[dmgboots]

Seriously considering switching to a Macbook. Doing my research before I make the plunge.

The thing I need to know is whether or not when I run Windows XP I can access files saved (particularly mp3s) under the partitioned drive designated for OS X? And Vice Versa.

[ghporter]

No, not at all, and Yes to some extent.

No Windows OS can natively access drives formatted with OS X's HFS+ format, so to Windows, that partition just isn't there. However, OS X CAN read both of the common Windows formats (FAT32 and NTFS) and can write to FAT32 partitions.

An inexpensive external drive (I went with an inexpensive enclosure and an inexpensive drive) formatted with FAT32 is a good solution. Your Boot Camp partition can be formatted for the more robust NTFS (it's a better format for running an OS from than FAT32), and you can put all the data you want to share on the external drive so both OSs can see it.

I have XP running (occasionally) on my MacBook Pro, and it's great.

[mfbernstein]

MacOS X has built-in support for reading NTFS partitions, so you can easily get your data from that side. At the same time, there's the FUSE project which has a slow but functional driver allowing MacOS X to write to NTFS disks as well.

For Windows, MacDrive is a third-party program that will allow you to read and write HFS+ formatted partitions, including your main Mac partition. It retails for $50 or so.

While a FAT32 partition or external drive can be useful, it does have certain limitations: files must be less than 4GB in size, filenames are limited somewhat in length and supported characters, etc. These may or may not matter to you.

[dmgboots]

I'm much more concerned with accessing files saved under the Windows partition using the Mac OS X, so this is some relief.

So, if I were to format the Windows XP partition with NTFS and put all my mp3s onto the Windows side of the HD, I can listen to them when I'm on OS X (If I get a Mac, I want to use the Mac OS, obviously).

The thing that is causing all this trouble is the fact I chose a Zune over an iPod video this Christmas (before you start bashing me, I am not a label-whore. I liked the larger screen of the Zune, it's flashy album art, its scratch-resistant plastic). I am pretty happy with it, except for a few synching issues, but now I'm starting to regret my choice because I've finally come to the conclusion that I need to think about replacing my dying 3 year old Dell, and a MacBook is the way to go. Unfortunately there's no way to transfer files on a Mac to a Zune without Boot Camp. I guess I'll just have to make my Windows XP partition large enough to house all my music, eh?

[ghporter]

You should be able to play music found on the Windows partition through a player running under OS X.

Me? I'd still go with the external drive route. I have a 300GB external set up that cost all of $135 because I put it together and got the drive on sale. It's half HFS and half FAT32 so I have some flexibility.

[brokenjago]

Originally Posted by dmgboots

I liked the larger screen of the Zune,

Note that while the screen of the Zune is physically larger, the resolution is the same, so you just get fuzzier movie playback, because the pixels are bigger and therefore not as sharp.

Love your screen-name though.

[dmgboots]

Thanks.

I'm glad to hear this. I think I'll go the black macbook route and get a Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz processor, 2 GB RAM, and 120 GB HD (instead of just 80 GB for $1400), which rounds to $1600 w/ my student discount. I don't think I'll need anywhere near 300 GB of storage, since my current computer is only using 45 GB of its of 60 GB HD.

I'm just excited Macbooks hae 64 MB video RAM so I can play UT2k4 with ease (the only PC game I really ever play anymore).

Oh and today I noticed the plastic around my monitor on my notebook has cracked on both sides and is splitting.

[mfbernstein]

I wouldn't get too excited about the MacBook's video card: it's an integrated graphics processor that uses RAM for video operations, so the performance is pretty poor on 3D games. I wouldn't count on good performance, even in older games like UT2K4.

[dmgboots]

Oh I'm not. It's just a bonus that I can still play it on occasion (not expecting it to look spectacular at all).