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I had a mid 2012 MBP not doing anything and decided to install Win 10 on it. I didn't do a dual boot setup. I replaced the drive which had macOS on it with a spare and installed Windows using the entire disk. Everything is up and running nicely and I'm very happy with the system once the OS has started except I'd like to improve the boot speed.

When I press the power button, the system sits in that gray screen for at least 5 seconds before the normal Windows boot sequence kicks in. Is there anything I can do to speed up the hand-over to Windows boot sequence?

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  • start it in verbose or safe mode and observe
    – Ruskes
    Commented Jan 18 at 23:05
  • @Ruskes Tried both and nothing. Do they need macOS on the disk to work?
    – Dude named Ben
    Commented Jan 19 at 17:37
  • I have Windows 11 installed as a BIOS booting operating system on my 2007 iMac. When I press the power button, the system sits in a gray screen for about 28 seconds before the normal Windows boot sequence kicks in.
    – David Anderson
    Commented Jan 19 at 21:20
  • @DavidAnderson I timed it and it is about 12 seconds before the Windows logo appears.
    – Dude named Ben
    Commented Jan 19 at 21:47

1 Answer 1

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A slow boot may be caused by not blessing the Windows installation. This can be accomplished by the following two methods.

  • At startup, hold down the option key until the Mac Startup Manager icons appear. Hold down the control key while selecting to boot from Windows.

  • From the Windows Control Panel, select Boot Camp. Next, choose to boot from Windows as the default and restart the Mac.

Here I assume your mid 2012 MBP does not have a Retina display. This would mean you have a MacBookPro9,1 (15 inch display) or MacBookPro9,2 (13 inch display).

A quick check of the Info.plist file included with the Boot Camp Assistant application which accompanies macOS Catalina shows your the following:

  • Apple support Windows 10 installations on your Mac.
  • You Mac can USB boot Windows.
  • Windows should be installed to BIOS boot.

I also assume the following.

  • Windows was installed to BIOS boot.
  • The correct Windows Support Software was installed. This answer shows there are 3 versions available for your Mac.
  • The Apple Software Update application, include with the Windows Support Software, was used to get any available updates from Apple.
  • The updates from Microsoft have been installed. Some hardware updates my be optional and therefore not automatically installed.

You should consider installing Windows 11 on your Mac. Windows 10 will be retired on Oct 14, 2025. Last time I checked, Windows 11 is free, if you already have (or had) an activated Windows 10 installed. This may not be true in the future. So, even if you want Windows 10 now, you should consider installing Windows 11 then erasing and installing Windows 10. This should ensure any future Windows 11 install will be free.

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  • Excellent post. If for some reason OP can't figure out the blessing, the Boot Runner product does offer a free trial and might help diagnose any issues. OP would need an external drive with macOS to install Boot Runner, though. Your options are far better unless they want to get away from one OS only and have both OS and benefit from the automation features.
    – bmike ♦
    Commented Jan 19 at 13:22
  • @bmike: Actually, this is a duplicate question. I was going to wait for a response from the OP before deciding whether to flag as a duplicate.
    – David Anderson
    Commented Jan 19 at 15:32
  • Very likely it is. Please flag if we need to merge once we’re sure it’s a dupe or if you need help voting it closed.
    – bmike ♦
    Commented Jan 19 at 15:45
  • Its a MacBookPro9,2. Tried blessing using both methods, no difference. BootCamp software was downloaded from macOS and put on USB. Installed and everything works. Apple Update tool installed latest a few days ago. Windows edition is 22H2 with Dec updates.
    – Dude named Ben
    Commented Jan 19 at 16:41
  • Well did you install Windows to EFI or BIOS boot? Can I assume you downloaded the Boot Camp software by using the Boot Camp Assistant from a Catalina installation on the same Mac that Windows was installed?
    – David Anderson
    Commented Jan 19 at 17:15

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