I am interested in getting a Mac for the house. We need another computer and the kids - with their iPods - have expressed a lot of interest and I am interested in editing my HDV tapes so why not?

If I did then I would likely want to install Windows so I could dual boot. I would only want to dual boot for one reason - To be be able to play Age of Empires 3 in Windows on it.

Questions:

Anyone around here done it?
Do I install Bootcamp first? Is that easy?
Do I install Windows next?
Can I install Vista or just XP?
Can I install Windows on a USB or Sata External Drive?
Is it a bootloader where I choose one OS at startup and it defaults to Mac if unattended?
Will I be able to play AOE 3 on it with the ATI Radeon X1600 graphics that comes with it
Thanks in advance
Hugh

I'll leave the 7 questions for others to answer since I haven't attempted that yet but I'm wondering if the only reason you're considering a Mac is because of the iPods. iPod connectivity will work just fine in Windows.

Of course you may want the Mac for other reasons you haven't stated and they are beautiful machines.

ihdtv

Anyone around here done it?
Yes a few times.

Do I install Bootcamp first? Is that easy?
Install BootCamp on your OSX then follow the steps.

Do I install Windows next?
Yes, upon installation (bootcamp will be in the applications / utilities folder) the computer will reboot and windows will install just as a PC would. Then you install the drivers that bootcamp will burn on CD for you to activate the usb drivers, video card, sound, wifi, bluetooth, isight camera, .... Works great.

Can I install Vista or just XP?
Currently on XP. Vista will install but there are no drivers for it yet (very soon)

Can I install Windows on a USB or Sata External Drive?
I dont think so but Im not sure, you have to partition the main harddrive. There is a way to install it onto an internal sata drive if you have a powermac.

Is it a bootloader where I choose one OS at startup and it defaults to Mac if unattended?
Yes. Hold down option upon booting to switch between OSs. You can pick which OS you want to default boot to.

Will I be able to play AOE 3 on it with the ATI Radeon X1600 graphics that comes with it
Yes very easily. I play all the newest games without a glitch.

*************************************

But, once you have and use OSX, you will NEVER boot to XP (maybe for a few games but thats it)

I dual boot on my Macbook Pro. I use Windows at work on my domain and OSX when I am at home or on the road for entertainment.

Questions:

1. Anyone around here done it?

Have done it about 40 times since bootcamp came out.

2. Do I install Bootcamp first? Is that easy?

It is very very easy. Download and install. Burn driver cd and away you go. You set the partition size for XP and then you are off to the races.

3. Do I install Windows next?

Yes.
4. Can I install Vista or just XP?

You can install either. I would suggest XP if you are going to game. You need SP2 on the install (in case you plan on using an older cd)

5. Can I install Windows on a USB or Sata External Drive?

Yes. It is fairly an involved process. Here is a guide I used when I tested it out. http://guides.macrumors.com/Boot_Camp_Windows_XP_On_External_Drive

6. Is it a bootloader where I choose one OS at startup and it defaults to Mac if unattended?

You actually set the default OS or you can hold down the option key when booting.

7. Will I be able to play AOE 3 on it with the ATI Radeon X1600 graphics that comes with it

I have an X1600 on Macbook Pro. I will try the demo on here. Resolution on this machine is 1440X900.

My overall experience with my Mac and bootcamp is very positive. Once the drivers were release for the iSight then pretty much everythign was complete. It is very nice to be able to boot to either operating system depending on my mood or need. I trust my Apple hardware over all my PC's combined.

Thanks guys!!

As I said the only reason, I see Windows is for some games of which AOE 3 would be the most demanding.

For those who say: Why a mac? I say: Why not? I have four PC's at home - two for me and two for my wife and two kids and a Laptop.

I was going to get rid of the two old ones my kids have and buy one new WIndows machine but they've all been talking Mac so....

Out of curiosity for those who've done this dual-boot, can each OS's partition be accessed while the other one is booted up? If so, good.

If not, is it possible during the dual boot installation process to specify a third partition that could be laid-out with a file system that is readable/writable by both OSes, for storage of multimedia, documents, etc.? This is assuming someone doesn't have an external HDD to use for that.

There is 3rd party software available that allows access between partitions. i have horror stories about it though.

I keep my media on an external WD 250GB drive for access between OS'es. As you know OSX has limited access to NTFS partitions (read only). Macdrive will read OSX partitions in windows but I am scared to use it.

I found out that OS X has native read/write access to FAT32 partitions, so a third partition of about 40GB using FAT32 would fit the bill to allow a shared storage area equally accessible by OS X and Windows. I don't think I'd be comfortable with any size bigger than about 40GB using FAT32.

If I did then I would likely want to install Windows so I could dual boot. I would only want to dual boot for one reason - To be be able to play Age of Empires 3 in Windows on it.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Mac. Our family has loved ours since we converted two years ago. I was amazed when my young daughter started producing wide-screen DVD home movies complete with titling and chapter markers without any help from Dad!

