Intel-based Mac: Startup issues after using unsupported version of Windows installer via Boot Camp

Products Affected

Boot Camp, Mac Pro, Mac mini (Early 2006), Mac mini (Late 2006), Mac mini (Mid 2007), MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac (17-inch, Late 2006 CD), iMac (17-inch, Late 2006), iMac (20-inch Late 2006), iMac (20-inch, Early 2008), iMac (20-inch, Mid 2007), iMac (24-inch Mid 2007), iMac (24-inch, Early 2008), iMac (24-inch, Late 2006), iMac (Early 2006 17-inch), iMac (Early 2006 20-inch), iMac (Mid 2006 17-inch), Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 1 or earlier

Symptoms

An Intel-based Mac may not be able to start up after attempting to install an unsupported version of Microsoft Windows XP via Boot Camp. In this situation, your Intel-based Mac may not be able to start from Mac OS X even if you hold the Option key during startup, and the hard disk may not be accessible in FireWire Target Disk Mode.

Resolution

Please check your version of Microsoft Windows carefully before attempting to install it via Boot Camp. These versions of Windows are supported on Intel-based Macs with Boot Camp (the issue does not occur with these):

Microsoft Windows XP Home or Professional Service Pack 2
Windows Vista Home Basic
Windows Vista Home Premium
Windows Vista Business
Windows Vista Ultimate

If you are affected by this issue, you may be able to change the behavior by following the steps in Mac OS X: Disk Utility - All options dimmed for a disk that was formatted as NTFS in Microsoft Windows XP.

Important: Information about products not manufactured by Apple is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute Apple’s recommendation or endorsement. Please contact the vendor for additional information.

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