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tsialex

Contributor
Jun 13, 2016
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I was able to install windows on efi mode to a blade ssd but there were problems and panics. I need windows be on ssd again.

Legacy mode do not support nvme blades even if there is a ssd on pcie lane the install disc doesn not boot (i have mentioned that in my earlier posts here)

What should be the solution to use pcie ssds?
Just use a SATA SSD into one of the native SATA ports and have a supported install. You won’t have all the headache to support updates when Windows release a new build. It’s a Microsoft design decision to not support external drives.
 
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startergo

macrumors 603
Sep 20, 2018
5,019
2,282
I was able to install windows on efi mode to a blade ssd but there were problems and panics. I need windows be on ssd again.

Legacy mode do not support nvme blades even if there is a ssd on pcie lane the install disc doesn not boot (i have mentioned that in my earlier posts here)

What should be the solution to use pcie ssds?
Try cloning your existing working EFI installation to an SSD with Norton Ghost
 
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bobica

macrumors member
Feb 22, 2019
34
8
OK, done!

Thanks for providing all the required info. This is my version of "how to do it".

1) Insert the Windows installation DVD into the super drive (How to burn a Windows installation disc properly). [N.B. Do NOT replace the DVD by USB installer. It won't work]

2) Shutdown the Mac

3) Hold "C" to boot (if you have NVMe installed, and can't boot from the disc, please try remove the NVMe)

4) Follow the on screen instruction until reach the "Where do you want to install Windows" step
View attachment 797517

5) "Delete" all the target SSD's partitions. In the above capture (downloaded from internet), you can see that there are 4 partitions for existing EFI mode Windows. Select each partition one by one, and click Delete. Be careful, do NOT remove other drive's partition. All partitions should be on the same drive. e.g. In the above example, all belongs to Drive 0. There is no requirement to remove any other hard drive from the cMP. But if you want to play safe, you can physically remove them between step 2 and 3 to avoid error.

Eventually will looks like this. No more partitions, but just a single large piece of Unallocated Space.
View attachment 797518

6) Click New. This will automatically create the correct and required partitions with all available space. For legacy installation, should be only two partitions automatically created.
View attachment 797527

7) Select the newly created partition, and continue the installation.

8) For Windows 10, the LAN line should work straight away after installation completed. So now, you can use Edge to access the internet.

9) Go to https://github.com/timsutton/brigadier/releases

10) Download brigadier.exe (0.2.4)

11) insert a USB drive (this is not mandatory, but just make the command prompt work easier)

12) Format the USB drive to FAT32

13) Copy brigadier.exe to the USB drive (assume it's the E drive)

14) Open Command Prompt (search CMD can find it)

15) type
Code:
e:

16) type
Code:
brigadier -m MacPro5,1

17) Once finished, rename the "Bootcampxxxxxxxxxx" folder to "Bootcamp5"

18 ) type
Code:
brigadier -m iMacPro1,1

19) Once finished, rename the "Bootcampxxxxxxxxxx" folder to "Bootcamp61"

20) search CMD again, but this time right click, and choose "run as admin"

21) type
Code:
e:

22) type
Code:
cd Bootcamp5/Bootcamp/Drivers/Apple

23) type
Code:
msiexec /i bootcamp.msi

24) After installation finished and reboot. Search CMD again, right click, and choose "run as admin"

25) type
Code:
e:

26) type
Code:
cd Bootcamp5/Bootcamp/Drivers/Apple

27) type
Code:
msiexec /x bootcamp.msi
This will NOT remove the drivers, but just the bootcamp apps

28) type
Code:
cd Bootcamp61/Bootcamp/Drivers/Apple

29) type
Code:
msiexec /i bootcamp.msi

30) Let it finish the installation and reboot. And now you can install the hard drives back in.

So now, if you run the bootcamp apps. You should see something like this.
View attachment 797522
Language doesn't really matter, but you can see all the selections.

