Got a tip for us? Share it...

Apple Quietly Intros 64-Bit Windows Support in Boot Camp

Apple has started quietly shipping 64-bit Windows Vista drivers (for Boot Camp) with the install disks of the latest Mac Pros which were just released earlier this month. The installation instructions that come with the new Mac Pros specify this new feature:

Important: You must use a single full-install Windows installation disc (Service Pack 2 is required for Windows XP installations). Do not use an upgrade version of Windows and do not install an earlier version of Windows XP and attempt to update it later to SP2 or later. Use only 32-bit versions of Windows. If you have a Mac Pro introduced in late 2007 or later, you can use a 64-bit version of Windows Vista.


The finding has been confirmed by multiple users. No indication if these drivers will become available with the next Mac OS X update. Mac OS X 10.5.2 has been undergoing testing and is expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Leopard's Boot Camp feature allows owners of Intel-based Macs to natively boot into Windows.

Top Rated Comments

(View all)

53 months ago
Does this mean the 64-bit windows will see all the Mac Pros memory above 2Gigs ?
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago
Is Windows Vista in high demand for Mac Owners? Not trying to be a fan boy, just curious about what has come out for Vista that OS X isn't going to be able to run or even a better question... what is Vista going to run that XP isn't going to run.

MS Access?:confused:
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago
What about other Macs? Aren't all the other Macs 64-bit too?
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago
Good. Now how about some updated ATI graphic drivers for the Macbook Pro's...
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago

Is Windows Vista in high demand for Mac Owners? Not trying to be a fan boy, just curious about what has come out for Vista that OS X isn't going to be able to run or even a better question... what is Vista going to run that XP isn't going to run.

MS Access?:confused:


I would say its more 64 bit support which is important here and vista is the better option for this, xp 64bit never really got the drivers it needed. Anybody buying a mac pro is likely using it for workstation class programs and as such benefits from increased ram and performance (on supporting programs) etc that 64 bit offers over 32 bit.

Personally I've got 64bit vista (not on a mac) purely for these reasons.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago
If this was introduced onto existing Macs with an update, we would probably have to start burning driver discs again instead of using the ones on the Leopard disc.

I wonder if XP Pro 64-bit works.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago


I wonder if XP Pro 64-bit works.


i'm wondering this too, since xp64 is far and away the best version of windows out there (driver support or not). hopefully if more people use it developers will start to get on board....
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago

Is Windows Vista in high demand for Mac Owners? Not trying to be a fan boy, just curious about what has come out for Vista that OS X isn't going to be able to run or even a better question... what is Vista going to run that XP isn't going to run.

MS Access?:confused:


Perhaps Apple has just worked out a deal with Microsoft, helping them transition users from XP to Vista as they're having problems right now.

What about other Macs? Aren't all the other Macs 64-bit too?


I thought so, I hope it's introduced for other macs.

If this was introduced onto existing Macs with an update, we would probably have to start burning driver discs again instead of using the ones on the Leopard disc.


That's inevitable anyway as a better driver could be built, or support for something that wasn't supported before could be released. And who knows, those drivers could become available through a software update on the windows side instead anyway.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago
Windows isn't worth 2 bits, let alone 64. Why buy a Mac Pro to Boot Camp Windows on, whatever flavor it is?
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago

Windows isn't worth 2 bits, let alone 64. Why buy a Mac Pro to Boot Camp Windows on, whatever flavor it is?


For 3D apps. 3ds max, zBrush, Mudbox and many other 3d apps are windows only.

This is the one announcement concerning the Mac Pro I've been waiting for. Now i can run 3ds max and it'll support more than 3gb of ram!

Anybody buying a mac pro is likely using it for workstation class programs and as such benefits from increased ram and performance (on supporting programs) etc that 64 bit offers over 32 bit.


Precisely.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives

[ Read All Comments ]