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Boot Camp (software)

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For other uses, see Boot camp.
Boot Camp
Developer(s)Apple Inc.
Initial releaseApril 5, 2006
Stable release
5.0[1] / March 14, 2013
Operating systemOS X
TypeSoftware assistant for dual booting
LicenseProprietary
Websitewww.apple.com/support/bootcamp/

Boot Camp is a multi boot utility included with Apple Inc.'s OS X that assists users in installing Microsoft Windows operating systems on Intel-based Macintosh computers. The utility's Boot Camp Assistant guides users through non-destructive disk partitioning (including resizing of an existing HFS+ partition, if necessary) of their hard disk drive and installation of Windows device drivers. The utility also installs a Windows Control Panel applet for selecting the boot operating system.

Initially introduced as an unsupported beta for Mac OS X Tiger,[2][3] the utility was first included with Mac OS X Leopard and has been included in subsequent versions of the operating system ever since. Previous versions of Boot Camp supported Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. Boot Camp 4.0 for Mac OS X Snow Leopard up to OS X Mountain Lion version 10.8.2 only supported Windows 7.[4] However, with the release of Boot Camp 5.0 for OS X Mountain Lion version 10.8.3, only 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 8 are officially supported.[1][5] Users have also installed Linux using the utility, although Apple has not listed support for Linux operating systems.[6]

Overview

Holding down the option key (⌥) at startup brings up the boot manager, allowing the user to choose which operating system to start up. When using a non-Apple keyboard, the alt key usually performs the same action. The boot manager can also be launched by holding down the “menu” button on the Apple Remote at startup.

File:Bootcamp selectOS.JPG
Mac OS X's Startup Disk selection screen used by Boot Camp

Boot Camp displaced the open source Xom Project for dual booting Mac OS X and Windows XP.[7]

Its functionality relies on BIOS emulation through EFI and a partition table information synchronization mechanism between GPT and MBR combined.[8]

It has been suggested that the name "Boot Camp" pokes fun at the utter primitivism and disorganization of Microsoft's operating system products, in much the same way that a group of arrivals at a military boot camp are expected to be disorganized, variegated, and—above all—incompetent.

Requirements

OS X Lion and Mountain Lion

Apple's Boot Camp system requirements lists the following requirements for OS X Lion and Mountain Lion:[9]

  • 8 GB USB storage device, or external drive formatted as MS-DOS (FAT) for installation of Windows drivers for Mac hardware
  • 20 GB free hard disk space for a first-time installation or 40 GB for an upgrade from a previous version of Windows
  • A full version of one of the following operating systems:
    • Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate
    • Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro (64-bit editions only)

Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard

Apple lists the following requirements for Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard:[9]

  • An Intel-based Macintosh computer with the latest firmware (Early Intel-based Macintosh computers require an EFI firmware update for BIOS compatibility).
  • A Mac OS X Leopard or Mac OS X Snow Leopard installation disc or Mac OS X Disc 1 included with Macs that have Leopard or Snow Leopard preinstalled; this disc is needed for installation of Windows drivers for Mac hardware
  • 10 GB free hard disk space (16 GB is recommended for Windows 7)
  • A full version of one of the following operating systems:
    • Windows XP Home Edition or Professional with Service Pack 2 or higher (32-bit editions only)[10]
    • Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise or Ultimate (32-bit and 64-bit editions)[11]
    • Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate (32-bit and 64-bit editions)

Supported Macintosh computers with Windows 8

The earliest Macintosh models that support Windows 8 are the mid-2011 MacBook Air, 13-inch-mid-2011 or 15 and 17-inch-mid-2010 MacBook Pro, mid-2011 Mac Mini, 21-inch-mid-2011 or 27-inch-mid-2010 iMac, and early 2009 Mac Pro.[12][13]

Limitations

Boot Camp does not work on Mac OS X Lion and later releases if more than three primary OS X partition exists on the target hard drive. Since on Mac OS X Lion, the Mac operating system itself consumes three partitions (EFI, Mac OS X, and Recovery), effectively there can only be one partition other than Boot Camp. Thus, for example, it is not possible to create a data partition. There are alternatives to Boot Camp like rEFIt which are not subject to these limitations.

