Mac and Windows - Macs use EFI while PCs use BIOS.
Some PCs can run Windows 7 but Not XP.
Can anyone please help me understand the core reasons for these? Register issue? Motherboard?
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migrated from serverfault.com Jun 29 '11 at 18:17
This question came from our site for system administrators and desktop support professionals.
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Some PCs use EFI instead of BIOS. PCs can run any Windows OS, assuming there is driver support. Some vendors have dropped XP support on newer PCs, so you can't run XP on them. The answer to your questions are as simple as "it's a decision from the manufacturer" | |||||||||
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EFI vs BIOS – Apple has switched to EFI since the original BIOS is inflexible in comparison, and has many obsolete features that must be kept for compatibility. Apple could do the switch since it sells both the OS and the only supported hardware, while other hardware manufacturers must use BIOS to remain compatible with Windows XP/Vista. (Only 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and up support EFI machines.) Incompatibility with Windows XP – I can't really answer this, but my guess is simple lack of drivers for such hardware as chipsets or graphics cards for older Windows versions. (It could also be that these PCs are using EFI, which XP doesn't support.) | |||
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A PC can run Mac OSX with a modified EFI installed. This is against Apples licensing/terms. I believe it is more to do with driver support for the OS. | |||
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