very old outdated hardware because you can't even get the newest/latest drivers for the latest graphics cards/hardware.
    The only solution is to boot directly into Windows 8.1 Pro, and use Windows drivers, but then why even own a Apple Mac Pro if we can't use Apple OS X and can't even use our OS X software, and the only solution is to use our Apple Mac Pro as a Windows PC?
    We're really disappointed in Apple and how Apple fails to update Apple OS X and fails to support the latest graphics cards (such as the AMD R9 290 graphics card).
    I think 2014 is the last year that we are going to deal with Apple.  Starting in 2015, as part of our 2015 New Year's Resolution, I guess we'll start e-baying our Apple Mac Pro equipment, or selling it (as salvage) and begin purchasing standard Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro high-end workstations, and get away from the old legacy dead-end Apple garbage hardware and dead-end Apple OS X operating system.
    It shouldn't be this hard, just to get some graphics drivers released to support the latest graphics card (which has been out for over a year now).  The Radeon R9 290 graphics cards were out in mid 2013 (for over a year and a half, almost 2 years now...) and we are already coming up on 2015, and Apple still hasn't added drivers support for the R9 290 series graphics cards to it's latest Apple OS X 10.10.1 Yosemite.
    It's a shame, but Apple has really gone downhill over the past few years.  Nothing but really old and outdated hardware, and even their "latest" Apple Mac Pro is 2-3 year old hardware (that Apple is marketing as "new") and it's non-upgradeable, and you can't even run/install the latest graphics cards into it.
    Apple is dead-end and it's not a place for "high-end" users anymore.  I guess Apple doesn't care about it's "high-end" user market anymore, and is just interested in designing silly iPhones and iPods/iPads.

  • Problem installing vista/xp on a mac pro, installers don't see bootcamp

    hello there!
    recently, a video post production studio i work for purchased a new penryn-based mac pro (2x3.0 ghz, 6gb ram, nvidia 8800gtx).
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    this mac has 5 internal sata drives - one (320gb) for the system, and 4 disks (750gb each) in raid0 set (just a temporary setup until the studio purchases a fiber optic card with external disks). the DVD drive is an IDE one.
    this is the first time i'm setting up windows on a mac, so i could be doing something wrong, even though i doubt it - it seems very straightforward.
    so i created a 32gb partition on the system disk (the only one that's not in raid) using boot camp assistant, and started vista sp1 x64 install (boot camp recognized the install dvd).
    after a reboot, vista started it's setup routine. everything was fine until it reached the part where i should select the destination partition for vista. this is the weird part: vista installer sees all 4 750gig drives from the raid, but it doesn't see my system drive (320gig) which has Macintosh HD and BOOTCAMP partitions on it. vista even sees any usb drives connected.
    doesn't seem logical, as all sata drives are on the same controller (at least that's what leopard system profiler says).
    i thought it had something to do with the fact i'm trying to install 64bit vista, so i tried with windows xp sp2 (x86), but the same thing happened.
    i searched all over, but couldn't find anyone with the same problem.
    any thoughts?
    Message was edited by: recircle_admin

    This thread says it all - and then some
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7150748&#7150748
    I would pull all the drives except your boot drive. Makes it easier.
    32GB is pretty small actually for Vista x64. And the SP1 patch process can temporarily use another 10GB. Also, you are running off the slow inner tracks of your drive, which is half performance of outer tracks.
    Most people opt for stock 2.8GHz Penryn - not a huge benefit from going with 3GHz, but that is beside the point.
    Always good to disconnect any device during the install except what you have to use (keyboard, mouse) which can interfere.
    You MUST reformat the 32GB from FAT to NTFS before you can install. That is where most people stop. You have to DELETE and then CREATE that BOOTCAMP 32GB (Advanced Options) before you can proceed with installation.
    You don't want 32-bit version if you want to access more than 1.9GB RAM.
    Lots of threads here in BootCamp, in Mac Pro Discussion, and MacRumors Windows on Mac.
    http://forums.macrumors.com/forumdisplay.php?f=86

