Boot Camp = WinXP + Mac OSX on MacIntels

Discussion in 'SolidWorks' started by Bo, Apr 5, 2006.

  1. Bo

    Ben Eadie Guest


    Cant wait for the update!!!!!!!!!!!
    There is a mac store here in town that has one that I could get....
    Might have to copy you by the end of the day. Although I was thinking I
    might wait for the 17" that will be coming out

    Ben
     
    Ben Eadie, Apr 11, 2006
    #21
  2. Bo

    Bo Guest

    The new MacBookPro in 15" form now has the same pixel resolution of my
    earlier 1.5 ghz 17" PowerBook (2+ years old) of 1440 pixels across.

    I decided I didn't want the extra weight and size of the 17" after
    having one for 2 years.

    The 1440 pixel screen is OK for 2 pdf or text document pages side by
    side, and good for CAD, so I chose the 15" as being my best compromise.

    Bo
     
    Bo, Apr 11, 2006
    #22
  3. Bo

    Ben Eadie Guest

    Good point, I can always add a flat panel for static work

    So.... how is the install going? Had SW up yet?

    Ben
     
    Ben Eadie, Apr 11, 2006
    #23
  4. Bo

    Bo Guest

    Make sure you have POWER cord installed and the green light "ON" on the
    connector during the install process on a MacBook Pro.

    I have been very careful in reading the info and making sure I don't
    blow it somehow. I read all the documents on Apple's Boot Camp area
    and the 17 page pdf file on installing.

    I have also kept a detailed outline log of what I did in case I blow it
    somehow.

    Creating the Driver CD for loading in Windows after its install if
    finished is trivial.

    I have a USB keyboard and Mouse to use during installation, but I don't
    think I really needed it with the MacBook Pro, but I had them connected
    in case I needed them, but Apple's admonition on this wasn't something
    I really understood completely. (The $30 Adesso Mini Multimedia
    keyboard is a small MacBook sized Windows keyboard you can get in USB
    or PS-2, and would work fine for travel work if you want or need an
    external keyboard on the road.)

    I am surprised that everything went as smoothly as it has with no
    ambiguous installation instructions or instructions on the pdf that
    don't match the screen. All in all, an amazingly smooth install.

    The longest dead time (about 20 minutes) is just waiting as the WinXP
    Pro SP2 installer does its NTFS formatting of the previously created 30
    gig partion I made for Drive C (be sure you select ONLY drive C or you
    erase your Mac OSX partition & get to start over...from scratch &
    reinstall Mac OSX).

    After the NTFS formatting is done, all the standard Windows Installer
    Setup files get thrown on just like any PC install. All of this seems
    to happen just like on my Dell M60 when I last did a clean install on a
    new Hard Drive not too long ago, at about the same speed, and both HDs
    are 7200 rpm drives.

    At the end of the Windows Install it will reboot, so hold down the
    Option key on your MacIntel to pick which Partition to boot from, Pick
    Windows and awaaaaaay you go, sort of, as it tells you it will take
    another 39 minutes to complete the install.

    I'll post info on the SolidWorks install & running later.

    Bo
     
    Bo, Apr 11, 2006
    #24
  5. Bo

    John Layne Guest

    Just interested why you are installing it to NTFS not a FAT32. MAC OS's can
    read NTFS but can't write to them, so you won't be able to write to that
    partition when in MAC.

    At least that's been my, very limited, experince.

    John Layne

    www.solidengineering.co.nz
     
    John Layne, Apr 11, 2006
    #25
  6. Bo

    Bo Guest

    SolidWorks always recommends NTFS as the most stable file format.

    Just use the MacDrive 6 from MediaFour, or similar software.

    http://www.mediafour.com/products/macdrive6/bootcamp.asp

    So far SolidWorks runs very very similar to my Dell M60. I'll post
    more info later this evening (my time) as I get the SP 3.4 upgrade
    done, and some SolidWorks data files moved in.

