MacBook Pro – Installing Windows on a MacBook Pro 15-Inch ‘Core 2 Duo’ Without Mac OS X

bootinstallmacbook prowindows

I have this MacBook Pro:

2007 MacBook Pro 15-Inch "Core 2 Duo" 2.16 GHz (T7400)
Intro. October 24, 2006
Disc. June 5, 2007
Order MA609LL
Model A1211 (EMC 2120)
Family Core 2 Duo/Late 2006
ID MacBookPro2,2
RAM 1 GB (upgraded to 3GB)
VRAM 128 MB

On this machine, there is no Mac OS X anymore.
(I have the original install DVD + DVD Leopard + Snow Leopard.)

Instead there is Debian 10.6 that I can use through command line only (TTY)

I would like to install Windows 10:

via a USB bootable (my preference)
or via bootable DVD

GRUB is installed and works – I can not use rEFInd for technical reasons. I can not use BootCamp as there is no Mac OS X on it.

To install Windows 10 on this MacBook Pro, I was thinking booting with bootable device and install from Grub.

I also have an old PC with Windows 10 installed and an new external DVD writer.

What are my options?

Best Answer

The press release Apple Introduces Boot Camp indicates Boot Camp was officially introduced with the release of OS X 10.5 (Leopard). You Mac model was originally shipped with OS X 10.4.8 (Tiger). This is why I think your Mac may not have the updated firmware to BIOS boot operating systems such as Windows. You can determine your current firmware version and apply updates by installing OS X. See About EFI and SMC firmware updates for Intel-based Mac computers for available downloads.

Note: With recent releases of macOS, firmware update are include in the macOS installation software. However, this type of firmware updating did not exist for any version of OS X officially supported for your Mac.

You can use a 32-bit version of Windows XP or Windows Vista with any Intel-based Mac computer.
You cannot use a 64-bit version of Windows XP on any Mac computer.
You can use a 32-bit version of Windows 7 with any of these Mac computers:
•  An iMac or MacBook Pro introduced in 2007 or later
•  Any Intel-based Mac Pro, MacBook, or Mac mini
You can use a 64-bit version of Windows Vista or Windows 7 with any of these Mac computers:
•  A Mac Pro or MacBook Pro introduced in early 2008 or later
•  An iMac or MacBook introduced in late 2009 or later

So officially, you can not install Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10. Upgrading from a previous version may be possible. Also officially, you can not install a 64 bit Windows. Upgrading from 32 bit to 64 bit is not possible with Windows.

Since the Boot Camp Support Software is not available for download for your model Mac, you will have to get the software from an OS X installation DVD.

Be aware, that if you view a Snow Leopard DVD from OS X, the you will see OS X installation software. However, if you put the same DVD in a machine running Windows, you will see the Boot Camp Support Software containing the Windows drivers.

Apparently, if using the Boot Camp Support Software from a OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) DVD, the version of Boot Camp is 3. I have provided links for the version 2 and 3 updates.

I am not saying you can not deviate from what Apple officially states is available for Windows. Since I do not have access to your model Mac, I can not state which deviations will work. I can state the following:

You will not be able to boot a Windows installer from a USB port.
You will not be able to EFI boot any version of Windows.
The Windows drivers provided in the Boot Camp Support Software are design for a BIOS booting Windows. Trying to use these drivers with an EFI booting Windows is known to have issues.
A newer version of the Boot Camp Support Software (Windows Support Software) can provide a newer version of Boot Camp. However, unless Apple specifically states the version is for your Mac, then most likely the version will not have the correct drivers for your model Mac.

Using a DVD to Install a BIOS Booting Windows 10

This installation method does not require OS X (macOS) to be installed on the Mac. However, the assumption has been made that the firmware is capable of BIOS booting and the processors are Intel.

Many early 64 bit Intel Mac models contained firmware which prevented BIOS booting from 64 bit Windows installer DVDs. Here, I will assume your Mac is one such model. The latest 32 bit Windows 10 installer DVDs also can not be booted on these model Macs. However, my answer to the question “Select CD-ROM Boot Type:” error during Windows install explains how to remedy this problem. Here the assumption is made that the DVD used to install Windows 10 will have been created by procedure outlined in my answer.

