Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

Zoom · Jan 26, 2011, 06:33 PM

I've got an older MacBook Pro (Core Duo, 2GB RAM) and I just used Boot Camp Assistant 3.0.2 to install Windows 7 on it. Currently, 3.0.4 has a problem where it won't burn or save the Windows drivers, so I heard that people used 3.0.2, which I happened to have on another Mac. This version didn't bother to try to download anything, it just let you install Windows... and that's it.

There's supposed to be a step somewhere on the Windows side where you install the drivers for Windows that make it work on your Mac hardware - the screen, the trackpad, the optical drive, etc. But when was that step supposed to occur exactly?

I'm trying to download something from Apple, but I'm not sure what. It seems that I need "Bootcamp.exe" and I need version 3.1 at least. All I'm finding are updates for 3.0, but not the actual 3.0 itself.

What am I missing here? I think you were supposed to originally insert the OSX install disk that came with your computer, but I'm not sure if I know where that is now. Plus, it has to be REALLY old and probably doesn't have the right version of the Boot Camp stuff.

I also have no "Startup Disk" control panel on Windows so I can't switch back.

What do I do now?

Zoom · Jan 26, 2011, 06:45 PM

Nevermind... my Snow Leopard installer (retail) had Bootcamp 3.0 on it. Hopefully this will fix everything.

Spheric Harlot · Jan 26, 2011, 07:08 PM

Just insert the Snow Leopard Disk while booted under Windows. It contains a Windows partition and will auto-run the driver installer.

ghporter · Jan 26, 2011, 07:30 PM

It should be the first thing you do after Windows finishes installing. It's actually listed as "Step 3" in the Boot Camp documentation, after "Run Boot Camp Assistant" and "Install Windows."

AKcrab · Jan 26, 2011, 07:38 PM

Zoom is correct though. Bootcamp Assistant now wants you to burn a CD with drivers that you download, instead of using a retail disk. Just like Zoom, the one and only time I tried this it failed completely to download or do anything and I had to resort to using a retail (or install) disk.

Zoom · Jan 27, 2011, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by AKcrab

Zoom is correct though. Bootcamp Assistant now wants you to burn a CD with drivers that you download, instead of using a retail disk. Just like Zoom, the one and only time I tried this it failed completely to download or do anything and I had to resort to using a retail (or install) disk.

I suppose this is because the drivers changes often enough that they want you to have the latest. And if they're smart, they would taylor the drivers to the machine you're on (which the Boot Camp Assistant would know).

Anyway - this function appears to be broken. I would have preferred to use it, but it doesn't work currently.

ghporter · Jan 27, 2011, 06:01 PM

Install the drivers from the latest OS X install disc you can find. Then use Software Update (which the driver install will also install) to get the latest. In many cases, "the latest" will be drivers tweaked to fit hardware changes in later production models, while in others the drivers will simply be more complete and finished (i.e. more features and customizability).

If you know the hardware suite in the computer, you can also try the various components' manufacturers' sites for updated drivers.

Zoom · Jan 27, 2011, 07:00 PM

I would love a better trackpad driver. I would like to make it less sensitive or disable it completely when there's a mouse or when I'm typing. But whatever driver I have now ("Apple keyboad/trackpad" or something) doesn't have that.

ghporter · Jan 27, 2011, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by Zoom

I would love a better trackpad driver. I would like to make it less sensitive or disable it completely when there's a mouse or when I'm typing. But whatever driver I have now ("Apple keyboad/trackpad" or something) doesn't have that.

Most of that isn't very good in the Mac driver for my MBP's trackpad... But we can all wish, right?