Not bootcamp software for my Windows 8.1

I was trying to install Bootcamp on my Windows 8.1 (running on a MacMini late 2009 edition), and found out that I couldn't run BootCamp5.1.5640 because it refused to start.  I also couldn't run Bootcamp 4.0 (Build 4033) because it recognized that there driver incompatible to my environment (probably too outdated).

 That's fine, because I can find alternatives to all the functionality provided by Bootcamp:

• Boot to Mac OSX:  I can always hold ALT during start up and select Mac OSX to boot to.  Also I can set start up partition on Mac OSX environment.
• Make Mac OSX partition visible on PC side: don't care, and actually don't want it to happen.
• Apple Trackpad driver: don't care as I don't use it.

Blinq no long works after adding Windows Media Center

So I continue to deal with my MacMini today (with Windows 8.1 Update 1).  Here's the progress:

• Finally got all the Windows Update applied.
• Added Windows Media Center with the product ID I purchased before.

Problem comes, though, after I rebooted.  The system said that my Windows Media Center product ID has been used and thus refused to activate.  So I use the support number to get work with the online automated system, and eventually got the machine activated (and no affecting other machines).

Another problem was that Blinq photo server STOPPED working after that.  That is actually fine since I realized that Blinq doesn't work well anymore anyway.

I found that during start up, if I tried doing too many things at the same time, it will crash and got that "memory management" blue screen of death.  Let me keep observing and see if the problem persist.

Just when I thought everything goes so far so good ....

Windows 8.1 Update 1 runs pretty good on my MacMini late 2009.  In fact, I found the system snappier than when it was in Windows 7 Ultimate edition.  And I was like, hey, maybe the blue screen of death won't come again ....

And then all the sudden, boom .... blue screen of death Windows 8.1 style.

Sigh.

Another odd thing:  I used the audio driver provided by BootCamp5.1.5640 and it seemed to work OK.  But I can't find the driver for "Co-Processor" from that set.  Instead, the system found the right driver from "Bootcamp 4.0 (Build 4033) - 2012-12-23".  Odd.

Well at least all the driver are now installed.

Let me continue to observer this system for a few days, and see how frequent it reboot itself again.

Finally, MacMini last 2009 edition with Windows 8.1 Update 1

Yep, the Windows on Mac Saga continues.

So I got back home today, and found that the machine was rebooted because the bluescreen of death.  I was like, that's it.  The shitty unstable environment is just being ultra counter productive.  So I decided to take a chance and tried installing Windows 8.1 with Update 1 (April 2014, from MSDN) within the working but shitty unstable Windows 7 environment.

When I first tried it, the system got into blue screen of death in about 30% of the Windows 8.1 Update 1 installation.  It says some sort of memory management error.  After reboot, I want to give it ONE MORE TRY, as I kind of blame the Windows 7 unstable environment.

Now, I did say before that Windows 8.1 with Update 1 DID NOT work when I tried it from booting the disc.  Well, turns out that this times, it's different.  The Update was completed, and I even get to apply all Windows update ... except the "Windows 8.1 Update for x64-based Systems KB2919355".  For now I just not worry about it, and think of let the system stay up for a while.  At least I need to check and see if I will got those stupid blue screen of death again first.

Also, when I look under Device Manager, I found that the "Coprocessor" entry is waiting for a driver.  I have a feeling that bootcamp 5 will provide that missing piece.  But again, I want to observer a few days for the blue-screen of death problem first.

Mess continue with MacMini (Last 2009 model) and Windows 7

I usually document messy technical problem that endures for a while, for writing journals on journey like that usually yield valuable lessons.  I hope this is one of those journey.

So it's like the day 3 or 4 of me messing with my MacMini (Last 2008 model) with Windows 7.  Surprise that after tried and tried, reboot after reboot, bluescreen after bluescreen, I finally got to the point that the Windows 7 declares the OS having NO important system update.

Yet, odd problem still happens.

For instance, I got bluescreen of death while adding huge amount (80+ Gb) of music into iTunes (just linking; not copying over).  Rebooted, did it again and it seemed to be OK.

I also had the system failed to start the application JDownloader.   After trying couple of time thinking that the app is corrupted, I eventually found out that it's the Disk Partition that holds both the app and download data failing.  I use system utility to fix the disc and JDownloader is working again.

I also found accessing network resources using IP address or even machine name on File Explorer NOT working if I set the MacMini to use static IP address.  Changing to DHCP and problem went away.

I still tend to think that the system is in pretty unstable stage.  Not that I am way too concern about it since this is more like a quiet background plan B machine.  In fact, I probably need to train myself not to concern way too much about the problem on this machine, and keep reminding myself that it's actually way cheaper for me to buy another new machine than wasting too much time dealing with the machine to make it work.

Odd MacMini on Windows 7

So I continue to mess with my MacMini, and found that I was able to proceed a little bit more on the Windows Update, but still failed at one IE 11 security update item....

And then I found that there's no sound coming out of my MacMini's headphone jack. No problem, as I later found out that I can fix the problem by installing drive at BootCamp 4.0 folder "RealtekSetup.exe".  I also used that file set to installed the "Co-Processor" that seemed to fail to have driver installed.

But then I just realized that I got a new problem: access my closet file server does NOT work with IP address.  I have to use the machine name.  The odd thing is that it was working ok just little hours ago.

Install Windows on my MacMini Late 2009 ... again

Everytime I document my computer related experience here, it always start with something painful, and this time is no exception.