  • Vista Ultimate SP1 (retail dvd) will not install on new Mac Pro

    I wish to dedicate a new 1TB hard drive in Bay3 on a brand new Mac Pro for Vista Ultimate SP1, preferably 64-bit. I have tried several times to install a retail dvd version of Vista Ultimate with SP1 (both 32- and 64-bit) without success on two different hard drives (first the one in bay 3; then, after lack of success, the one in bay 4). The installation process does not proceed beyond the stage where Vista must format the hard drive. Vista always displays the message that Vista cannot be installed on a disk of the "GPT style." After giving up on the installation, the disk appears to Disk Utility as a "GUID" disk.
    I am seeking advice from anyone who might be able to help me proceed. The remainder of this message provides more detail about what I have tried.
    Before starting Boot Camp, I formatted the hard drives initially as MS-DOS FAT, and on later attempts, as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Neither matters. After several attempts, I verified the functionality of the drives by partitioning them using Disk Utility and then repartitioning to one partition. Both 1TB drives appear healthy and can be partitioned and re-partitioned.
    When Bootcamp Assistant (BC) calls for the Vista disk, the Vista installation proceeds until the stage when Vista calls for me to identify a hard drive partition for installation. After selecting the largest partition on drive 2 (in bay 3; size 931GB) , the BC Installation and Setup Guide instructs me to "format" the partition. When I do so, the following Windows error message appears:
    "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk is of the GPT partition style."
    Based on some forum comments, I also tried a different procedure at this stage of the Vista installation. Instead of choosing "format," I first chose to "delete" the selected partition. The disk then appears as "unallocated space." I then chose "new" and "apply" in the hope that it would create a correct NTFS partition for Vista. It then appears as Partition 2 of either Disk 2 (or Disk 3, which I tried subsequently). However, the subsequent "format" still yields the same error.
    I tried both procedures with Vista 64-bit and with Vista 32-bit. No difference.
    Suggestions most welcome.

    When I provided a link to threads about "Install Vista SP1 DVD" I knew and had in mind a couple threads where people have tried. And trying will help understand.
    You don't need to format as NTFS on another PC when just installing MacFuse plus 3G driver extensions will let you do so on your Mac Pro. And that is just one option. There are always multiple ways to get to the same place.
    Due to EFI changes there is a tool and tips on how to convert your DVD, but I didn't have time to go back and find and pull those together.
    Installing SP1 DVD attempt without success:
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1501656
    http://www.ezbsystems.com/ultraiso/
    MS OSCDIMG.exe
    Yes, it’s a fairly long process and requires you to download stuff (and be running Windows in the first place) But, it does work as long as you follow the instructions correctly.
    Convert DVD to ISO and prepare for EFI booting on Mac
    tried rebooting about 10 times. No luck. Finally I pointed Parallels (free trial available) to my blank bootcamp partition and set parallels to boot from CD before HD. Parallels booted the Vista install CD just fine, and put Vista on my HD. Crashed at the end though and said it couldn't make the boot camp partition bootable so all changes were removed. Rebooted under boot camp and the installer came up fine off the CD.
    So if you have this problem, and nobody else can help, and if you can find it, maybe you can download..... Parallels. Feel free to post this on the other threads. Unlike other workarounds I'm guessing this will work for everyone and it only takes a free trial download of parallels to give it a try. Still wish apple would acknowledge the problem and post a fix. Can't be that hard.
    I think VMWare Fusion also supports vitualization with the bootcamp partition as the target so that may help you get around this install bug in boot camp(or the mac's firmware) too.
    I would have thought that with Intel and Microsoft both saying they would begin to support UEFI with Vista SP1 64-bit, and Apple is part of the EFI Group, that "we're different" was a thing of the past. Instead it is harder.
    http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/sp1.mspx
    Remember, Google is your friend (usually) - "Apple Vista SP1 64-bit DVD Install":
    MacBook Pro Vista SP1 64-bit Install:
    http://andersonshatch.wordpress.com/tag/vista-64-bit/
    Oh, and while I read Apple KB changes daily, I have never seen anything address Vista SP1 64-bit install, support, etc mentioned once. Am I missing something? or is it MIA?

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