Boot Camp = WinXP + Mac OSX on MacIntels

Bo

FYI

http://makeashorterlink.com/?Y50A228FC
Hows 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

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/13/t...7dfd379ff&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

 

You need one more link
http://www.parallels.com/

 

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.

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

3. 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.

4. 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 <http://www.emcinsignia.com/> 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.

5. 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? )

http://www.expresscard.org/web/do/p...=861BDC839C4A547B604CD0E2F7306739?parentId=11

 

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