Hackers Install Windows XP on Intel Mac
While Windows XP won't natively boot on Apple's new Intel based Macs due to lack of EFI support and Microsoft has no plans to change that in Vista, one hacker has found a way around the limitation and snagged a $13,854 prize in the process. But the approach requires heavy editing of an XP install disc.
Colin Nederkoorn launched a contest to encourage the technically savvy to get Windows XP installed on an Intel iMac, Mac mini or MacBook Pro. Donations were collected from a number of companies and individuals, with the sum going to the first person that discovered a reproducible method for booting Windows on a Mac.
"I told my boss that this would replace my IBM desktop and I could boot Windows XP on it. I am still confident it can be done," Nederkoorn said. He put up $100 of his own money and encouraged others to do the same. Delicious Monster and Uneasy Silence were among those who contributed.
News of Windows XP booting on an Apple iMac first surfaced earlier this week in the form of pictures on a Flickr account, which largely prompted skepticism. However, two users dubbed "narf2006" and "blanka" followed up with images with a full video of XP installing on the system.
The solution was sent to Nederkoorn and his testers, who verified it on Wednesday. It's a complicated endeavor, however, including formatting a Mac system and creating a custom Windows XP SP2 installation disc, which could potentially violate Microsoft's copyright.
Even if Windows is successfully installed, there are still a number of limitations. Windows drivers for Apple's hardware are currently nonexistent, rendering the iSight and Apple Remote inoperable. In addition, graphics support is basic, meaning no games will run.
"There is no chance you could play a game using this solution, aside from minesweeper," Nederkoorn wrote in a blog posting. "It looks like a fix for this may be a ways off yet."
Still, the news is likely to elate those who have been closely following the contest and are willing to put in a couple hours of work to have an Apple machine that boots both Mac OS X and Windows XP. A user who needs Microsoft's IE browser at work, for example, could revert to OS X at home.
As for narf2006 and blanka, their nearly $14,000 payout is in the mail. According to Nederkoorn, "All further donations will go into an account to sustain the open source project that will be launched with the initial solution."
