Boot Camp = WinXP + Mac OSX on MacIntels

Many Thanks.

I don't know how this will react with the Apple Keyboard, but its worth a try.

Another person also suggested a Microsoft "Windows Server 2003 resource kit tools" source for a remapping.

Bo

Bo

FYI

things with the MacIntel? Debating getting one today at a reseller, I realize the risk involved but do you find it stable enough to do some good solid work?

Ben

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Ben, I have been on and off the WinXP partition and SolidWorks for days now, doing new files and updating prior ones from my Dell 60, and virtually no hiccups. I am totally surprised at the quick smooth install and running without any major hiccups or workarounds.

I did do all the Windows XP Pro security and other updates and the same for MSOffice Pro. Prior to that I put on BitDefender9Pro anti-virus (highly rated), as I knew I'ld have to safely connect to Microsoft for what turned out to be about 100 updates. I did that all on 802.11 WiFi across my standard Apple Airport.

Bluetooth, 802.11, Ethernet, USB have all worked without a hitch so far, and fast (70 seconds to restart from Mac to Win Blue Desktop).

I haven't seen SolidWorks quit yet (though there are things which will do that), and haven't seen a BSoD on Windows XP Pro yet (NTFS).

The MacBookPro seems to get quite a bit warmer underneath the case and more quickly than a 15" PowerBook G4, but I've understood this doesn't cause any problems with the fans inside. Still, I'ld try to keep adequate ventilation underneath.

To use WinXP Pro to its most on the MacBook Pro, I'ld recommend:

1. A Kensington Optical Elite wired mouse (only because I know it works on both Mac & WinXP w/o a hitch) or the RadTech BT500 BlueTooth moust (also because I know it works on both OSX & WinXP), but there are lots of others which will work.

1. MediaFour's MacDrive6 lets the Mac/Windows read/write functions from one side to the dark side be universal & easy.

2. For Travel & easy storage in a typical laptop bag, a mini PC keyboard with Alt and Delete, like the Adesso Mini Multimedia USB/PS2 keyboard will work like a charm (I couldn't find a USB keyboard, so had to get the proper USB to PS2 keyboard adaptor cord to work right). Maybe a workaround with Quickeys on Windows would remap a key for Alt & Delete, but I haven't had time to install & try it yet.

1. I use Retrospect for the Mac, and it has been bullet proof and offers the range of features I want on Windows. Hence, Retrospect from EMC for Windows will let me "Duplicate" files from one hard drive/folder to another without having to copy them all, so I'll buy that shortly, so I can transfer, duplicate & archive for security and safety as needed.

2. Standby in Windows takes a few seconds to finish and I should wait before having closed the lid on the MacBook Pro. The sleep process seems to work as it should, except when I hurry it, and it slows down, I suspect because closing the lid tries to give an additional Sleep command, but that is my speculation.

End Conclusion: This 6 lb laptop saves me from lugging an entire other Dell laptop and accessories around in a bag and has to save me at least

15 lbs of weight, and considerable frustration, so I am absolutely delighted.

Just be sure to download Apple's 17 page pdf and the noted technical article FAQ on Boot Camp issues, and get the right all-in-one WinXPPro SP2 CD, and only format the C/: drive when setting up the Windows drive partition (which gets established in FAT and later converted into NTFS during XP Pro install).

Bo

Just an update.

Closing the lid of the MacBook Pro while in Sleep mode in Windows wakes Windows up, so you can't do that.

There are still some anomolies in the way Sleep works, but I've not had a problem dealing with it myself, as that is rather insignificant.

Bo

One reader of the group asked me to try opening/saving an imported STEP file of 5 megs, so I did it. He wanted to know whether they could get some serious work out of a MacBook and SolidWorks.

Turned out that once unstuffed and imported it was 1100 files in about

65 megs of space, and took 17 minutes, but it did it OK, though there were several errors noted in the Log file.

Best to turn on the Task Manager before these long operations so you can monitor the activity, to convince yourself SolidWorks is continuing to work.

