bootcamp + macbook pro performance - newbie

[msalman]

hey everyone

sorry if this is in a wrong section

so I got my first mac last week and installed window xp and also parallel. I'll be using bootcamp for gaming and parallel to run software which are not available for mac. Now few questions:

1 - Is it good idea to use window xp or should I switch to windows 7? Which would have better performance in terms of loading and speed?

2 - given my mac's specs, the speed is bit slow like the booting up for both mac OS and bootcamp but parallel seems fine. Is this normal?

3 - It seems that when I'm using bootcamp, the computer is working over time and as a result, it gets hot really quickly though it cools down when i switch back to mac OS. If I use bootcamp for long while running complicated processes, for example scanning files from virus or moving big files to HD from an external disk, the HD or maybe the fan gives noticeable noise (like you can clearly hear it). However, less than 1 GB RAM and only 5-10% of CPU are being used. Is this normal?

4 - I got two external HDs and I've backed up my old pc data on them; one is 500GB and other one is 320 GB; NTFS file system. When I was moving the files (from EHDs to macbook HD or one EHD to another EHD) on macbook, it seems to take forever, specially the video/audio files. I tried this on bootcamp but got even worst result. In addition, reading files on macbook from these two EHDs was also slow. However, when I do the same on my pc, the speed is way better. Is this expected/normal?
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I think I had couple of more questions but forgot them now so I guess I'll ask later when I would remember them. Thanking in advance for your input!

 

[msalman]

*bump*

anyone please?

 

[midgetsanchez]

I don't think you're allowed to bump threads.

1.) Definitely go with windows 7, unless you need XP for some bizarre reason. It's almost a 10-year old OS for god's sake, I don't see why people would have any reason to use it. 7 works beautifully and isn't a horror like Vista.


2.) Drivers aren't the greatest for windows. You'll get less battery life and your notebook will heat up. I'm pretty sure it's apple's fault though.

3.) no idea

 

[iLog.Genius]

1. You can't go wrong with either XP or 7. Something you might consider, if you have or plan on using 4GB RAM, you would need a 64-bit OS - Windows XP 32-bit will see and use 3.5GB RAM. In this case, Windows 7 would be best since you can easily find and download the 64-bit version off the Windows 7 site.

2. If you're running Parallels, the important thing is RAM. Since virtualization uses a significant amount of RAM, if you're running the stock 2GB RAM, you probably will experience slowdowns - RAM getting full requires the system to write out/in.

3. While running Boot Camp, you will notice that your computer to run a warmer than OS X. This could be blamed on the drivers. If you search the forum, it has been discussed that Apple does provide drivers but are only provided to just work and isn't "optimized" which will result in an increased temperature and shorter battery life. (I get no more than 2 hours of battery life)

4. Copy files from and to external HDD's and your MacBook shouldn't be painfully slow. That's something you should look into if you feel like it's taking hours rather than 20-30 min.

 

[msalman]

thanks for your feedback guys

I'll be replacing XP with windows 7 and hopefully i'll have enjoy it.

as far external HD issue, for really big files for example 3 GB, it took almost 3 hours to complete. The file was moved from external HD to bootcamp partition. This just doesn't seem right. Should I call apple? or there are any tweaks?

again, thanking in advance