Install Vista x64 SP1 under BootCamp

I just finished the multi-day ordeal of getting Vista 64-bit SP1 to run under BootCamp. I specifically ran into two distinct problems, and found the workarounds for both.

Problem 1: Vista x64 SP1 supports EFI booting, but not the version Apple uses on Macs.

There are several theories as to why you can’t boot from the Vista SP1 disks in EFI mode, but the bottom line is, at this point, you can’t do it. The Vista x64 SP1 disk now tries to boot into EFI mode, which fails. The disk tries to let you choose between BIOS and EFI booting, but the screen never finishes drawing, reading “Select CD-ROM Boot Type”, and doesn’t allow for the necessary keyboard input.

Solution to problem 1: Create a disk that doesn’t allow for EFI booting

I found the solution on jowie.com. It provides a great step-by-step screenshot solution to burning a DVD that will work, though you will need access to a Windows machine with a DVD burner. I used one of my VMWare Fusion instances on my Mac, without any issue.

Problem 2: 64-bit BootCamp Software is hard to come by

This problem was a bugger to figure out, because of Apple’s lack of documentation. I found the BootCamp 2.1 update for Vista x64, but couldn’t get the installer to run. I’d double-click it, and it’d do nothing. As the file name eludes to, this “installer” is actually just an updater. If it doesn’t find BootCamp 64-bit 2.01 already installed, it just silently fails. And, as you might have deduced from the nature of this post, Apple doesn’t have BootCamp 2.01 available as an installer for download. Luckily, it’s available via torrent on The Pirate Bay. So, here’s the solution:

Download and install BootCamp 2.01
Download and install BootCamp 2.1 Update

Once you’ve done this, you should be good to go.

Moving to Mac: SVN, Finale

So, after struggling with all other SVN clients, I’ve settled on a commercial product, Syncro SVN Client. It’s no TortoiseSVN, but it’s got all of the major SVN functionality, it works, and it’s stable. Combine that with the light bit of stuff that I do via Subclipse, and I’ve got all the SVN goodness I need to get along.

I’m still holding out hope for a TortiseSVN port, though.

Debugging HTTP on the Mac

I was having a little trouble with the SmugMug upload API, and they needed a raw dump of the request to help debug it. I downloaded Wireshark, but it didn’t work out of the box (it doesn’t see any interfaces, which is a common issue that I’m sure is easy to fix). So I did a couple google searches, and found there’s a built-in tool called tcpdump. From the Terminal:

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sudo tcpdump -s 0 -A -i en0 host upload.smugmug.com

That’s all I needed to do to get my raw HTTP POST dump. Just thought y’all might want to know that.