Bo

I should also note that I successfully used SolidWorks without using the PC keyboard, as long as I had a USB 2 button mouse, and didn't insist on using command keys with the Alt key.

It depends on how I am using SolidWorks as to whether I connect the PC keyboard. If I am just demoing or doing simple changes and/or a write/send a file out, I don't bother with plugging the PC keyboard on.

Bo

External FireWire 400 hard drives work fine with Windows XP Pro, when formatted in Windows.

I don't understand all the settings in Windows, though. I couldn't get the settings right for the External Hard drive I used to write to the PC drive from the Macintosh, though Windows transfers to it work fine. That is just my own lack of knowledge, I suspect.

Bo

I haven't used Parallels' virtualization product, since it doesn't have the video horsepower or screen resolution capabilities I want for work in SolidWorks.

Bo

Bo thanks VERY much for all your reports..... fascinating and wallet twitching ;-) HP Nw8240 on hold.

I am keen to know about the graphics performance with solidwoks - especially as macs tend to use non-openGL (ie non-CAD certied cards). Are you using the mac / solidworks in anger (ie 8 hours intesive complex model / assembly work ? How is the speed of complex assembly rotation on screen smooth rotation, any tearing etc. (cf the Dell) ? Any probs with multiple windows open (eg more than 4) ?

(FWIW I get a similarly confused dell M20 sometimes when trying to put in standby or hibination, when the network card is still churning, & I try and clsoe the lid too soon)

I have done numbers of bouts of 2-4 hours of construction and making assemblies and revising them, and for all intents and purposes, I can NOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE from my 2 year old Dell M60. For most of my plastic part design, and assemblies, the Dell M60 runs just fine, but it is obvious that if I HAD TO DO large mold base design and do it quickly, I would NOT do it on a Dell M60, M90 or MacBook Pro. I'ld get a good workstation with a terrific nVIDIA card, and 4 gigs of RAM with a super fast hard drive on a fast bus.

If the Dell M60 is choppy on rotation the Apple MacBook Pro is also. Now I know the new Dell M90 will be available shortly, and I would assume that with a faster video card w/more Video RAM, it will perform even better.

I made the conscious decision that $4gs on one laptop rather than $4gs x 2 was the best choice for me, even if there was not quite the performance of a new Dell M90.

Never seen a garbled screen during rotation yet on the MacBook Pro. My guess is that enough people at Apple use SolidWorks, that they made sure the Boot Camp ATI drivers handled Open GL as good as it could.

Thanks for the comment on the Standby on WinXP. I'm going to have to experiment more.

Later - Bo

On the ATI video, the guys interested in hacking for gamer performance have noted using a Beta ATI driver in place of Apple's and getting over a 50% boost in speed.

I am not going to do this myself, as I'ld have to worry about or verify that the extra heat didn't cause a problem.

If I really need the performance, I'll follow the crowd here-abouts and get an AMD Athlon...

Later - Bo

In addition to the gamers overclocking the video card, they have overclocked the CoreDuo CPU, too, though I don't know that I've heard they have done it in a MacBook Pro.

I did hook up a larger external monitor to my MacBook Pro (1920 x

1200), and that works as normal on the Mac, but in Windows all you get is a mirror of the 1440 x 900 MacBook Pro built in screen.

What that means is a larger monitor doesn't buy you anything, since it can't make use of the extra space or resolution.

Bo

I'm in to buying a Macbook Pro 15" 2Ghz or a 2.1Ghz to use with Solidworks. On wishlist is two 2GB-modules of these 667Mhz DDR2 so-dimm's and a external SATA-card for the ExpressCard/34 slot.

Is there any 2GB-modules out there? How about Bootcamp XP on a external drives, does it work? It seems like there is no external expresscard-SATA or expresscard-SATA-raid (sounds cool though, eh? :))

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Macs can ALL boot off of an external HD, so that ought to work, though it is limited to FW400 speed.

Don't know about these other questions.

Bo