Those HFS+ High Sierra options will show the hard drive's name (e.g. 8T Backup)

Those APFS Mojave options will show as "Mac" above macOS.

From now on, you can use startup disk in Mojave to select Windows 10 (I renamed the SSD, usually it should shows BOOTCAMP, but not Win 10)
View attachment 797524

And of course, we can use bootcamp apps in Windows to select Mojave.

And have everything working as expected. e.g. Keyboard functions keys, Magic Mouse, BT 4.0, Wifi ac, USB 3.0, etc.

P.S. I am not sure if step 24 - 27 can be skipped or not. You may try, may safe you a minute for rebooting.
I try to run brigadier.exe to can download bootcamp drivers but when i run cmd won't open. Flash for 2 sec and close. I have already windows installed in my ssd and i try to run brigadier normal in windows. Maybe i am really stupid or i don't understand very well all instructions. ..BTW i manage to make my m.2 drive internal after i change that ADATA 512 with samsung 861pro and all work very well. Thanks for everything but pls explain me in details how i manage to use brigadier to download BC drivers with apfs support. I really don't want to reinstall windows again just to follow all this instructions
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ut-a-boot-screen.2114788/page-9#post-26689280
I unninstall bootcamp5 app from windows and i need 6.1 maybe i have a chance to use mac and windows without gpu boot screen.
Thanks very much
 

tomsmods

macrumors newbie
Oct 24, 2018
25
17
California
Hello,

When i enter the 23) in CMD, i receive a message who tell "Bootcamp need Windows 7 to run" :-(
Any help is welcome :),

Thanks

I just went through this exercise.

Find the .msi file, right click it, and there is a menu option for "Windows Compatibility Settings" or something to that effect. The compatibility wizard runs, it asks to test compatibility settings, then it offers to remove the version check.

I was able to install the MSI directly or from the command line after the compatibility settings were enabled.
 
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bobica

macrumors member
Feb 22, 2019
34
8
I try to run brigadier.exe to can download bootcamp drivers but when i run cmd won't open. Flash for 2 sec and close. I have already windows installed in my ssd and i try to run brigadier normal in windows. Maybe i am really stupid or i don't understand very well all instructions. ..BTW i manage to make my m.2 drive internal after i change that ADATA 512 with samsung 861pro and all work very well. Thanks for everything but pls explain me in details how i manage to use brigadier to download BC drivers with apfs support. I really don't want to reinstall windows again just to follow all this instructions
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ut-a-boot-screen.2114788/page-9#post-26689280
I unninstall bootcamp5 app from windows and i need 6.1 maybe i have a chance to use mac and windows without gpu boot screen.
Thanks very much
Sorted ...
I run brigadier.exe old version 0.2.0 and work like a dream.
Thank you!
 

tomsmods

macrumors newbie
Oct 24, 2018
25
17
California
No boot screen? No problem. :)

Warning!
: It has been discovered that Windows when installed in EFI mode is corrupting the Mac Pro’s firmware by signing it with multiple Secure Boot (X.509) certificates. Therefore Windows should only be installed in Legacy BIOS mode on the Mac Pro (5,1 and older.) Detailed information on this issue can be found within the BootROM thread.

I got around to installing Windows via multiple methods. Searching around, I did not see any answers to what I observed, so I am noting it here. (Also note I have Bootscreen support, but some items apply to not having bootscreen)