So about 2 to 3 months ago, my Mac Mini (late 2009 model) was not able to startup with Windows 8.1 running on it.  I was busy back then, and really didn't have much time to do the re-installation.  As the result, I left it as what MacMini was meant to be used for: as a Mac OSX Mavericks computer.

I finally got some time today, and decide to try install the lastest Windows 8.1 Update 1 on it.  Besides, I am very much sick and tired of using my Lenovo S12 as the network file server. It's slow, sluggish in every way.  And gave me everything but pain and sorrow.  My thinking was that if everything goes well, then maybe I canuse this MacMini to replace S12 as my network file server.

The road to set up Windows 8.1 Update 1 on my MacMini was not as straight forward as I expected.  In fact, at the end, I have no choice but settle with using Windows 7 Ultimate edition.

At first, I as trying to boot the Windows 8.1 Installation disc from the MacMini internal disc drive, and found that it has problem reading the disc.  Eventually I had to accept that fact that the disc drive on my Mac Mini is dead.

I then found out that my USB based external DVD worked fine.  So I used it to bootup a MSDN Windows 8.1 Update 1 disc.  There were 2 options on the bootup screen (as I pressed the ALT button on the keyboard during start up).  One said UEFI Boot, and with that one I couldn't install on any partition.  The other one simply said "Windows" and with that I could on one of the partition.  But then install still failed after the machine rebooted.  By then time, I gave up on installing through booting up a Windows installation disc, and tried to do the official way: install Windows by running Bootcamp Assistance on Mac OSX.

I started Bootcamp Assistance on Mac OS X Mavericks.  I found that I was NOT able to download Windows support software.  After I few tries, I decided to download those software later, and went ahead for the OS installation.  It turns out that if I have a Windows installation before, I have to remove the existing one.  The automated process failed, and I had to use Disk Utility to manually remove the Windows parition, and then expand the MacOS partition to cover the whole disc.

Then the assistance kept refusing to use my Windows 8 installation disc, saying that it only works with Windows 7.  After I few trials, I gave up and used Windows 7 Ultimate edition with SP1.

The Windows 7 was reasonably straight forward EXCEPT that it doesn't preperly see the Bootcamp Windows partition Bootcamp assistance prepared, yet I am able to format that partition and the continue the installation process.

After Windows 7 installed, I was trying to use Windows 8.1 with update 1 installation disc to update the OS, it started out fine, but during the middle of the setup, the installation process encountered problem, and eventually roll back to Windows 7.  So maybe the bootcamp assistance was indeeed correct that Windows 8.1 Update 1 does NOT work with my MacMini late 2009 model.

With that, I was then started to install Windows boot camp support software.

I tried to install Bootcamp using Boot Camp Support Software 5.1.5621.  It DID NOT work.  But then Bootcamp  4.0 Build 4033 (Boot Camp software that I download back in Dec 23 2012) worked fine.  So I settled with that.

Next I tried to update the OS, and found the process ultra long and clunky.

And then after a whole day of keep trying and trying to install, and got messier and messier. Finally I gave up.  After wasted more than 1 day of time, I decided to reinstall Windows 7 and start from the beginning.

For the second time, I did the exact same process, and once again I have to reformat the BootCamp Partition.  That's fine.  At least the installation was completed.

And in this round, I did two things very different from the last round:

• Did NOT install Bootcamp 4.0 in the very beginning (in fact, as of now, I haven't installed it yet)
• Did NOT selectively run certain Windows update instead of following the order the system managed.

The Bootcamp one is an odd discovery, as I found out that Bootcamp 5 was NOT officially supported on my MacMini Late 2009.  In fact, even Bootcamp 4 was not officially supported if I use Windows 7 64 bit instead of 32 bit.  I think that's because officially MacMini Late 2009 wasn't supposed to have more than 4 Meg of memory.  Anyway.  I am pretty much stuck with Windows 7 and Bootcamp 4.

The update is actually what wasted most of my time.  In fact, as of now there's still 2 updates that can't be installed.  One is IE 11, and the other one of IE 10 security update.  Still, after the messy situation on the system, I realized that the OS has a specific order of installing update and patches.  That makes sense because of all the dependencies.

And my experience was that if an update step got stuck for more than 15 minutes, it pretty much means that it's stuck.  Regardless of the instruction on the screen (do not turn off your computer), I had to force shutdown and turn back on the machine.  And majority of the time I will be able to continue the install.  So when it doubt, shutdown and reboot.  After tens of those situation, I eventually have all update installed EXCEPT the IE crap.

I still don't know whey IE 11 installation can crash and rebooted the machine, but something's seriously wrong with IE, and after wasted enough of time, I don't give a shit anymore.  It tortured me so much that I almost want to take a day off to fix it, and then I realized that with the salary of that day off, I can almost buy a new MacMini anyway.

If it's possible, I'll just leave the system as it is.  Because even if I manually use IE 11 offline installer to install, I still got system crash and all sort of problem.  Also I am pretty much giving up on using IE anyway.  The MacMini running Windows 7 is mainly as a way to facilitate me to:

• Record TV that I couldn't record in my closet computer (like certain channels with better reception in my room and in the closet)
• Downloading (BT and JDownload stuff)
• Media sharing (with my mobile devices)
• Casual computer usage and drawing (without booting up my nosier but more powerful desktop)

For that a clean machine like what it is now is pretty sufficient.

Also I am sick and tired of spending/wasting more time on this thing.  I already lost my whole weekend on this darn thing.