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icruise · Apr 5, 2006 , 09:37 PM

Since gorgonzola has said that discussion of Boot Camp should go here for the moment, let's start again with a new consolidated thread. I installed Windows XP home on my 17" iMac Core Duo this afternoon and have been playing with it since then. The installation was easy and took maybe 1 hour. I alloted 25GB of the hard disk for Windows XP. I chose FAT format over NTFS, since that way I can access files on the Win XP partition via OS X (or so they say, I haven't tried that yet).

So far, it works great with a couple of hitches. It's definitely faster than my PC desktop (a Shuttle XPC with 3200+ athlon processor). They both have 1GB of RAM. I have a 23" cinema display attached to the iMac and the only problem I have so far is that whatever screen I have designated as the "secondary" one displays rotated by 90 degrees. I can't figure out how to change it. Right now I have disabled the iMac's screen and am using the Cinema Display as the main display. Since I would pretty much only use Windows on the iMac for games anyway, this may not be a big deal, but it's annoying that I can't figure it out. None of the ATI prefs seem to affect it.

I installed The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on the iMac and have been playing it for a couple of hours. It's definitely better than my Shuttle at the same resolution -- I can have higher settings and get better framerate. However, I've found that a couple of places outside will cause the frame rate to dip into about 1fps, and I can't tell why. I'm experimenting with different settings to try and fix it.

Anyone else care to share their experiences? Any questions?

sledsbehave · Apr 5, 2006 , 09:47 PM

is it possible in the future to be able to switch between OS X and Windows like we do a "quick user switch"?

so we don't have to shut down and restart to get from one OS to the next.

i know it would be tough on the system to run two OS.

mduell · Apr 5, 2006 , 09:47 PM

It has annoyed a few people I know that Boot Camp can slipsteam the drivers (from ATi/Intel/etc), but can't slipstream SP2 if they have an earlier version on disk. Requires them to do the SP2 slipstream on a PC, burn a CD, then do the driver slipstream with Boot Camp, and burn another CD.

Originally Posted by sledsbehave

is it possible in the future to be able to switch between OS X and Windows like we do a "quick user switch"?

so we don't have to shut down and restart to get from one OS to the next.

i know it would be tough on the system to run two OS.

That's what Virtualization Technology and Vanderpool is all about. A company called Parallels has announced they're bringing their hypervisor platform to Intel Macs with support for OSX and Windows.

icruise · Apr 5, 2006 , 09:48 PM

Originally Posted by sledsbehave

is it possible in the future to be able to switch between OS X and Windows like we do a "quick user switch"?

so we don't have to shut down and restart to get from one OS to the next.

i know it would be tough on the system to run two OS.

No, but such a thing might be possible for the future.

jasong · Apr 5, 2006 , 09:54 PM

Apple isn't slipstreaming the drivers, it's creating a separate CD with drivers on it.

sledsbehave · Apr 5, 2006 , 10:19 PM

Originally Posted by Icruise

No, but such a thing might be possible for the future.

yeah, my main question being is it possible. thanks

techster82 · Apr 5, 2006 , 10:40 PM

Well, I thought I would chime in as I just finished installing XP on my 20" iMac. I ran into a couple of problems:

1. When I was updating my imac to 10.4.6, I installed the update, then somehow my entire utilities folder was wiped out. I called Apple, we played around with it, and I ended up having to do an Archive and Install. This had nothing to do with XP, as I hadn't even gotten to Boot Camp yet, but was a problem with either my machine or the update. After archiving and installing I updated again without a hitch, then did the firmware upgrade, then Boot Camp.

I am now typing this thread using Firefox on my imac booted into Windows XP. This is awesome. The world of possibilities that windows has with the beauty of an Apple computer. I couldn't ask for more, except maybe some bugs being worked out.

2. I installed AIM, and as soon as I try to sign on I get a quick blue screen of death then my computer automatically restarts. I installed AOL and have had no problems with it whatsoever so that makes me wonder.

All in all, this is great for a first run attempt. I am sure some issues will be ironed out now that the public developers have some backbone from Apple to work with. This is almost driving me to order a Macbook Pro but I am holding out for more options at a lesser price.

lesman · Apr 5, 2006 , 10:45 PM

This thread will be very usefull for will-be-boot-campers. I can't wait to get my Intel Mac so I can do this!

zenatek · Apr 5, 2006 , 10:53 PM

Just thought I would post... I have a 20 inch iMac with 1GB of ram.

Well I went out today and purchased winxp and battlefield 2. I had windows set up within an hour! Drivers worked flawlessly.

I have now been playing BF2 for about an hour and its great! I am playing at 1440 by 1050 (dont remember the exact numbers but its one of the highest resolutions) all the settings are either high or medium, well mostly medium. I really think I will be able to bump some of those settings up when I get another GB of ram. All in all it looks really good.