Computer: Mac Pro 2010 / 32GB RAM / 5770 / Airport BCM94322MC:
  • Boot Camp - Windows 7 on 2TB Hard drive, standard Install, then modified with AHCI enabler
  • Boot Camp - Windows 10 on 2TB Hard drive, upgraded from Windows 7 install, cloned to separate partition, then clean installed from Windows 10 DVD
    • AHCI enabler modifies the MBR, so both installs seemed to have AHCI
    • Initial install using USB, but have to carefully set up partitions to force CSM/EFI, DVD is much easier to select CSM/EFI via the boot picker (bootscreen support)
  • Modifying / Cloning partitions broke Windows Boot (bootmgr); had to use both Windows 7 CD and the Windows 10 CD to restore each respective installation
  • Once bootmgr repaired, used EasyBCD to select the Windows OS once pre-boot complete
New Configuration: Same Mac Pro, change video card to GT640 (MVC bootscreen), change airport to BCM94331CD
  • Bluetooth Hardware: I hope to make separate thread on airport change; now there are kits available but I had sourced connectors to make a full size USB header from the small header. Maybe in the future a small USB hub could be added here as well.
    • I first used an internal antenna extension, but Bluetooth performance was poor. I then went with a PCI slot bulkhead pigtail. This did not let me change PCI cards easily and was easily damaged. I am currently using a longer, double ended u.FL cable with an SMA_to_RP-SMA bulkhead so I can easily remove the slot, slide a plastic sleeve over the connector and safely leave the cable in the case when changing PCIe cards.
  • Bluetooth / WiFi Software
    • I first went with a 94360 card but found I could not use it in Snow Leopard. The 94331 works in Snow Leopard by modifying Apple's WiFi and Bluetooth kexts to match the PCI:VEN and USB:VEN. Both cards worked out of the box in Mavericks and later.
    • Windows 7: BT and WiFi not detected. Brigadier method does not apply since iMac Pro drivers are Windows 10 only. Previously, I modified the .inf for the PCI:VEN and USB:VEN in the standard Boot Camp install files, which worked in one instance but was problematic in another. I found that the downloaded Boot Camp 5 support files had different driver files in the $WinPEDriver$ directory which were newer (2014) than the ones in the standard driver directories (2007).
    • Windows 10: iMac Pro msi installed Bluetooth ok; still needed to use the Windows 7 BC driver for WiFi.
New Configuration: run Windows 10 via EFI on 3TB Hard Drive
  • Used a modified USB stick installer to force EFI for GPT install.
  • You can't boot into Windows 10 with boot camp utility or control panel, it will will restart to a blank screen or flashing cursor
  • It is possible to boot into Windows 10 with boot picker or other methods mentioned in these forums
New configuration: run Windows via SSD on SATA Port of Caldigit FASTA-6GU3-PRO
  • Installed via EFI. Had issues (probably related to SATA cables run from PCI card up to the Optical Drive cage) but this was concerning and so I started investigating bootROM issues and Windows build issues
  • Thanks to tsialex for updating / cleaning the bootROM.
New configuration: run Windows via M.2 (SATA) SSD blade in PCIe carrier, connected to internal SATA port of Caldigit FASTA-6GU3-PRO
  • Installed via DVD in CSM mode (new Windows 10 1809 DVD burn, if select x64 only is single-layer DVD)
  • To my surprise, the Drive was found, and the installer formatted and installed Windows with no issues.
    • I had expected it to fail because it would be detected as an "external" drive
  • Reinstalled other drives and found that the new Windows installation was no longer bootable
    • Drive is found by boot picker but never loads: endless flashing underscore on black screen
    • Trying to select the drive from Startup disk / Boot Camp panel does not help
After lots of testing and tweaking, this is what I think is happening. Hopefully others here have some insights.
  • CSM Windows (10) will load without issue if no hard disks are present on the sleds
    • Installing to "External" is a Windows installer limitation
    • This seems to be a bootROM EFI/CSM limitation, related to internal/external.
    • The closest information I could come up with is some PC users could not boot from external cards unless internal SATA was disabled in the BIOS
  • With Windows 10 blade selected via boot picker and/or control panel, and with Boot Camp drive sled installed, the Boot Camp partition will load (Windows 7)
    • The flashing underscore shows up briefly then it proceeds to the Windows 7 boot picker
      • My guess is that in CSM mode the priority is to look at the Intel ICH and load what it finds there; if it is not present then it "bypasses" the ICH and loads from the PCIe card's AHCI controller after about 5 seconds
      • Also interesting that it did boot with an APFS AHCI blade installed on PCIe slot.
        • Will have to test with other ACHI / NVME blades / HFS, etc.
  • The Caldigit PCI card has EFI and BIOS OROMs. The EFI one shows in EFI mode, and BIOS one in CSM mode
    • Could not access the card's BIOS setup utility (startup freezes)
    • Control-Alt-Delete does nothing, have to hold power button to restart
    • Tried to enable NVRAM OROM loading option per Apple document -- no change. Apple seems to indicate this is for items that don't show up in the boot picker, which does not apply here since the drive always shows.
  • Searching for Details on the Caldigit card I found there are Firmware updates to other manufacturer's products using the same Marvell Chipset, but nothing from Caldigit
    • Similar Sonnet cards mention firmware updates for their products, but they use different chipsets
    • Sonnet notes that updates can cause loss of boot picker support, and instead drives must be selected in the control panel
    • I managed to update the card firmware from other sources. Do not attempt to do this. Fortunately the card is still working, but the different firmware did not change the boot behavior.
Current workaround is to use the Bootcamp drive as a Boot Helper using EasyBCD. Windows 10 seems to be operating in AHCI mode.

