Sierra 10.12 Boot Camp ONLY supports windows 10

[diggers2004]

In the Beta release 10.12, Sierra Boot Camp Assistant does not allow creation of Boot Camp partitions with any version of Windows older than v10.

This contravenes many Apple advice pages on the internet such as: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201457 Use Windows 8.1 on your Mac with Boot Camp.

I do not know what would happen to anyone with an existing Win8.1 BootCamp partition if they upgraded to Sierra.

Hopefully, this betrayal of public commitment will be fixed in the final release.

 

[keysofanxiety]

I do not know what would happen to anyone with an existing Win8.1 BootCamp partition if they upgraded to Sierra.

Nothing -- existing BootCamp partition won't be wiped or become inactive. It's just when setting up a new BootCamp partition. I'm sure there's a way around if you really want to install 8.1, but there's not that much difference between 8.1 and 10.

Between 8.1 and 10, I personally prefer 8.1 too; but it's not a surprising move from Apple and certainly nothing new, as they've previously dropped XP/Vista/7 support in succession.

 

[diggers2004]

it's not a surprising move from Apple and certainly nothing new, as they've previously dropped XP/Vista/7 support in succession.

I find it very annoying because I have just bought 8.1 based on the clear advice at Apple Support: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201457
"Use Windows 8.1 on your Mac with Boot Camp. You can use Boot Camp Assistant to install Windows 8 on supported Mac models that have OS X Yosemite or later installed.

 

[8692574]

Later being El Capitan...

 

[Crazy Badger]

I would expect to see the guidance updated in line with the release of macOS, which isn't released until the 20th September. Until that point, the advice on the website is correct.

 

[keysofanxiety]

I find it very annoying because I have just bought 8.1 based on the clear advice at Apple Support: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201457
"Use Windows 8.1 on your Mac with Boot Camp. You can use Boot Camp Assistant to install Windows 8 on supported Mac models that have OS X Yosemite or later installed.

Ah right; Yosemite or later would basically mean up to El Cap, as Sierra hasn't technically been released to the public yet.

As such, you can do the following:

1) Install El Cap and install Win 8.1 through BootCamp, then upgrade to Sierra
2) Call Apple Support and explain the issue -- they may be able to confirm if there's a workaround other than the one stated above.

 

[diggers2004]

Thanks. Have logged a case c Apple. Sounds weird to me that they would only support one version of Windows on new installs while previous installs of previous versions continue to work fine.

 

[gltzrsckchn]

I do not know what would happen to anyone with an existing Win8.1 BootCamp partition if they upgraded to Sierra.

Nothing. My Win8.1 BootCamp partition is running without any problems since the first Sierra Developer Preview. I'm on the GM now and still haven't got any problems.

 

[Crazy Badger]

My Windows 7 BootCamp partition is running without any problems on macOS! Might remove it on my next MB as I use it so infrequently, and when I do could just as easily use Fusion.

 

[andrewb4u]

In the Beta release 10.12, Sierra Boot Camp Assistant does not allow creation of Boot Camp partitions with any version of Windows older than v10.

This contravenes many Apple advice pages on the internet such as: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201457 Use Windows 8.1 on your Mac with Boot Camp.

I do not know what would happen to anyone with an existing Win8.1 BootCamp partition if they upgraded to Sierra.

Hopefully, this betrayal of public commitment will be fixed in the final release.

[doublepost=1473884054][/doublepost]Boot Camp
Sierra supports existing Boot Camp installations with Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10. New Boot Camp installations require Windows 8 or Windows 10 (sold separately).

 

[3Dhendo]

Sierra does NOT support anything apart from 64-bit Win 10. Not Win 8, 7 or XP.

This is really frustrating and just another reason to keep using Windows or Linux. I have had two tasks today - install bootcamp and clone a single partition (out of 4 total) from one drive to another.

It has been nearly impossible using Mac, from even finding a straightforward partition cloning tool, to massive problems with Windows virtuals guests in OS X hosts, to not being able to even use Bootcamp, or see partitions created by Bootcamp on a Mac.

This is a massive fail. Windows and Linux has far more utils, easier to use and is more accessible. This OS is a joke.

Existing BC partitions may be OK, but new ones cannot be created.

[doublepost=1475599906][/doublepost]https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201457

"Mac models you can use with Windows 8.1
These Mac models support 64-bit versions of Windows 8.1 when installed using Boot Camp. Use About This Macto see which Mac you have, then check this list to see if it supports Windows 8.1:"

This is pretty disingenuous because "all these models" do not work. It's the OS, not the model, and that is conflicting information. Had this MBP since 2012 and Apple prompt me to upgrade OS. At some point I ceased being able to use Windows 8 with Bootcamp and that was not remotely clear. According to the above list my MBP should work fine.