    Thanks - Bo
     
    Bo, Apr 12, 2006
    #26
  7. Bo kirjoitti:

    How about "Limited number of accelerated windows" with Radeon..is it
    there?

    regards
    Markku
     
    Markku Lehtola, Apr 12, 2006
    #27
  8. Bo

    Jean Marc Guest

    The perfs FOR GAMES seem far from an Athlon64 3000+, from the benches of
    this site:
    http://www.macologist.org/

    Anything from SW use?

    My .01 Eu
     
    Jean Marc, Apr 12, 2006
    #28
  9. Bo

    Bo Guest

    I've dumped about 6 gigs of SolidWorks files into the MacBook Pro with
    Win XP Pro2 and started by opening a dozen assembly and part files for
    a product composed of corrugated tubes and curved plastic parts
    (Respirator circuit) with a 17 meg final assembly and other assemblies
    from 4-10 megs.

    I note on the video end that whether it is just the main assembly or
    with all 12 files open that the full rotation time on my MacBookPro or
    on the Dell M60 (both SWks 2006 SP3.4), that a full rotation of the
    assembly takes 10 seconds.

    No video anomolies or other things are noted yet. I haven't had time
    to thrash SolidWorks through all sorts of constructions and assemblies.

    I do note that the difference in resolution of the MacBook Pro @ 1440
    pixels versus the Dell @ 1900 pixels is such that the images on the
    Dell provide a smoother looking screen and screen shot image.

    The RadTech BT500 BlueTooth Mouse works in the MBPro on both MacOSX and
    on Windows XP Pro SP2.

    In a sum total opinion, I think that the MacBookPro running Windows XP
    is as nearly as clean and fast as I could possibly imagine for a
    laptop. It will not affect heavy duty desktop use, but the later
    MacIntel Desktops will certainly be more powerful, yet only time will
    tell how they work.

    I am tickled pink over this, as now one MacBookPro Laptop can now run
    Linux, MacOSX, & WindowXP...EFFICIENTLY.

    More info later.

    Bo
     
    Bo, Apr 12, 2006
    #29
  10. Bo

    Bo Guest

    I've dumped about 6 gigs of SolidWorks files into the MacBook Pro with
    Win XP Pro2 and started by opening a dozen assembly and part files for
    a product composed of corrugated tubes and curved plastic parts
    (Respirator circuit) with a 17 meg final assembly and other assemblies
    from 4-10 megs.

    I note on the video end that whether it is just the main assembly or
    with all 12 files open that the full rotation time on my MacBookPro or
    on the Dell M60 (both SWks 2006 SP3.4), that a full rotation of the
    assembly takes 10 seconds.

    No video anomolies or other things are noted yet. I haven't had time
    to thrash SolidWorks through all sorts of constructions and assemblies.

    I do note that the difference in resolution of the MacBook Pro @ 1440
    pixels versus the Dell @ 1900 pixels is such that the images on the
    Dell provide a smoother looking screen and screen shot image.

    The RadTech BT500 BlueTooth Mouse works in the MBPro on both MacOSX and
    on Windows XP Pro SP2.

    In a sum total opinion, I think that the MacBookPro running Windows XP
    is as nearly as clean and fast as I could possibly imagine for a
    laptop. It will not affect heavy duty desktop use, but the later
    MacIntel Desktops will certainly be more powerful, yet only time will
    tell how they work.

    I am tickled pink over this, as now one MacBookPro Laptop can now run
    Linux, MacOSX, & WindowXP...EFFICIENTLY.

    More info later.

    Bo
     
    Bo, Apr 12, 2006
    #30
  11. Bo

    Bo Guest

    Sorry, I didn't mean to hit the send button twice.

    A separate USB PC keyboard with a PC key layout including a Delete key
    will likely be desirable for most SolidWorks users on a MacIntel. That
    is easy and cheap.

    In testing the Rotation time of a large assembly (both Mac & Dell = 2
    gigs RAM), the Mac uses only 50% of the CPU in the Task Manager as
    opposed to 100% on the Dell. That is the first significant difference
    noted between MacBookPro & Dell M60. There is no way for me to know if
    this is accurate or reflects anything of value.