I will eventually try to run Windows on an AHCI PCIe SSD blade, but from what I can tell reading posts here is that will not be successful either, probably for the same reasons. I'll eventually try this again with Linux and see if there are differences in booting via EFI/CSM.



tl;dr:
  • drivers within the same bootcamp package are not the same
  • booting Windows 10 with CSM on an AHCI SATA HBA card is possible but very limited
  • EFI mode booting worked better using the boot picker on this HBA, but then have to deal with certificates in the bootROM and other issues
 

star-affinity

macrumors 68000
Nov 14, 2007
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@tomsmods I have Windows 10 installed as UEFI but now I have trouble starting up into it from MacOS using the the ways that worked previously (sudo bless etc. in the Terminal with SIP disabled, for example). Restaring after this command just gives me the Windows logo and then it's stuck – the spinning dots in a circle under the logo that shows things are loading doesn't come up. The only way that works now is if I restart and hold down the alt key to bring up the Startup Manger and then select ”EFI Boot” – then it starts up fine every time.

Not sure if you have any ideas about why this is happening, but I'm considering just switching to legacy boot – especially if UEFI can be a danger to the BootROM. Mostly need Windows for the occasional gaming session. Still I've been happy how much quicker Windows starts up in UEFI mode compared to legacy. Oh, well. Hope I didn't feed your mind with too much useless information. :)
 
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Forbidden Era

macrumors member
Nov 15, 2018
45
3
If I skimmed correctly..

We have to install from dvd to force legacy mode. Efi mode has issues as outlined in bold in post #1. Okay, fine.

When it goes into legacy mode, will my non efi card work before drivers load or what do I do about that?
 

startergo

macrumors 603
Sep 20, 2018
5,019
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If I skimmed correctly..

We have to install from dvd to force legacy mode. Efi mode has issues as outlined in bold in post #1. Okay, fine.

When it goes into legacy mode, will my non efi card work before drivers load or what do I do about that?
No reason not to work. What is your card model number?
 

star-affinity

macrumors 68000
Nov 14, 2007
1,992
1,321
If I skimmed correctly..

When it goes into legacy mode, will my non efi card work before drivers load or what do I do about that?

Can someone confirm this is the case? I managed to boot into the Windows 10 installer from a USB stick on my MacPro5,1 yesterday, but it was ”EFI Boot” so Windows installation became UEFI.

I can say that it also works to install Windows 10 on a drive in a PC that has legacy boot and then simply move over the drive to the Mac Pro. This is something I've done in the past, but currently I don't have easy access to a PC.

