blastarr
13-01-2006, 17:07
http://engadget.com/2006/01/13/will-xp-boot-on-intel-macs-after-all/
The mystery deepens. Despite protestations (http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/11/no-xp-on-intel-macs-but-vista-is-good-to-go/) on Apple's part that the company's new Intel-based iMac and MacBookPro (http://www.engadget.com/search/?q=macbook) wouldn't be able to boot Windows XP, reports are starting to trickle in that the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) boot manager can launch XP after all. No less an authority on EFI than Intel has commented (through its Australian office) that motherboards using the Intel 945 chipset (which is assumed -- though not confirmed -- to be the set used in the new Macs) support EFI and can boot XP. Intel's EFI documentation also says that a "Compatibility Support Module" will allow EFI to boot OSes that aren't directly supported by the boot manager. Given that Apple has said it won't directly stop Windows from running on Intel Macs, it seems at least feasible that a Compatibility Support Module is available. Of course, all this rampant speculation can be solved pretty quickly soon enough once the Intel Macs start shipping and users simply stick their XP install discs into the CD slot. That's when the real fun begins.
http://www.apcmag.com/apc/v3.nsf/0/64E7EA353646669ECA2570F50012430B
Some clues on legacy operating system compatibility with EFI might be found in Intel’s EFI mini-site, specifically the part about a new compatibility framework that it created recently. From page four.
“For IA 32 systems, the Framework loads itself above the 1MB real-mode memory boundary to accommodate an optional Compatibility Support Module (CSM). CSM implementations can be tailored to platform requirements. A typical CSM is approximately 60KB (~38KB compressed) of firmware that is specific to each Participating Vendor and is based on that Vendor’s latest BIOS code base. A contemporary implementation of the Framework on a PC includes a CSM for supplying services to operating systems that do not boot using EFI and for supporting legacy option ROMs on add-in cards. For legacy boot the Framework initialises the platform’s silicon and executes EFI drivers. Then control is transferred to the CSM, which supports the legacy OS boot.”
So, as long as Apple has included a Compatibility Support Module, Intel-based Macs should be able to boot XP.
The mystery deepens. Despite protestations (http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/11/no-xp-on-intel-macs-but-vista-is-good-to-go/) on Apple's part that the company's new Intel-based iMac and MacBookPro (http://www.engadget.com/search/?q=macbook) wouldn't be able to boot Windows XP, reports are starting to trickle in that the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) boot manager can launch XP after all. No less an authority on EFI than Intel has commented (through its Australian office) that motherboards using the Intel 945 chipset (which is assumed -- though not confirmed -- to be the set used in the new Macs) support EFI and can boot XP. Intel's EFI documentation also says that a "Compatibility Support Module" will allow EFI to boot OSes that aren't directly supported by the boot manager. Given that Apple has said it won't directly stop Windows from running on Intel Macs, it seems at least feasible that a Compatibility Support Module is available. Of course, all this rampant speculation can be solved pretty quickly soon enough once the Intel Macs start shipping and users simply stick their XP install discs into the CD slot. That's when the real fun begins.
http://www.apcmag.com/apc/v3.nsf/0/64E7EA353646669ECA2570F50012430B
Some clues on legacy operating system compatibility with EFI might be found in Intel’s EFI mini-site, specifically the part about a new compatibility framework that it created recently. From page four.
“For IA 32 systems, the Framework loads itself above the 1MB real-mode memory boundary to accommodate an optional Compatibility Support Module (CSM). CSM implementations can be tailored to platform requirements. A typical CSM is approximately 60KB (~38KB compressed) of firmware that is specific to each Participating Vendor and is based on that Vendor’s latest BIOS code base. A contemporary implementation of the Framework on a PC includes a CSM for supplying services to operating systems that do not boot using EFI and for supporting legacy option ROMs on add-in cards. For legacy boot the Framework initialises the platform’s silicon and executes EFI drivers. Then control is transferred to the CSM, which supports the legacy OS boot.”
So, as long as Apple has included a Compatibility Support Module, Intel-based Macs should be able to boot XP.