Note: During the installation of Windows 10, you may have to remove all existing partitions before being allowed to proceed.

After completing the Windows installation, install the Boot Camp Support Software (Windows Support Software). The Boot Camp Support Software is on the Snow Leopard installation DVD. The files can be accessed from Windows. Officially, only 32 bit versions of Windows can be installed on your Mac. Since I do not have your model Mac, I can not predict how difficult it will be to the adapt the software for use with a 64 bit Windows. You should consult lx07's answer for more information.

A Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6) ISO file can be downloaded from the website Mac OS X Snow Leopard Install DVD. You should verify the download by computing the SHA256 hash value. The Get-FileHash Power Shell cmdlet can be used to compute a SHA256 hash value. Entering Get-FileHash along with the path to the downloaded file in a Power Shell window should produce the following SHA256 hash value.

CBEEB2378C40B20A9B06236F567DE593E9030A0A865515B50CF6D35833E25CD5

Under Windows 10, the Boot Camp Support Software can be accessed by mounting this ISO file.

After installing Boot Camp to your Windows installation, you should make sure your Mac is blessed to BIOS boot by default. The steps are given below.

In Windows on your Mac, click the show hidden icons arrow in the right side of the taskbar, then click the Boot Camp icon , then choose Boot Camp Control Panel.
If a User Account Control dialog appears, click Yes.
Select Windows as the startup disk.
If you want to reboot, click Restart. Otherwise, click OK.

An alternate method to insure the Mac is blessed to BIOS boot by default, would be to boot from a OS X (macOS) installation DVD or USB flash drive, open a Terminal window and enter the command given below.

bless --device /dev/disk0 --setBoot --legacy

Dual Boot Example

This answer was tested using the following downloaded ISO files.

The English 20H2 edition of Windows 10. This is the October 2020 update. The names of the downloaded files were Win10_20H2_English_x32.iso and Win10_20H2_English_x64.iso.
32 bit Kubuntu Desktop LTS 18.04.5. The name of the downloaded file was kubuntu-18.04.5-desktop-i386.iso.
64 bit Xubuntu Desktop LTS 20.04.1. The name of the downloaded file was xubuntu-20.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso

Part I. Partitioning and Installing 32 Bit Windows 10.

This is an example where a rewritable DVD is burned for a 32 bit Windows 10 installation. During installation of Windows 10, the drive will be partitioned for a future dual boot, where Kubuntu or Xubuntu would occupy the first partition. The steps are given below.

Create a 32 bit Windows 10 installation DVD. Use the instructions given in my answer to the question “Select CD-ROM Boot Type:” error during Windows install.
Boot from the 32 bit Windows 10 installation DVD.

When the image below appears, enter the key combination shift+F10 to open a Command Prompt window.

Enter the following commands to partition the drive. The value of 60000 MB can be replaced with your desired size of the partition for a future Kubuntu or Xubuntu installation.
```
diskpart
list disk
select disk 0
clean 
create partition primary size=60000
format label=AVAILABLE quick
create partition primary
format label=BOOTCAMP quick
list partition
exit
exit
```
Continue with the installation of Windows 10.
When the image below appears, select Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).

Next, highlight the BOOTCAMP partition as shown below, then select the Next button.

Continue and complete the Windows 10 installation.
Follow the same instructions regarding installing the Boot Camp Support Software and blessing the Mac to BIOS boot, as given in the above section titled "Using a DVD to Install a BIOS Booting Windows".

Part II. Replacing 32 Bit Windows 10 with a 64 Bit Windows 10

Note: If you are satisfied with a 32 Windows 10, then you can skip the part and proceed to part III.

This is an example where a 64 bit Windows 10 was desired, but a dual layer DVD containing a 64 bit Windows 10 installer was unavailable. The 64 bit Windows 10 ISO file will be used to replace the 32 bit Windows 10 with a 64 Bit Windows 10.