So disc burn it is? Feels quite old school in 2019. :)
 
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startergo

macrumors 603
Sep 20, 2018
5,019
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Can someone confirm this is the case? I manage to boot into the Windows 10 installer from a USB stick on my MacPro5,1 yesterday, but it was ”EFI Boot” so Windows installation became UEFI.

I can say that it also works to install Windows 10 on drive in a PC that has legacy boot and then simply move over the drive to the Mac Pro. This is something I've done in the past, but currently I don't have easy access to a PC.

So disc burn it is? Feels quite old school in 2019. :)
Here is an option to create a legacy USB drive:
https://www.top-password.com/blog/create-uefi-or-legacy-bootable-usb-drive-for-windows-10-setup/
 

tomsmods

macrumors newbie
Oct 24, 2018
25
17
California
I have Windows 10 installed as UEFI but now I have trouble starting up into it from MacOS using the the ways that worked previously (sudo bless etc. in the Terminal with SIP disabled, for example). Restarting after this command just gives me the Windows logo and then it's stuck – the spinning dots in a circle under the logo that shows things are loading doesn't come up. The only way that works now is if I restart and hold down the alt key to bring up the Startup Manger and then select ”EFI Boot” – then it starts up fine every time. ... :)

I'm not an expert for why that is occurring. I've seen suggestions for performing NVRAM reset when there are wacky things.
Lots of tech problems that make it seem like I am running into a wall sometimes clear up mysteriously or go away with a reboot.
When in doubt, restart it out.

I was mostly annoyed with Windows boot not working from the mac System Preference. I never used the bless terminal commands, and I was only on Sierra or lower. I also had lots of other OS installs and sometimes Windows would put its boot files on the wrong drive. I had removed a Mac installation and found Windows was not bootable because it put the boot files on the Mac OS drive's EFI partition.

I suspected the SATA cable was the issue when other startup problems / crashes occurred but I've also had startup problems on PCs as well. I think it may have to do with Windows updates. Having images of the drive to revert to past builds or using system restore can help determine on what side the change occurred (Mac or Win) if its not just a NVRAM settings issue.

Me trying to find other solutions led me to the bootROM threads. Right now I'm on the fence waiting for a verdict and just want to be safe rather than sorry since things that affect the Mac side from working are much more important than the Windows side. I preferred the Windows EFI boot since it was faster to run and was a much more interesting install once I learned it was possible.

I lost patience in November when Windows suddenly said Not Activated and I spent a while trying to figure out why only to find days later it was a Microsoft server error. (Thankfully I did not run out and buy a new Windows license.) I deleted the install in frustration and have not started looking at it again until just recently, and went with the CSM install, with the new 1809 download as well as slowly updating the (older) install on the "bootcamp" partition.

Others pointed out some methods for forcing the USB. I don't recall which but I followed guides to format the drive correctly, first by hand then using Rufus on the PC. I think the standard image on USB will boot EFI by default. Deleting some of the EFI parts of from the Windows installer to force BIOS startup also helped. The DVD is easier since you get both and obvious EFI and WINDOWS boot screen options. Answer might even be in this thread since there are guides for both EFI and CSM windows Without boot screens.
I'm just sharing my experience; it's easy to propagate bad information while we wait for consensus.
 

star-affinity

macrumors 68000
Nov 14, 2007
1,992
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I'm not an expert for why that is occurring. I've seen suggestions for performing NVRAM reset when there are wacky things.
Lots of tech problems that make it seem like I am running into a wall sometimes clear up mysteriously or go away with a reboot.
When in doubt, restart it out.

I was mostly annoyed with Windows boot not working from the mac System Preference. I never used the bless terminal commands, and I was only on Sierra or lower. I also had lots of other OS installs and sometimes Windows would put its boot files on the wrong drive. I had removed a Mac installation and found Windows was not bootable because it put the boot files on the Mac OS drive's EFI partition.

