no alt selection to pick boot OS

[irishgrizzly]

I've instailled Windows 7 on a separate drive using bootcamp. But now when I restart from windows and hold alt I don't get the option to boot my mac drive. What can I do to fix this?

When I used bootcamp last time I had a bootcamp option in the control panel (on the XP side) which I don't have now. Is there a way of loading the required files from the snow load disc? or will I have to start over?

edit - the keyboard eject isn't working, so I think that none of the bootcamp drivers installed.

 

[RemarkabLee]

Have you installed the BootCamp drivers from the SL DVD? That will install the control panel for selecting the startup disk.

Also are you holding down the alt key early enough and for long enough? As soon as you reboot, hold it down..... No need to wait for the bong!

 

[irishgrizzly]

I've intalled the drivers in windows using the the SN DVD and can now boot between mac/win. But I still don't get a pick using the alt key.

 

[RemarkabLee]

Try a PRAM reset. Reboot Mac and hold CMD + ALT + P + R and wait for SECOND bong. Then hold down Alt to see if you get the menu.

 

[irishgrizzly]

I've tried a few times and can't get the pram to reset using;

CMD(apple) + ALT(opton) + P + R

hmmm

 

[RemarkabLee]

That would suggest to me a problem with your ALT key...

Can you try another USB keyboard?

 

[irishgrizzly]

Yes, thanks for that. I plugged in my older style apple keyboard and – bong – PRAM reset. Let it go twice to be sure and held down the alt to get the OS boot select. I'll try it again later with my new kb so make sure it's working.

I just noticed the right alt is working on my newer kb, just not the left one. The numeric pad keys aren't working either.

 

[balamw]

This wouldn't happen to be an early white iMac and a wired Aluminum keyboard would it?

Apparently that is a combination that is known not to work. I have to use the remote on mine to select OSes.

B

 

[irishgrizzly]

This wouldn't happen to be an early white iMac and a wired Aluminum keyboard would it?

Apparently that is a combination that is known not to work. I have to use the remote on mine to select OSes.

B

Close, wired aluminium keyboard and '08 Mac Pro.

edit –

So, my right alt button works fine when I'm "boot selecting", but not the left. It worked on the previous setup – bootcamp 2 (I think). It's not at all a big deal, but I wonder if the keyboard driver in the new bootcamp is worse than the old one?

 

[RemarkabLee]

Close, wired aluminium keyboard and '08 Mac Pro.

edit –

So, my right alt button works fine when I'm "boot selecting", but not the left. It worked on the previous setup – bootcamp 2 (I think). It's not at all a big deal, but I wonder if the keyboard driver in the new bootcamp is worse than the old one?

It won't be a driver issue as it hasn't got that far in the boot process. It may be a firmware issue though...

 

[irishgrizzly]

It won't be a driver issue as it hasn't got that far in the boot process. It may be a firmware issue though...

Would the drivers not sit in the firmware

I've installed the drivers off the SL disc, but maybe newer drivers have since fixed this. Can I download newer drivers and manually install them? or is there another possible solution?

 

[balamw]

Would the drivers not sit in the firmware

I've installed the drivers off the SL disc, but maybe newer drivers have since fixed this. Can I download newer drivers and manually install them? or is there another possible solution?

As RemarkabLee said, the OS hasn't booted yet, so the drivers on the disc are not loaded/used. It's using code within the EFI firmware to access the hardware. I don't know of a way to change/update/modify/verify the firmware and the contents of the EFI partition.

You already reset the PRAM which is where the settings for the firmware are held...

Anyone?

EDIT: Maybe this would help http://support.apple.com/kb/DL95 is that the right Mac Pro?

B

 

[irishgrizzly]

As RemarkabLee said, the OS hasn't booted yet, so the drivers on the disc are not loaded/used. It's using code within the EFI firmware to access the hardware. I don't know of a way to change/update/modify/verify the firmware and the contents of the EFI partition.

You already reset the PRAM which is where the settings for the firmware are held...

Anyone?

EDIT: Maybe this would help http://support.apple.com/kb/DL95 is that the right Mac Pro?

B

Thanks balamw, I'll check my system profiler tonight to see if I've got the latest firmware installed.

 

[irishgrizzly]

I've got that same boot ROM version (MP31.006C.B05), so I must of applied this when it came out.

 

[irishgrizzly]

I fixed this by changing the port that the keyboard was attached to at the back of the machine. I've noticed before that one of the ports behaves badly – like it on USB 1.1 or is just dodgy.