Bootcamp for mac - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

05/09/2009 08:19:25 AM · #1

This has been sort of asked before (but quite a while ago -it seems). I was wondering if anyone would share their thoughts on Bootcamp on the mac book pro.
I am looking at a mac book pro (the 2.4 15inch) and my reservation is the cost of replacing work related software. I have done a bit of reading on bootcamp which would allow me to run windows (for Office, Acrobate Pro etc). I have a copy of windows - so this would save me the expense of re buying the work related software for mac.
My question is - is anyone using it at the moment and are there any issues with it ? It doesn't worry me having to reboot into windows as I would only use it work stuff - use the mac OS for photos etc.
The only posting I found for bootcamp are a couple of years old (when it was in Beta) and there were a few issues with it. I was wondering if these had been addressed in the new OS ? Does it affect the performance of the mac OS or cause any driver conflicts ?
I know there are other programs out there that allow you to run mac OS and windows at the same time but considering bootcamp comes for free - the rebooting issue doesn't concern me. Any thoughts or comments on bootcamp?

Covert_Oddity

Nikon D700

05/09/2009 08:21:38 AM · #2

If it's only for work stuff I would recommend using a virtual machine instead of rebooting every time. I use VMWare Fusion for my work related stuff that I need to do on Windows, I believe a lot of Mac users use Parallels though, which I've tried but found the VMWare one much faster and more stable.

Never used bootcamp, but I've heard it's straight forward enough to do.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

05/09/2009 08:24:00 AM · #3

Thanks for the quick response.
Is VMWare an add on program ? I'm not familiar with it. Also do you run anti-virus software on your windows partition ?

Covert_Oddity

Nikon D700

05/09/2009 08:42:23 AM · #4

Yep, VMWare Fusion is from VMWare. You should be able to find it at www.vmware.com.. They do a 30 day free trial so you can download it and install your Windows OS to see how you like it before you actually have to pay to get a license key.

On the Windows virtual machine, I run everything as I would on a real Windows physical machine, that means Anti-virus, anti spyware, firewall etc. It will get infected and ruined just as easily as a normal windows box so you have to take the same precautions. I also set my security to the highest and don't allow any direct sharing to or from the Mac partition just in case my windows VM gets infected. You can always share over the virtual network anyway if you really need to pass files back and forwards.

ETA:

I just installed the Windows 7 RC on a VMWare machine, it runs really well on my Macbook Pro and I get a year out of it without having to pay for a license, so if you fancy giving VMWare with Windows a trial without paying anything that's your solution. Get the the 30 day trial of VMWare fusion, then get the RC of Windows 7. If you like it you can always license the VMWare after a month, and upgrade to a fully paid version of Windows whenever that expires sometime next year :)

Message edited by author 2009-05-09 08:44:12.

Paul

Leica SL

Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f/1.7 Aspherical MF Wide Angle - Black

05/09/2009 08:48:47 AM · #5

I run Windows Vista on Bootcamp; I have it on it's own dedicated drive. It works seemlessly, just as if it is a PC - everything is native, no emulation. I went that way to support my legacy games collection as well as legacy work stuff. If it is just work stuff then Parallels or one of the other products will work fine. But having said that Office 2008 for Mac is much better than Office 2007 for PC - the ribbon interface drives me mad!

brownt

Canon EOS-450D Rebel XSi

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

05/09/2009 01:59:54 PM · #6

I'm using Xp via bootcamp just now on my MacBook, have been for a couple of years now. Works the same as any PC I use and would recommend doing it for yourself.

It ran fine with 1gb of RAM but I have put in 2gb in total.

When bootcamp originally came out was trying to right click, but now you hold two fingers on the mouse pad and click (or just use any two buttom mouse) and it works fine.

No driver problems at all, it is essentially a PC so there should be no issues.

You may get a problem when trying to install service pack 3 for Windows XP, simply follow this SP3 Fix

Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f/1.7 Aspherical MF Wide Angle - Black

05/09/2009 08:10:38 PM · #7

Paul
When you say you " have it on it's own dedicated drive" - do you mean an external plug in drive or a second drive in the computer ?
I gather bootcamp won't allow you to use an external drive for the windows partition (would be great if it could). I gather an issue more to do with windows than with bootcamp.

Paul

Leica SL

05/10/2009 03:17:47 AM · #8

It is an internal drive - on a Mac Pro rather than a MacBook Pro (I don't have Windows on my laptop). I have seen forum posts that describe a process for putting it on an external drive but it was a multi-staged process. I would've have loved it on an external drive but in the end a separate internal drive offered a decent solution.