I suspected the SATA cable was the issue when other startup problems / crashes occurred but I've also had startup problems on PCs as well. I think it may have to do with Windows updates. Having images of the drive to revert to past builds or using system restore can help determine on what side the change occurred (Mac or Win) if its not just a NVRAM settings issue.

Me trying to find other solutions led me to the bootROM threads. Right now I'm on the fence waiting for a verdict and just want to be safe rather than sorry since things that affect the Mac side from working are much more important than the Windows side. I preferred the Windows EFI boot since it was faster to run and was a much more interesting install once I learned it was possible.

I lost patience in November when Windows suddenly said Not Activated and I spent a while trying to figure out why only to find days later it was a Microsoft server error. (Thankfully I did not run out and buy a new Windows license.) I deleted the install in frustration and have not started looking at it again until just recently, and went with the CSM install, with the new 1809 download as well as slowly updating the (older) install on the "bootcamp" partition.

Others pointed out some methods for forcing the USB. I don't recall which but I followed guides to format the drive correctly, first by hand then using Rufus on the PC. I think the standard image on USB will boot EFI by default. Deleting some of the EFI parts of from the Windows installer to force BIOS startup also helped. The DVD is easier since you get both and obvious EFI and WINDOWS boot screen options. Answer might even be in this thread since there are guides for both EFI and CSM windows Without boot screens.
I'm just sharing my experience; it's easy to propagate bad information while we wait for consensus.

Thanks for sharing.
I'd also prefer to use UEFI (I guess all of us would?) since it seems to make things a bit quicker but if there's a risk of bricking the BootROM of the Mac Pro I'd say it's not worth it. I'm not that often in Window and since I'm mostly using it for gaming I remember it ran just as well when I was starting up in legacy mode. I do remember the boot time getting shortened using UEFI compared to legacy, but maybe my memory deceives me.

If I can also possibly avoid future problems of booting into Windows (like me now being stuck at the Windows logo unless I start Windows from the Startup Manager by selecting ”EFI Boot” there) by using legacy mode I'd say that's another reason to go legacy.
 
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star-affinity

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Nov 14, 2007
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I can't seem to get it to work for legacy install since Rufus only gives the option to format the USB stick as NTFS if I want it to create the Windows installer as legacy boot and this stops the USB stick from showing up in the Startup Manager. Maybe a DVD is the way, or I just try to get to a PC and do the installation there and then put the disk back into my Mac.

Sometimes I it feels like getting Windows to work well on those Mac Pro's are tougher than getting MacOS to run on a PC. o_O
 
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startergo

macrumors 603
Sep 20, 2018
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I can't seem to get it to work for legacy install since Rufus only gives the option to format the USB stick as NTFS is I want it to create the Windows installer as legacy boot and this stops the USB stick from showing up in the Startup Manager. Maybe I DVD is the way, or I just try to get to a PC and do the installation there and then put the disk back into my Mac.

Sometimes I it feels like getting Windows to work well on those Mac Pro's are tougher than getting MacOS to run on a PC. o_O
Try VHD Wimboot and WINNT:
http://reboot.pro/topic/18182-uefi-multi-make-multi-boot-usb-drive/

"Best Results for speed of Portable VHD WIMBOOT obtained with SAMSUNG Portable SSD T5 250 GB with UEFI/MBR Partitioning with 20 GB FAT32 and 230 GB NTFS partition."

Or this:
https://rmprepusb.blogspot.com/2015/07/quickly-install-windows-78-to-go-onto.html
https://fgimian.github.io/blog/2016/03/12/installing-windows-10-on-a-mac-without-bootcamp/
 
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star-affinity

macrumors 68000
Nov 14, 2007
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@startergo Thanks for the links -- I followed some of the suggestions, but whatever I did the Windows 10 installation I started from the USB stick ended up being UEFI. I decided to clone an old Windows 10 install I had on another drive (done for my brother) and then just reset Windows once booted up from it on my MacPro5,1. So I'm back using legacy boot for Windows on my MacPro5,1 now.

