Windows 2003 32-bit: Atheros AR5008X Wireless: Cannot Start (Code 10)

[Raptor007]

I've got Windows 2003 Server SP2 Standard R2 32-bit going on my MacBook Pro (2007), and for the most part it's working beautifully. I installed the XP Bluetooth stack, and tweaked the Boot Camp MSI file with Orca to install under Windows 2003. The only thing not working is the built-in Atheros AR5008X wireless network adapter.

I've tried a ton of different versions of the Atheros drivers, including Boot Camp's and the latest I could find online (7.7.0.329). Unfortunately, it seems like their WDM drivers support these operating systems :

• Windows 2000 32-bit
• Windows XP 32-bit
• Windows XP 64-bit
• Windows 2003 64-bit

Strangely absent is Windows 2003 32-bit. I can install the 32-bit driver just fine, but at the end I get the "This device cannot start (code 10)" error. I'd really like to get this going, but I've tried a bunch of driver versions and always come up with the same problem.

In case you're wondering, I opted to go with Windows 2003 because I wanted the compatibility with old software that you get with XP 32-bit, but the ability to use my laptop's full 4GB of RAM. Windows 2003 properly implements Physical Address Extension, while Windows XP's PAE is absolutely useless because it doesn't increase the address space, so you still get address space sucked away by DMA hardware devices. (Also, it's nice to have most of the unnecessary services disabled by default, but I suppose a few hours of tweaking XP would yield the same result.)

And before you suggest it, I'm not going to Windows 7 yet, because Falcon 4.0 Allied Force is totally broken under 7. I'm dual-booting 7 and XP on my desktop, but my laptop is already dual-booting with Leopard, and I don't want or need a messy triple-boot. One version of Windows that can run Falcon 4, please.

I'd appreciate any suggestions for getting this working. If all else fails, I'll probably wipe it again and go with XP 64-bit. (I just wish 64-bit Windows didn't make such a mess of its directories.) I would prefer to make my AR5008X work in Windows 2003 32-bit.

By the way, I followed bits and pieces of these guides, plus my own Windows experience, to get this all going in the first place:
http://www.msfn.org/win2k3/
http://blog.netnerds.net/2006/08/macbook-run-windows-2003-server-sp1-on-your-macbook/

Thanks in advance!

 

[Raptor007]

Hey guys, I tried giving up on 2003 and going to XP 64-bit, but that may be a no-go as well. The Atheros wireless works with it, but unfortunately Apple really has no driver support for XP 64-bit, so I'm having trouble getting the multi-touch trackpad and multi-function keyboard to work (both of which make Windows a lot nicer to use on MacBooks).

If possible, I'd like to go back to 2003 32-bit; it was pretty slick, and worked with absolutely everything except the wireless. But I need wireless too. Any thoughts on how to solve this code 10 error?

EDIT: Nevermind guys, I managed to find Boot Camp drivers with XP x64 support (intended for the Mac Pro, but compatible with my MacBook Pro). Now XP 64-bit is working perfectly, so no need to try 2003 again.