    Later - Bo
     
    Bo, Apr 12, 2006
    #31
  12. Bo

    Bo Guest

    USB keys, keyboard, and mice on the MacBookPro when running Windows XP
    Pro SP2 all mount without incident or complaint to date.

    Bo
     
    Bo, Apr 12, 2006
    #32
  13. Bo

    Bo Guest

    Given that Apple will release the MacBook replacement for the iBooks
    sometime in the next 1-2 months, I fully expect that a sub-$2000
    MacBook will finally allow effective speedy MacOS X and WinXP Pro use
    with SolidWorks for use in the field without spending an arm and a leg
    out of your checkbook.

    The only item I am looking at right now is how to emulate the PC
    "Delete" function on the MacBookPro when in SolidWorks. No obvious
    solution right yet, though Right Click usually allows Delete options
    where it is needed.

    Current release of Boot Camp does NOT support getting the time right on
    each startup and this is a known issue.

    Tried to do Standby and it worked with the MacBook Pro Sleep light
    functioning normally. Hitting "any key" then resumes normal
    WinXP/SolidWorks.

    Bo
     
    Bo, Apr 12, 2006
    #33
  14. Bo

    Bo Guest

    In addition there are questions about how well the Fan in the MacBook
    Pro is managed under XP Pro right now, so it would pay to watch
    temperature manually.

    I have no doubt there may be some patches in Boot Camp or in XP itself
    made shortly to address this issue.

    Obviously, I would not want to run SolidWorks for hours on the
    MacBookPro, until this issue is addressed.

    The real key value I see here for me is being able to now go into the
    field, to a vendor, hospital, tool shop, supplier or whatever and get
    some things detailed or shown to someone, without taking 2 machines,
    while still maintaining a high degree of connectivity for anything I
    need.

    The diehards on Windows make the point that I can do that now with my
    Dell Laptop, but managing a Windows machine on the Interent is just too
    intensive these days. Between the malacious key logger rootkits and
    the next back door through Windows, I don't need the hassle, time,
    study, and implementation time loss to make Windows reasonably
    bulletproof. Even Microsoft has finally admitted some of the virus,
    spyware, adware corruptions are just not practically fixable anymore.
    It is simpler to reinstall XP from a server in a business environment.

    Maybe it will change with Vista, but I somehow doubt it. Windows has
    become the megalopolous of the 21st Century attempting to Be All and
    Work with All Hardware for Any Use, and in the process it has become
    BloatWare by anyone's definition.

    Things are Looking Up - Bo
     
    Bo, Apr 12, 2006
    #34
  15. Bo

    Ben Eadie Guest

    I suspect the 50% is the dual core thing, as SW will only run on one CPU
    then the max it could see is 50% of the puters total cpu usage

    You do have a dual core right?

    Ben
     
    Ben Eadie, Apr 12, 2006
    #35
  16. Bo

    Ben Eadie Guest

    I use a spacepilot and I think that you could program the delete
    function into that to make up for the loss of the key

    Ben
     
    Ben Eadie, Apr 12, 2006
    #36
  17. Bo

    Bo Guest

    Ben, that is right, all the MacBook Pros are dual core Intels.

    Bo
     
    Bo, Apr 12, 2006
    #37
  18. Bo

    Bo Guest

    Something like that will likely work.

    Quickeys for Windows, which I use, may let me remap the Delete key,
    which I will check.

    I know there is a little utility for the Mac which one of the guys at
    the AppleStore mentioned, though I've forgotten it now.

    Bo
     
    Bo, Apr 12, 2006
    #38
  19. Bo

    John Layne Guest

    Hi Bo

    Go to Tools Customise then keyboard and just remap the delete function to
    something other than the "Delete" key

    John Layne
    www.solidengineering.co.nz
     
    John Layne, Apr 12, 2006
    #39
  20. Bo

    Bo Guest

    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, Apr 12, 2006
    #40
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