@h9826790 So once the iMacPro1,1 Boot Camp drivers are installed on the MacPro5,1 it's supposed to be possible to use Boot Camp Control Panel in Windows 10 (legacy boot) to select a drive formatted as APFS with MacOS on it to boot from that on the next restart and use Startup Disk in MacOS to select a drive with Windows 10 (formatted as NTFS) to start up from that on the next restart? Is this despite SIP being enabled? Because for me it doesn't work to select my "MacOS" drive from the Boot Camp Control Panel in Windows -- I get booted into Windows after a restart anyway. My computer only seem to care about what I do when it comes to this if I use the Startup Disk control panel in MacOS.

Just did a NVRAM reset before I tried all this, so SIP is enabled.

Can it be because I'm still on High Sierra and not Mojave?

Hmm... Anyway, thanks for the writeup about how to get iMacPro1,1 Boot Camp drivers into a MacPro5,1!
 
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haralds

macrumors 68030
Jan 3, 2014
2,985
1,251
Silicon Valley, CA
I also have trouble getting back into macOS from BootCamp (legacy boot) with my macOS systems all on APFS.

I have to use option boot, which is a real PITA since I first have to switch my monitor to DisplayPort 1.1.

Why does this work on MacBook Pro 2018?
 

Spacedust

macrumors 65816
May 24, 2009
1,005
160
How to make BootCamp running under Windows 8,1 (EFI mode) on Mac Pro 5,1?

I don't care about boot screen as I use MacVidCards card, but would love to see APFS and HFS+ drives under Windows and OS switcher.
 

NorCalLights

macrumors 6502a
Apr 24, 2006
600
89
I have Windows 10 installed on my 4.1>5.1 with a GTX 970 (from MVC that does have boot screen support). Windows 10 is installed on a separate drive from my OSX install (not just a separate partition). The Windows drive shows up as "EFI Boot" when I hold down Option at startup, so I assume it's installed in UEFI mode... I certainly didn't do anything fancy when I installed Windows on that drive.

1) Do I need to be concerned that Windows might corrupt my boot ROM? Everything seems to be working fine now, and has for a while (though I only boot into Windows every few months).
2) How can I check if it has screwed something up?
3) If it has/might do damage to my Mac Pro's boot ROM, how do I convert Windows to Legacy mode? Should I wipe and reinstall Windows?

Sorry for the questions... I've dug through a bunch of posts in this thread and the big Boot ROM thread and I just can't find any information that my tiny mind can understand.

Thank you.
 

h9826790

macrumors P6
Apr 3, 2014
16,656
8,587
Hong Kong
I have Windows 10 installed on my 4.1>5.1 with a GTX 970 (from MVC that does have boot screen support). Windows 10 is installed on a separate drive from my OSX install (not just a separate partition). The Windows drive shows up as "EFI Boot" when I hold down Option at startup, so I assume it's installed in UEFI mode... I certainly didn't do anything fancy when I installed Windows on that drive.

1) Do I need to be concerned that Windows might corrupt my boot ROM? Everything seems to be working fine now, and has for a while (though I only boot into Windows every few months).
2) How can I check if it has screwed something up?
3) If it has/might do damage to my Mac Pro's boot ROM, how do I convert Windows to Legacy mode? Should I wipe and reinstall Windows?

Sorry for the questions... I've dug through a bunch of posts in this thread and the big Boot ROM thread and I just can't find any information that my tiny mind can understand.

Thank you.

1) Yes, even though the chance of bricking a logic board is low, but definitely not zero.

2) dump the ROM by ROMTool, and check it. Search the post by Tsialex, and you will know more.

3) IMO, yes, especially you don’t need EFI Windows at the very beginning. Wipe the drive and do a legacy installation should be a safer way to keep Windows that you only need once in few months.
 
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bvega

macrumors newbie
Mar 20, 2019
16
1
Santiago, Chile
OK, done!