 

[yellowscreen]

Will my windows 7 partition still work if I clean install sierra? Cmd-r

Reinstalling windows 7 in bootcamp on sierra is out of the question?

 

[foxlet]

I don't understand what this fuss is all about, since Bootcamp Assistant (and pretty much "Bootcamp" as a marketing gimmick) is merely a hold-your-hand UI for partitioning your hard drive (which can be done just as well in Disk Utility). You can throw any bootable media onto a flash drive and hold Option while starting your Mac to boot it, that be Windows 8/8.1/10. Sierra doesn't affect the ability for Apple EFI/firmware to boot other OSs, and that functionality has not been dependent on any specific version of OS X before it.

 

[3Dhendo]

I don't understand what this fuss is all about, since Bootcamp Assistant (and pretty much "Bootcamp" as a marketing gimmick) is merely a hold-your-hand UI for partitioning your hard drive (which can be done just as well in Disk Utility). You can throw any bootable media onto a flash drive and hold Option while starting your Mac to boot it, that be Windows 8/8.1/10. Sierra doesn't affect the ability for Apple EFI/firmware to boot other OSs, and that functionality has not been dependent on any specific version of OS X before it.

If Apple say they support something then they need to support it. If they say "Yosemite or later" then it's reasonable to think that includes Sierra.

You are forgetting that admin and tech tasks are not easy for everyone. Not everybody is comfortable doing this kind of thing. Those people would assume, wrongly, that Apple could help, because Apple say they can, and then find out that they can't.

It's more complicated than a simple partition. You cannot just install Windows out of the box on a Mac and have everything work. This is where Bootcamp comes in. Do you expect generic Win 7 drivers to work on an Apple track pad?

I suggest you Google "how to install Windows on a Mac without Bootcamp". The first page of results all say that you need Bootcamp for drivers. Most of them finish with "now Windows is installed, just run the bootcamp assistant to install the drivers" or "you will need the Bootcamp drivers"

So that's the fuss.

Sierra refuses to create installers older than Win10
It's not just a hand-holder (even if it were, hand-holding is important for many people)
Apple say it work when it doesn't
Legacy driver support is a nightmare

 

[foxlet]

If Apple say they support something then they need to support it. If they say "Yosemite or later" then it's reasonable to think that includes Sierra.

You are forgetting that admin and tech tasks are not easy for everyone. Not everybody is comfortable doing this kind of thing. Those people would assume, wrongly, that Apple could help, because Apple say they can, and then find out that they can't.

It's more complicated than a simple partition. You cannot just install Windows out of the box on a Mac and have everything work. This is where Bootcamp comes in. Do you expect generic Win 7 drivers to work on an Apple track pad?

I suggest you Google "how to install Windows on a Mac without Bootcamp". The first page of results all say that you need Bootcamp for drivers. Most of them finish with "now Windows is installed, just run the bootcamp assistant to install the drivers" or "you will need the Bootcamp drivers"

So that's the fuss.

Sierra refuses to create installers older than Win10
It's not just a hand-holder (even if it were, hand-holding is important for many people)
Apple say it work when it doesn't
Legacy driver support is a nightmare

Modern Windows uses UEFI for booting, creating an installer is as easy as formatting your medium of choice as FAT32 and copying + pasting the image contents (or using a third party program, or just burning a disc).

In terms of driver support, I've found the default ones to be sufficient, and no devices remain undetected either. Even if you wanted to use Apple's driver collection, there's no need for Bootcamp Assistant since Apple publishes the direct executables on their very website (I suggest you Google that as well), no need to involve macOS during the process.

Seeing it all though, it could easily be automated with a tool that skips Bootcamp Assistant all-together (and that Apple can't stop).

 

[Kaida]

what i did was to use a win10 iso to make an usb with win10, then when the partition is created and the system is being restarted. hold option key and replace the win10 with a win7 usb that was created by el capitan previously. Works like a charm

edit: btw, it also works the same for older systems that only bootcamp up to win7 and can still install win10 using this method.

 

[bcave098]

If Apple say they support something then they need to support it. If they say "Yosemite or later" then it's reasonable to think that includes Sierra.

