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Installing bootcamp on nMP using iMacs as display

E

evilpaddy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 2, 2012
119
0
So I currently have my nMP connected to two iMacs using their target display modes. The iMacs are primarily used for Windows and I have had to install a small OSX partition on each iMac as the Target Display mode seems to be software driven.

I am trying to install bootcamp on my nMP but can't get the iMac to switch to the nMP input unless the nMP has fully booted to OSX. Is this a limitation of Target Display? I assume I could connect a HDMI monitor to get everything installed but it is a lot of work to only find out that the nMP will not output to the iMac when the nMP has booted to Windows....

I hope that makes sense!
 
I've kind of re-read this a few times and I'm not sure it makes sense.

I use an iMac as a display for my nMP. The iMac requires OSX to be running before it will enter Target Display mode. My question is, will Windows / Bootcamp running on the nMP be able to output a video signal, over thunderbolt, to the iMac.?

I can't see why not as I recall using an old iMac as a primary display for my PS3.

However, if I hold down the option key on the nMP to get to the boot loader, I can not get the iMac to switch inputs. The iMac will only let me cmd-F2 when both the iMac and nMP are at their respective OSX desktops.

Is that clearer? I am hoping that this is just a boot loader issue. As I said, it would be a PITA to go through the chaos that is installing Windows on an external thunderbolt drive AND dragging in a HDMI monitor for the install, only to find that it won't work... Does anyone else use a late 2013 iMac in Target Display mode?
 
The reason your iMac won't go into target display mode instantly is that it needs to be fed some sort of video signal, which doesn't happen the instant you turn the nMP on. The nMP does some internal tests and other stuff before it gets to that stage.

The iMac doesn't know what OS you are running on the machine that's sending the video signal - you don't even have to be running an OS at all, you could feed output from anything into it (your PS3 for example), as long as you are feeding tit some sort of video signal it can lock on to.

So you'll be fine under bootcamp, the iMac will respond when it gets a signal, but not before, just as it does now.
 
OsakaTom said:
Sadly, Target Display mode doesn't work under Bootcamp. Thunderbolt equipped iMacs can also no longer be used in Target Display mode with non-TB devices (so no more using a PlayStation or Xbox).

See: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3924#8
Click to expand...

It's hard to tell if that's referring to the iMac running Bootcamp, or the source machine, but as section 12 of that link says, the Thunderbolt limitation only applies to newer iMacs that do not have mini-display port connectors. As the thread starter has successfully connected a PS3 in the past, they can't be using one of those iMacs, so it will work for them.
 
Nope, for at least one of the two iMacs, evilpaddy is using a late 2013 model - which is TB only (he recalls using an old iMac for PS3). This won't work, sadly.

Re: Bootcamp: it appears BOTH Macs must be running OSX for Target Display mode, though I haven't personally tested an iMac target in Bootcamp. It doesn't work with an nMP running Bootcamp (tested with a 2011 iMac in OSX).
 
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