This is something I have been waiting for and its awesome!

icruise · Apr 5, 2006 , 11:02 PM

Originally Posted by jasong

Apple isn't slipstreaming the drivers, it's creating a separate CD with drivers on it.

That is correct. The only thing you need to use for the install is a standard Windows XP home or professional disc (SP2), which is not altered in any way by Boot Camp. The CD that Boot Camp burns is just used for installing the drivers for various things, but you don't need it to do the install. I think the main reason they chose the "burn a CD" approach is that things like wireless networking won't work without the addition of a driver, so it might be problematic to offer the driver package as a separate download or something.

sledsbehave · Apr 6, 2006 , 12:09 AM

Originally Posted by sledsbehave

is it possible in the future to be able to switch between OS X and Windows like we do a "quick user switch"?

so we don't have to shut down and restart to get from one OS to the next.

i know it would be tough on the system to run two OS.

to answer my own question i foudn this in the "leopard revealed" thread...

"2. During the Leopard install, you are given the option to create specific partitioning to accommodate M$ Vista and Linux. Reformatting your HD is not required. Depending on your processor and RAM, all OS’s can run simultaneously & independently. A (minimum) 150 GB HD is required (250 GB is recommended), and 2 GB RAM (minimum) should you wish to run more than one OS. Dual processors are required for optimum performance, though this may change in 10.5.1 or 10.5.2."

tooki · Apr 6, 2006 , 12:51 AM

Uh, that thread was an April fool's joke. It ain't real!

tooki

sledsbehave · Apr 6, 2006 , 01:39 AM

Originally Posted by tooki

Uh, that thread was an April fool's joke. It ain't real!

tooki

i read that, but i was kinda hoping some of it was based on fact... seeing as boot camp was released 4 days later....

ah well...

Mack · Apr 6, 2006 , 02:28 AM

My XP installation went flawlessly. But I do have one question: When I boot into OS X, the Windows partition mounts in Finder with the name "Untitled." The volume is marked Read Only, so I can't change the name. Any ideas?

harrisjamieh · Apr 6, 2006 , 02:36 AM

You formatted your windows partition using NTFS. OS X can only read NTFS drives, not write to them. I, on the other hand, formatted my windows partition using FAT 32, so I can read and write to the drive. Saying this, my windows partition is called 'NO NAME' and I am afraid changing it will mess the windows installation....

Note: You can only format in FAT32 when the partition size is less than 32 GB

RealMac · Apr 6, 2006 , 03:01 AM

I've had great experiences with SP2. Installed the first time around without realizing my disc was SP1. Wasted a few hours there trying to figure out ways around it.. For Beta software it works like a charm. Apple also makes it super easy to go back to just having an OSX partition and reclaiming back those precious gigabytes of drive space. It's zippy™ too!

I deleted Qemu offmy machine. Unless the performance improves significantly, there is really no reason for me to run it on my system.

harrisjamieh · Apr 6, 2006 , 03:11 AM

I'm using windows now, currently installing the Sims 2. 1 problem though, I was installing the game, and installing and logging into MSN messenger at the same time, and I got a BSOD, and my iMac rebooted. Odd...

icruise · Apr 6, 2006 , 03:29 AM

I have yet to have a BSOD, but it sounds to me like some of the drivers need a little fine tuning. I've heard a number of people reporting instabilities like that.

icruise · Apr 6, 2006 , 04:16 AM

I changed the name and icon of my Windows XP partition in OS X with no ill effects.

I installed the demo version of Mac Drive to see if it would allow me to see my Mac files from Windows XP, and it does indeed make the Mac partition accessible. Something like this will probably be a necessity for someone who wants to do serious work on both OSes, although for someone who just wants to play games, it's not needed.

harrisjamieh · Apr 6, 2006 , 04:44 AM

OK, so i've installed the Sims 2, and it works VERY well - very speedy. Its MUCH faster than my old P4 2.6 Ghz/512 ram/ati 9200 w/128 RAM.

I've never played the Sims and had such a good experience with it - everytime I used to use it, no matter on what computer, it took ages - not so for my 1.83 ghz iMac! Very impressive.

Maflynn · Apr 6, 2006 , 06:27 AM

I've tried both solutions here's my take on the whole affair. I got the onmac solution completed a day before boot camp was released.

Onmac.net's solution requires a PC, downloading nero and some monkeying with files. At the end of the installation you have a bootable xp. No sound, no video drivers (other then generic nondirect-x) no ethernet - nothing. There's a download page and I got the the ethernet working. The steps to kludge together a set of video drivers scared me because of "bricking" my mini.

Apple's solution.
No slipstream Cd creation, no need to reformat and reinstall osx then xp.
Apple provides the drivers and installation was very smooth. I had to not manually set the resolution in debug mode for my mini like I had to for the onmac solution. Very nice.

Now that I have installed boot camp, I think Apple's solution is more polished and provides all the drivers you need.