Late 2015 5K Windows 10 (Boot Camp)

[Hakiroto]

Hi, everybody,

My brother just got a late 2015 5K iMac and we're hoping to set up Windows 10 using Boot Camp. He's already bought Windows 10 so he has the key ready to go. We downloaded a Windows 10 ISO directly from Microsoft (as the Apple support document suggests) and Boot Camp finds the ISO in the Downloads folder but when we try to proceed it says

Need 64-bit Windows 8 or later ISO file.
Boot Camp only supports 64-bit Windows 8 or later
installation on this platform. Please use an ISO for
64-bit Windows 8 or later installation.

I've done the same with Windows 8 on my own iMac but I've never seen this before. It looks like Windows 10 is, for some reason, not supported on this new 5K. Is this the case? I'm talking to Apple at the moment but they said they don't know what's going on.

I've attached a screenshot of Boot Camp showing the error. The Apple support document I looked at hasn't been updated since October 6 so doesn't show the new iMac. Could it be a case of us needing to wait for an update?

 

[kødskjold]

Win10 should definitely be supported. I can think of 2 things: 1) are you positive it isn't the upgrade ISO, and that it is a full x64 install? 2) Is the iMac completely patched/updated? Bootcamp gets updates too - within the system updates.

Edit: I just found the official doc and the 'late 2015' is not on the supported list (although late 2014 and mid 2015 are). The doc was last updated Oct 6th... so either they just didn't update it since, or they have not updated Bootcamp to run Win10 on that model. The latter would be surprising considering the lack of major architectural changes. Maybe there is somebody on this forum who has done it?

 

[vetruvian]

Hi, everybody,

My brother just got a late 2015 5K iMac and we're hoping to set up Windows 10 using Boot Camp. He's already bought Windows 10 so he has the key ready to go. We downloaded a Windows 10 ISO directly from Microsoft (as the Apple support document suggests) and Boot Camp finds the ISO in the Downloads folder but when we try to proceed it says

Need 64-bit Windows 8 or later ISO file.
Boot Camp only supports 64-bit Windows 8 or later
installation on this platform. Please use an ISO for
64-bit Windows 8 or later installation.

I've done the same with Windows 8 on my own iMac but I've never seen this before. It looks like Windows 10 is, for some reason, not supported on this new 5K. Is this the case? I'm talking to Apple at the moment but they said they don't know what's going on.

I've attached a screenshot of Boot Camp showing the error. The Apple support document I looked at hasn't been updated since October 6 so doesn't show the new iMac. Could it be a case of us needing to wait for an update?

Make sure you downloaded the 64-Bit version of Windows 10. It looks to me like you may have downloaded the 32-bit version. Also make sure your running OS X 10.11.1

 

[vetruvian]

Win10 should definitely be supported. I can think of 2 things: 1) are you positive it isn't the upgrade ISO, and that it is a full x64 install? 2) Is the iMac completely patched/updated? Bootcamp gets updates too - within the system updates.

Edit: I just found the official doc and the 'late 2015' is not on the supported list (although late 2014 and mid 2015 are). The doc was last updated Oct 6th... so either they just didn't update it since, or they have not updated Bootcamp to run Win10 on that model. The latter would be surprising considering the lack of major architectural changes. Maybe there is somebody on this forum who has done it?

I'd be shocked, and super disappointed with Apple is the latest iMac wasn't supporting Windows 10 in bootcamp...

 

[SeanD1]

Windows 10 works fine on late 2015 iMac. Have got in running myself.
Download 64 bit iso from link here. http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10ISO

Bootcamp assistant should automatically detect when you start.

Hope this helps.

 

[kødskjold]

I'd be shocked, and super disappointed with Apple is the latest iMac wasn't supporting Windows 10 in bootcamp...

Indeed, which is why I stand by my original thoughts. It seems like the ISO is not the full ISO or corrupt or the 32-bit version, or Bootcamp isn't patched. It's more likely that Apple just didn't update their online documentation

 

[PrimeRib_]

Indeed, which is why I stand by my original thoughts. It seems like the ISO is not the full ISO or corrupt or the 32-bit version, or Bootcamp isn't patched. It's more likely that Apple just didn't update their online documentation

Are you certain you downloaded the 64-bit full version? I just completed Bootcamp last night on my 5K iMac and I noticed when I went to Microsoft's website to purchase Windows 10, there were a few options.

First, Windows 10 is free but only as an upgrade to existing Windows 7 or 8.1 customers. You can download the upgrade file for free, but this is not what you want for Bootcamp. You need to purchase the full Windows 10 version (US $119) - go for the digital version and you then have two options - Download either the 32-bit or the 64-bit versions. Make sure you download the 64-bit version.

Only other issue I ran into is I had to unplug my external USB 3.0 drive as it was causing issues when during Windows installation as the hard drive partition couldn't be found/created.

 

[kødskjold]

Are you certain you downloaded the 64-bit full version? [...]
First, Windows 10 is free but only as an upgrade to existing Windows 7 or 8.1 customers. You can download the upgrade file for free, but this is not what you want for Bootcamp.

This is the big one I'm curious about. OP said there is a license key, but the download was online. Perhaps it's the wrong one.

 

[iemcj]

You may have bought a physical key and box and usb drive (I did) but you'll still need to download the ISO from windows. Silly I know but that's just the reality if you want to do it properly. I DID manually try to do it myself... didn't work right. The whole reason for going through bootcamp is to automatically install the drivers windows will need and if you do it on your own via usb, it may not happen properly. Just redownload the 64 bit iso, windows 10 is fully supported, I am typing this from my macbook pro with my late 2015 imac right next to me open in windows 10 lol.

 

[Hakiroto]

Hi, everyone. Sorry for taking so long to get back to this thread. No, I'd downloaded the 64-bit ISO directly from Microsoft so that wasn't the issue. What was, though, was the download itself. I downloaded it twice in a row and as it completed it was the exact same size. The third time, however, it was bigger. I'm not sure what was happening their end but I guarantee it was the same download page (with the same chosen Windows 10 / 64-bit / English). We spoke to someone at Apple to check if this iMac was actually supported and she said it's not the first time people have had issues with these ISOs. Take what you want from this but that's what happened. In the end, the third one worked a charm and installed just like Windows 8 did on my own iMac many times.