14 DAY TRIAL // Recently shipped to the masses as the first-ever Thunderbolt standalone computer display, Apple’s new 27-inch LED beauty has imposed quite a few requirements on early adopters, both on the software front, and hardware wise.
The latest such example is a Support document describing the requirements for employing the latest Apple Display with a Mac that’s running Windows 7 in Boot Camp.
Titled “Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch): About Boot Camp and Windows 7”, Support document HT4951 talks about “the software and hardware requirements for using your Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch) with Windows 7 and Boot Camp.”
There are at least four major steps to follow, if you haven't yet set up the Display, or downloaded any firmware.
According to Apple, “To use your Apple Thunderbolt Display with Windows 7 using Boot Camp, you will need:
- A Thunderbolt-capable Mac. - The latest software and firmware updates for Thunderbolt-capable computers. - For OS X Lion, Boot Camp 4.0 (included with Lion). - For Mac OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard, Boot Camp 3.3 update.”
The Mac maker stresses that users can only employ only one Apple Thunderbolt Display with Windows 7 and Boot Camp and that the F8 key does not work using Windows with USB keyboard connected to the monitor.
Support document TS3997, posted by Apple on September 16, 2011, elaborates on the F8 key issue.
In the knowledge base article, Apple says: “You may notice that when using Windows and a USB keyboard that is connected to a Mac via the USB port on an Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch), the F8 key is not recognized by Windows when you attempt to accept the Terms and Conditions agreement or start up into Windows Safe Mode.”
The resolution Apple offers is fairly simple: “To restore the use of the F8 key, connect your USB keyboard directly to the computer's USB port.”
Users looking to learn more about the behavior of Thunderbolt devices using Boot Camp and Windows 7 can visit Apple’s Support area here.