The article you posted earlier clearly states "Mac computers using macOS Sierra 10.12 support new installations of Windows 10 only. macOS Sierra does not support new installations of earlier versions of Windows." Apple says they don't support it.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

I installed Windows XP on a VM in my MBA thinking it might cut it for a couple of Windows programs I still use, but some of them are now asking for Win7 or later in updates. One of the reasons I've kept loyal to OS X is to stay away from the horrible mess that is Windows 10 and now Apple tells me I can't install Windows 7 because I upgraded to Sierra.
Right now I'm conteplating on getting a used Thinkpad or HP instead and using that instead... but then the MBA would have to stay home, I can't see myself carrying two laptops to get my work done. Argh!

 

[steve62388]

I installed Windows XP on a VM in my MBA thinking it might cut it for a couple of Windows programs I still use, but some of them are now asking for Win7 or later in updates. One of the reasons I've kept loyal to OS X is to stay away from the horrible mess that is Windows 10 and now Apple tells me I can't install Windows 7 because I upgraded to Sierra.
Right now I'm conteplating on getting a used Thinkpad or HP instead and using that instead... but then the MBA would have to stay home, I can't see myself carrying two laptops to get my work done. Argh!

Would installing Win7 entirely through a VM work (ie not installing a Bootcamp partition)? I can't remember if Fusion offers this, but Parallels does.

 

[zzzachi]

maybe the new touchbar is only supported on win10 for the moment (or forever). but u can't know. i'd just install win7/8 and then install the drivers manually and see if things work. hope some people report their experiences here.

but lol...
i cant even run disk utility.app on my brand new macbook pro.
its showing "loading disks.." forever. thanks apple.

 

[Danbey]

In the Beta release 10.12, Sierra Boot Camp Assistant does not allow creation of Boot Camp partitions with any version of Windows older than v10.

This contravenes many Apple advice pages on the internet such as: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201457 Use Windows 8.1 on your Mac with Boot Camp.

I do not know what would happen to anyone with an existing Win8.1 BootCamp partition if they upgraded to Sierra.

Hopefully, this betrayal of public commitment will be fixed in the final release.

[doublepost=1483468202][/doublepost]I did exactly that...
Upgraded to Sierra with old version of Windows...
Now the Windows partition is on my SSD but Sierra will not recognize it...
I currently have an open case with apple care...
Fingers crossed...

 

[krombit]

In the Beta release 10.12, Sierra Boot Camp Assistant does not allow creation of Boot Camp partitions with any version of Windows older than v10.

...

I do not know what would happen to anyone with an existing Win8.1 BootCamp partition if they upgraded to Sierra.
...

Due to failed SSD on MBP Retina (10,1 originally at Mountain Lion 10.9) that I replaced I had to install, via internet recovery, Sierra (10.12.2). Prior to this failure I was running Win 8.1 on ElCapitan.

Yes. I managed to boot from USB, create an NTFS partition and install Win 8.1 (twice) from en_windows_8.1_with_update_x64_dvd_6051480.iso. However, that is where the enjoyment finished and the pain began.

In essence I haven't been able to run the Widows update! I have Events Logs full of errors and warnings that reports a variety of errors for 'crawl', hardware reconfiguration ...

I will be trying a Win 8.1 in Fusion 8.5 from the same ISO to validate the media.

 

[zzzachi]

Backwards compatibility doesn't seem to be in their scope at all.
Just another sign that Apple is not interested in professionals at all.
Wonder what blingbling they will market as the new "Mac (now finally really) Pro".

 

[krombit]

I can confidently debunk this myth/rumour that Boot Camp only supports Windows 10.

As planned (see my earlier post) I installed Windows 8.1 into Fusion 8.5 on Sierra and completed a successful Windows update that took half a day to complete.

With that success I went back to my Sierra Boot Camp install of Window 8.1 and attempted to apply the Windows update again.

Great success. 180 updates were applied but it took one and a half days to complete!

Posts in Windows forums relating to Win8.1 updates "not working", "takes forever", "never ends" have a couple of responses like "let it run for 24hrs" because "the update servers are slow" or "down" or "not enough servers".

In all my many years in applying updates to a Windows install I have found that the process completes within minutes, not hours and certainly not days. Updates to Windows 8.1 were swift, at least they were when updating last year. Even a Windows 7 install in VMWare Workstation a couple of months ago updated promptly.

Whats changed? Certainly not the Win8.1 ISO image I downloaded a year or so ago.

Conspiracy theory would suggest that it's a deliberate ploy by Microsoft to make Win8.1 installs excruciatingly slow (painful) to entice users onto Win10.