A couple of things (OS and External Drive)

[' r i S e n]

I want to purchase everything from Newegg. I just want to make sure that the OS is what I am actually looking for and I have a few External HD questions.

I just want an install disc for Windows 7 Home Premium. This is the correct, most up-to-date product and is just that, yes?

In terms of External Hard Drives (yes, I have read the other posts here) - it seems that brand makes no difference. If so, wouldn't I just want to go with the cheapest thing that I can find that is USB 2.0 and meets the storage capacity of my internal drive? I'm reading reviews as well and it seems it's a toss up as to whether or not you get a bad drive that doesn't necessarily work. Does a raise in price offset that chance, or is the idea just to go for the cheapest one I can find?

If that is the case, then I am thinking about getting this, which is not necessarily the cheapest option but it is very cheap in comparison to most of the options.

This drive does not mention Windows 7 under "OS supported." Is that going to be a problem? Not many of these drives do.

Thank you.

 

[blevins321]

Hello there.

If you can find an "original" Win7 disk for cheaper, go ahead and get that one. No need to specifically buy one with SP1 - Windows Update will install it for you no problem. I've anecdotally read that OEM editions have difficulties if you want to run them in both single-OS Boot Camp and Parallels/VMWare due to the motherboard lock. If you're just using it for one or the other you should be fine with an OEM edition.

Make sure that your computer is one in THIS list. Those are the models that 64-Bit Boot Camp drivers are provided for. If your computer isn't included in this list, you need to get a 32-bit install disc.

As for the hard drive, yes that will work in Win7 just fine; it probably just doesn't mention it because it's been out for long than Windows 7 has. You'll probably frequently run across this. For flash and hard drives, if XP and/or Vista support it, Win7 will too. Size-wise, I would get one that is at least 1/3 bigger than your internal drive. That way Time Machine can backup more files for a longer amount of time. Also for future proofing if you decide to accumulate media later.

 

[' r i S e n]

Thanks for your reply.

I know that it is unnecessary to get Windows 7 SP1, but that's honestly the cheapest thing that I could find. The one at my local retail store is an "Upgrade for Windows Vista" (I am assuming that just means it will carry over your data from Vista, not necessarily that you have to have it in order to install) and that is twenty dollars more. I plan on just using it to boot up Windows and play games on that aren't compatible with Mac OS X, so not switching back and forth between or using both a single boot up and Parallels/VMWare/etc. I also have a Spring 2010 MacBook Pro so I should be fine with 64-bit.

I figured it would be ideal to match my internal storage space with an external. I'm not so sure if I even want to use Time Machine, I have read about people who don't. I will have to look into it more and make a decision from there.