[Pinscher]

Is it worth dual booting my computer with windows XP to run BMW tools from bimmergeeks website?

[bluewater328]

Just easier. But people run Windows 7 or 10 with VM on it as well. There's a tutorial here somewhere.

I think even Bimmergeeks had an instruction how-to on their site...maybe I'm wrong.

[spazzz]

I use win10 with the tools in XP compatibility mode.
My Bimmergeeks install was simple.

[Levanime]

u can run it on windows 10 without vm

[IllSic_Design]

I run it on Windows 10 also. Get it from bimmergeeks.net and follow their instructions.

[rjahl]

Ya, the days of needing windows XP are thankfully long gone.

Bimmergeeks.net is one of the best downloads to use.

[apexit4]

I'm running it on Windows 7 without a VM, no issues at the moment. I am, however, having issues getting ISTA running on Windows 7.

[Pinscher]

Thanks, guys, I'll persist with windows 10 and compatibility mode then. Cheers

[siml]

Search for Mike's easy bmw tools. It will run wihtout problems on windows 10 64bit

[ctuna]

Just did a install of Bimmergeeks links for Inpa and Ista d
on a Win 10 computer. A couple of things to note
The command prompt is called the Power shell in win 10
and it has two versions use the run as admin version.
To start ista you must use the run as admin option every time
to open it. Any way to make this the default selection in the
desktop link.
This is in the instructions.

Even though I had admin privileges in my login I had to use
the run as admin selection.

Looks like win 10 home is not very friendly to admin privileges.

[EndOfAnEra]

It works on windows 8 without issue

[Pinscher]

I got it all working on windows 10 using compatibility mode using the instructions included in the bimmergeeks download pack.

What I was missing was the daten file download that you also need, it's a huge download. Oddly enough, folks don't mention these files, but in passing. It should be included in the tools download, but i get it, it's a big download and car specific too.

[hassmaschine]

You don't need the daten files for the Bimmerlabs flashes though. If you're doing additional coding, then you would need them.

[atmosphericM]

ctuna I believe you can either right click on your shortcut or on the program itself (that the shortcut points to... for example, the shortcut to open the app that is located in the start menu) and somewhere in those options is a place where you can tell it to always open with admin rights. Then you'll just have to click "yes" each time you open the program when it asks if it's allowed to modify the computer.

[ctuna]

Yeah I figured out how to get it running in admin mode by
right clicking my ista shortcut and selecting run as admin
, but why should I have to .
Then I discovered something about the home version of
Win 10 64 and Win 10 . It doesn't like you to have admin
privileges even in your own login. The users option is absent
from the computer management screen an you have to go in
through the backdoor (cmd prompt or power shell to set it up
different)
Its not a big problem to do the right click thing as much as I use ista but it bugs me that I have to at all.
From what I read Microsoft did this to keep thing safer.
The Pro version of Win 10 is a little more friendly to this
but I not sure if it solves the problem either .
What would be nice is to somehow default the shortcut to always run in admin mode.

Also most people will only download the base and the chassis
files for there car from the mega daten link, which isn't so big.

[LMB335IS]

Originally Posted by Pinscher

I got it all working on windows 10 using compatibility mode using the instructions included in the bimmergeeks download pack.

What I was missing was the daten file download that you also need, it's a huge download. Oddly enough, folks don't mention these files, but in passing. It should be included in the tools download, but i get it, it's a big download and car specific too.

You only need the datens if you plan on flashing with WinKFP. Everything else is loaded when you replace the empty folders with the full folders during install. INPA, NCS Expert, and Tool 32 will all work without the additional daten download.

[ModestoGarr]

It really depends on how important BMW Tools are for you. If you need them frequently, then it might be worth setting up a dual boot with Windows XP. However, if it's just something you might use occasionally, you could also consider running Windows XP in a virtual machine.

[LisaDuke]

Apologies for reviving this old thread, but I couldn't resist chiming in. It really depends on your specific needs and how much you rely on BMW tools for your car. While Windows XP may be an older operating system, it's still compatible with BMW tools, and some people find it easier to use for these specific programs. However, dual booting can be a bit of a hassle and may not be worth it if you don't use the tools frequently. You can also check out the reddit buy windows communities to get more tips and tricks from users and find license keys and software updates. Ultimately, it's up to you to weigh the pros and cons and decide what works best for you.

[sdbmwcoding]

Originally Posted by ModestoGarr

It really depends on how important BMW Tools are for you. If you need them frequently, then it might be worth setting up a dual boot with Windows XP. However, if it's just something you might use occasionally, you could also consider running Windows XP in a virtual machine.

I use them almost daily on windows 10, 0 issues. I even use standard tool suite on windows 11 with 0 issues on multiple remote customer laptops. There’s realistically no reason to use windows xp for bmw standard tools suite anymore

[k90]

+ WinXP is very light and compact if you have multiple VMs. Desktop is very responsive.
- WinXP can be unstable with some drivers etc.
- WinXP image is harder to obtain than Win10

For VMs I would recommend XP if it's supported by the software just because how little the operating system itself takes space. For space of win10 installation you can likelly fit both winxp + tool package in most cases.

[AndyMccarthy]

i think out of windows versions i find win10 is the best one to use and i have also tried some versions like win7 and win11 and found win 11 has certain errors or you can go right here to find and download some versions that you need

[sam9116]

I run INPA and Ncs Expert on Windows 10 just fine