Version history

1.0
beta 		April 5, 2006
  • Original release
  • Contained a software bug that prevented certain users from booting back into Mac OS X[2]
1.1
beta 		August 26, 2006
  • Support for the latest Intel-based Macintosh computers
  • Easier partitioning using presets for popular sizes
  • Ability to install Windows XP on any internal disk
  • Support for built-in iSight cameras
  • Support for built-in microphones
  • Right-click when pressing the right-hand Apple key on Apple keyboards
  • Improved Apple keyboard support including Delete, PrintScreen, NumLock, and ScrollLock keys
1.1.1
beta 		September 14, 2006
  • Support for Core 2 Duo iMacs
1.1.2
beta 		October 30, 2006
  • The Apple USB Modem now works correctly
  • Trackpad scrolling and right-click gestures work correctly
  • Fixed idle sleep bugs
  • Reduced dialogs during Windows driver installation
  • Improved international support
  • Improved 802.11 wireless networking support
1.2
beta 		March 28, 2007
  • Support for 32-bit Windows Vista
  • Updated drivers, including but not limited to trackpad, AppleTime (sync), audio, graphics, modem, iSight camera
  • Support the Apple Remote (works with iTunes and Windows Media Player)
  • A Windows Notification Area icon for easy access to Boot Camp information and actions
  • Improved keyboard support for Korean, Chinese, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Russian, and French Canadian
  • Improved Windows driver installation experience
  • Updated documentation and Boot Camp on-line help in Windows
  • Apple Software Update (for Windows XP and Vista)
1.3
beta 		June 7, 2007
  • Support for the MacBook Pro's backlit keyboard
  • Apple Remote pairing
  • Updated graphics drivers
  • Improved Boot Camp driver installer
  • Improved international keyboard support
  • Localization fixes
  • Updated Windows Help for Boot Camp
1.4
beta 		August 8, 2007
  • Support for the MacBook Pro's backlit keyboard
  • Adds Apple Remote Pairing
  • Updated graphics drivers
  • Improved Boot Camp driver installer
  • Improved international keyboard support
  • Updates to Windows help for Boot Camp
2.0 October 26, 2007
  • Updated Boot Camp control panel
  • Updated keyboard support
  • Updated drivers
  • Updated localization
  • Support for the latest Mac models
  • Updates to Windows help for Boot Camp
2.1 April 24, 2008
  • Supports for Windows XP with Service Pack 3
  • Supports for 64-bit Windows Vista
2.2 November 19, 2009
  • Fixes issues with the trackpad and digital audio ports on portables
  • Adds support for Apple Magic Mouse and Wireless Keyboard
3.0 August 28, 2009
  • Read Mac Volumes from Windows
  • Read/Copy Files between Mac and Windows
  • Support for advanced features on Apple Cinema displays
  • Improved tap-to-click support
  • Command line version of the Startup Disk Control Panel from Windows[14]
3.1 January 19, 2010
  • Support for Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate)
  • Addresses issues with the Apple trackpad
  • Turns off the red digital audio port LED on laptop computers when it is not being used
  • Supports the Apple wireless keyboard and Apple Magic mouse
3.2 November 18, 2010
  • Adds support for the ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics card, Apple USB Ethernet Adapter, MacBook Air SuperDrive
  • Addresses critical bug fixes
  • Drops support for 64-bit Windows Vista[11]
3.3 August 24, 2011
  • Addresses critical bug fixes
  • Adds support for new hardware
  • Drops support for Windows XP, Windows Vista[15]
4.0 July 20, 2011
  • Drops support for all versions of Windows XP and Vista[16]
  • Currently only available in Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard", Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion", and OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion"
5.0 March 14, 2013
  • Support for Windows 8 ("Core" and Pro) 64-bit only
  • Boot Camp support for Macs with a 3 TB hard drive
  • Drops support for 32-bit Windows 7
  • Currently only available in OS X Mountain Lion version 10.8.3 and later

See also

Mac transition to
Intel processors
Intel mobile processor

References

  1. ^ a b "Boot Camp 5: Frequently asked questions". Apple Inc. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  2. ^ a b Broersma, Matthew (2006-04-13). "Users Find Flaw in Boot Camp". PC World. Retrieved 2011-08-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ Mossberg, Walter (2006-04-06). "Boot Camp Turns Your Mac Into a Reliable Windows PC". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2011-08-02.
  4. ^ Kessler, Topher (2011-08-01). "Boot Camp 4 requires Windows 7 or later". CNET. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
  5. ^ "Apple BootCamp 5.0 only supports 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and 8". BetaNews. 2013-03-15. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
  6. ^ "How to install Ubuntu via Boot-Camp on Intel iMac, Mac OS X 10.5". Ubuntu Forums. (Registration required)
  7. ^ "Xom hack for running Windows on Mac". EveryMac. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  8. ^ "You need BIOS compatibility and a MBR partition table to boot Windows". rEFIt project. 2006-12-09. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
  9. ^ a b "Boot Camp: System requirements for Microsoft Windows". Apple Inc. 2010-01-19. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  10. ^ "Boot Camp 2.0: Which versions of Microsoft Windows are supported?". Apple Inc. 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  11. ^ a b "Boot Camp: Macs that work with 64-bit editions of Microsoft Windows Vista". Apple Inc. 2010-12-21. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
  12. ^ "Boot Camp: System requirements for Microsoft Windows operating systems". Apple Inc. 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  13. ^ "Boot Camp: Frequently asked questions about installing Windows 8". Apple Inc. 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
  14. ^ Apple Inc. (2011-03-16). "Boot Camp 3.0, Mac OS X 10.6: Frequently asked questions". Apple Inc. Retrieved 2011-08-02.
  15. ^ Boot Camp Software Update 3.3 for Windows
  16. ^ Keizer, Gregg (2011-08-02). "OS X Lion requires Windows 7 for Boot Camp". Computerworld. Retrieved 2011-08-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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