Use the File Explorer to format the AVAILABLE volume. Below is an example image. Select the Start button, then select the OK button in the popup.
Use the File Explorer to mount the 64 bit Windows 10 ISO file.
Use the File Explorer to copy all the files from the mounted 64 bit Windows 10 ISO file to the AVAILABLE volume.
Use the Disk Management utility to mark active (bootable) the partition containing the AVAILABLE volume, as shown below. When the popup window appears, select the Yes button.
Restart the Mac.
When the image below appears, enter the key combination shift+F10 to open a Command Prompt window.

Enter the following commands to format the BOOTCAMP volume. Also, set the active (bootable) flag for the partition containing the BOOTCAMP volume.
```
diskpart
select disk 0
select partition 2
format label=BOOTCAMP quick
active
exit
exit
```
Continue with the installation of Windows 10.
When the image below appears, select Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).

Next, highlight the BOOTCAMP partition as shown below, then select the Next button.

Continue and complete the Windows 10 installation.
Follow the same instructions regarding installing the Boot Camp Support Software and blessing the Mac to BIOS boot, as given in the above section titled "Using a DVD to Install a BIOS Booting Windows".
Use the File Explorer to format the AVAILABLE volume. Below is an example image. Select the Start button, then select the OK button in the popup.

Part III. Adding a 32 bit Kubuntu Installation

Burn the downloaded 32 bit Kubuntu ISO file to a DVD.
Boot from the 32 bit Kubuntu DVD.
Install Kubuntu. When the image below appears, select Manual, then select the Continue button.

Highlight the /dev/sda1 device line, as shown below. Next, select the Change button.

In the popup window, leave the partition size unchanged and set the other controls as shown in the image below. When finished, select the OK button.

The results are shown in the image below. Next, select Install Now button, then the Continue button in the popup window.

Finish installing Kubuntu.

Part IV. Replacing 32 Bit Kubuntu with a 64 bit Xubuntu

Create a partition to hold the 64 bit Xubuntu ISO file. First, boot to Windows. Use the Disk Management utility to shrink the BOOTCAMP volume and the containing partition, as shown below.

When the popup window appears, enter a value for the amount of space to shrink. The value need to be larger than the size of 64 bit Xubuntu ISO file. In this case, 2000 MB was entered, as shown below. Next, select the Shrink button.

Create a new simple volume in the unallocated space, as shown below. When the popup windows occurs, select the Next button. Again, in the next popup window, click on the Next button.

When the popup windows shown below appears, select Do not assign a drive letter or drive path, as shown below. When finished, select the Next button.

When the popup windows shown below appears, select Do not format this volume, as shown below. When finished, select the Next button. In the next popup window, click on the Finish button.

For this example, the result is shown below. Close the Disk Management utility.
Install the 64 bit Xubuntu ISO file into the new partition. First, boot to Kubuntu. Open a Konsole Terminal window. The assumption has been made that 64 bit Xubuntu ISO file is named xubuntu-20.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso and resides in the ~/Downloads folder. Enter the commands below to copy this file to the new partition create in the previous step.
```
cd ~/Downloads
sudo dd if=xubuntu-20.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso of=/dev/sda3 bs=1M
```
Reboot the Mac. When the image below appears, press the C key.

Enter the commands given below to boot the Xubuntu ?????
```
insmod iso9660
root=(hd0,msdos3)
linux /casper/vmlinuz
initrd /casper/initrd
boot
```
When the desktop shown below appears, execute Install Xubuntu 20.04.1 LTS.

Proceed with the installation of Xubuntu. For a brief moment during the installation, the following screen will appear with a warning message.

The above screen will quickly be replaced by the screen shown below. Here the same warning message appears, but is partially covered.

The intent is to install to the existing partition /dev/sda1.

Highlight the /dev/sda1 device, then click on the Change button. In the popup window, do not change the size value. Configure the rest of the controls as shown below, then click on the OK button.

For this example, the result is shown below. Click on the Install Now button, then click on the Continue button in the popup window.

Finish installing Xubuntu.
Remove the unnecessary partition and extend the Windows 10 partition. Boot to Windows 10. Use the Disk Management utility to delete RAW primary partition, as shown below. In the popup window, click on the Yes button.

Right click on the partition with the drive letter C:. Select Extend Volume…. In the popup window, click on the Next button. Again, in the next popup window, click on the Next button. In the next popup window, click on the Finish button.

The result is shown below.

Exit the Disk Management application.