FYI – I've had Vista/Win7 installed on this machine before. It's a question of how horrible the process is. Typing in product codes, inserting DVDs, activation codes, warnings about anti-virus, etc.
You don't have to type product codes -- you can install without one and copy/paste from a text file works fine once you're all set up. You don't have to insert DVDs, Windows installs fine from a USB stick (except on Apple notebooks, so there). Installing Microsoft Security Essentials will shut up any AV warnings.
Besides, you don't even need to install Vista to get an upgrade copy of Windows 7 working. A Google search would have told you that.
Installing Lion on a non Apple Mac is illegal and that's why it is so hard to do. Windows is not and should run smoothly like on every other machine.
Having had all this trouble, I don't believe that for a second. Turning off AHCI and not supporting USB boot in 2011 is inexcusable.
Installing Lion on a non Apple Mac is illegal
Depends on the jurisdiction. In many non-retarded ones it isn't.
Windows is not and should run smoothly like on every other machine.
It should, yes, but it doesn't.
EDIT: Not sure why I'm downvoted for asking this. Can anyone advise as to what hardware issues would make a 2010 Macbook Pro more difficult to install Windows on?
Anyway, I use Windows for exactly one thing: accessing (horrible) web apps that require IE. My original point was that the installation process is a mess from the perspective of a licensed user – Apple hardware or not.
Win 7 won't accept my product code because it is an upgrade code. I googled it.
Also, my benchmark is the Lion upgrade. That's how it's supposed to work.