Thanks for providing all the required info. This is my version of "how to do it".

1) Insert the Windows installation DVD into the super drive (How to burn a Windows installation disc properly). [N.B. Do NOT replace the DVD by USB installer. It won't work]

2) Shutdown the Mac

3) Hold "C" to boot (if you have NVMe installed, and can't boot from the disc, please try remove the NVMe)

4) Follow the on screen instruction until reach the "Where do you want to install Windows" step
View attachment 797517

5) "Delete" all the target SSD's partitions. In the above capture (downloaded from internet), you can see that there are 4 partitions for existing EFI mode Windows. Select each partition one by one, and click Delete. Be careful, do NOT remove other drive's partition. All partitions should be on the same drive. e.g. In the above example, all belongs to Drive 0. There is no requirement to remove any other hard drive from the cMP. But if you want to play safe, you can physically remove them between step 2 and 3 to avoid error.

Eventually will looks like this. No more partitions, but just a single large piece of Unallocated Space.
View attachment 797518

6) Click New. This will automatically create the correct and required partitions with all available space. For legacy installation, should be only two partitions automatically created.
View attachment 797527

7) Select the newly created partition, and continue the installation.

8) For Windows 10, the LAN line should work straight away after installation completed. So now, you can use Edge to access the internet.

9) Go to https://github.com/timsutton/brigadier/releases

10) Download brigadier.exe (0.2.4)

11) insert a USB drive (this is not mandatory, but just make the command prompt work easier)

12) Format the USB drive to FAT32

13) Copy brigadier.exe to the USB drive (assume it's the E drive)

14) Open Command Prompt (search CMD can find it)

15) type
Code:
e:

16) type
Code:
brigadier -m MacPro5,1

17) Once finished, rename the "Bootcampxxxxxxxxxx" folder to "Bootcamp5"

18 ) type
Code:
brigadier -m iMacPro1,1

19) Once finished, rename the "Bootcampxxxxxxxxxx" folder to "Bootcamp61"

20) search CMD again, but this time right click, and choose "run as admin"

21) type
Code:
e:

22) type
Code:
cd Bootcamp5/Bootcamp/Drivers/Apple

23) type
Code:
msiexec /i bootcamp.msi

24) After installation finished and reboot. Search CMD again, right click, and choose "run as admin"

25) type
Code:
e:

26) type
Code:
cd Bootcamp5/Bootcamp/Drivers/Apple

27) type
Code:
msiexec /x bootcamp.msi
This will NOT remove the drivers, but just the bootcamp apps

28) type
Code:
cd Bootcamp61/Bootcamp/Drivers/Apple

29) type
Code:
msiexec /i bootcamp.msi

30) Let it finish the installation and reboot. And now you can install the hard drives back in.

So now, if you run the bootcamp apps. You should see something like this.
View attachment 797522
Language doesn't really matter, but you can see all the selections.

Those HFS+ High Sierra options will show the hard drive's name (e.g. 8T Backup)

Those APFS Mojave options will show as "Mac" above macOS.

From now on, you can use startup disk in Mojave to select Windows 10 (I renamed the SSD, usually it should shows BOOTCAMP, but not Win 10)
View attachment 797524

And of course, we can use bootcamp apps in Windows to select Mojave.

And have everything working as expected. e.g. Keyboard functions keys, Magic Mouse, BT 4.0, Wifi ac, USB 3.0, etc.

P.S. I am not sure if step 24 - 27 can be skipped or not. You may try, may safe you a minute for rebooting.


i have some problems with brigadier, everything is fine until de step 22
the cmd dont find the file


Any help?


thanks!
 

star-affinity

macrumors 68000
Nov 14, 2007
1,992
1,321
i have some problems with brigadier, everything is fine until de step 22
the cmd dont find the file


Any help?


thanks!

If you can find the folder in the Finder you can simply drag it into the Terminal after typing ”cd ” and it will populate the path. Press enter/return after that.
 
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