You'll probably find in very short order that there isn't much reason to dual-boot Windows anymore. In your specific case, were you aware that AOE3 (http://www.destineerstudios.com/macsoftgames/) is now available for Apple?

I just switched from being a Windows user since Win 3.0. I have a 24" iMac with the upgraded graphics processor and 2GB RAM.

I installed Boot Camp and dual-boot XP and it works well, BUT right after installation I had some problems with the Bluetooth keyboard/mouse that I just couldn't fix (yes, I had the latest Apple drivers CD burned). I googled for the solution, but couldn't find it. Wiping the install (using BootCamp Assistant) and reinstalling seemed to fix it. Fault of typical shoddy MS OS behaviour in my opinion.

I then demo'd Tiger Woods 2006 (not 2007) for my curious father-in-law and the graphics performed very well. I have no doubt the NVidia drivers supplied by Apple for XP use every bit of the graphics chip available.

Then I installed Parallels to access the Boot Camp XP so I can reach the Windows desktop from my desktop. Dragging and dropping from the OS X desktop to XP works very nicely. Parllels' "Coherence Mode" is a nice solution if you must access a DirectX website, but not something I'd have a novice user do. I will definately buy Parallels when my demo expires.

All in all, I'm a very happy switcher and able to use Parallels for all my XP needs.

Worth mentioning if nobody else has, that you must have an RETAIL XP _SP2_ disc to install Boot Camp. I did not have and SP2 CD, so I slipstreamed SP2 into it with success. My OEM copy from Dell wouldn't install because of licensing restrictions.

You'll probably find in very short order that there isn't much reason to dual-boot Windows anymore. In your specific case, were you aware that AOE3 is now available for Apple?

No I was not but in reviewing it I wonder what exactly is MacSoft? Are these played in emulation or what????

My wife and I both recently became first-time Mac users in the last couple of months, and I don't think it would have happened if it weren't for the Intel Macs and the release of Bootcamp.

Our XP machines were getting very tired so we got a couple of Mac Mini's with Bootcamp and Parallels. I have to admit that both of them are still mostly used in Bootcamp XP mode, but it has been fun having the Mac features to try out and we both plan to use them more in future.

Re: requiring a Retail SP2 disc, I used a generic OEM SP2 version from an "unnamed source" since our original XP discs were pre-SP1 and were "restore" disks, not a clean install. I figure we have two licenses from the old XP machines that are now retired (might put Linux on them), and even though I may not be adhering to the letter of the Microsoft license (haven't read the fine print), I do feel moral enough about it that I can sleep soundly at night.

Hugh, you should definitely spend a bit of time on the Mac side of things. I can't say that OSX blows XP or Vista out of the water... in fact it has a few usability issues of its own IMHO, but learning the differences is fun. If the Mac isn't going to be on your desk, may I suggest installing Vine Server 2.1 (free VNC server Mac software). That way you can have easy VNC access to the Mac from your regular Windows PC any time you get a free moment to play with it.

right after installation I had some problems with the Bluetooth keyboard/mouse that I just couldn't fix (yes, I had the latest Apple drivers CD burned). I googled for the solution, but couldn't find it.I saw something about this. As you are installing the drivers off the bootcamp disk, take your time hitting the Windows OK dialog buttons.. make sure Windows has had time to discover/install the drivers before moving on. Apparently if you go too fast then some drivers don't get properly installed.

hugh, I don't have AoE III for the Mac, but MacSoft is simply the publisher for the game. The link on the Apple site here:

http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2006/11/ageofempires3/

gives some info. If you click on the "Universal" and "Mac-face" link on the right hand side, get the explanation for how the game runs. My understanding is that the "Universal" designation means that it runs natively on either Intel or PowerPC Macs. Therefore, it should run like the wind on a new Mac.

My son has Quake 4, which is another Universal game and it runs fine on his 24" Imac with the video and RAM upgrade.

No I was not but in reviewing it I wonder what exactly is MacSoft? Are these played in emulation or what????
No, it's all in native Mac. The only caveat I can offer is that sometimes the multiplay doesn't bridge Mac and PC players. Rise of Nations was like that.

"Apparently if you go too fast then some drivers don't get properly installed."

This is quite possibly the reason why. I was in a real rush the first time, the second time I took my time as I was trying to figure out where the problem could be.

No, it's all in native Mac. The only caveat I can offer is that sometimes the multiplay doesn't bridge Mac and PC players.

I was in the Apple Store at Sherway yesterday and did some research. The Mac AOE game is NOT compatible with the PC version so unfortunately we would have to go with bootcamp

We'll after much agonizing, I have decided against getting the Mac. For me, the cost of the Mac was going to be too high.

I've decided for various reasons to actually get a new laptop that will double as desktop replacement. I looked at at the MacBook pro but for me, the prices were too high. I really was underwhelmed with the lower end macbooks.

Thanks for all the help. I learned quite a bit.

Hugh,

You were so close! Is it not too late to change your mind?

Mac Book Pro!

Mac Book Pro!

Mac Book Pro!

I truly hope that you don't go on to rue this day for a long long time.

Good luck to you.

Darren