"GlassBook" performance with Windows (XP/Vista)

[ShiggyMiyamoto]

Hey all. As soon as I saw the new MacBooks it was love at first sight. I unfortunately can't take out my credit/debit card and order one due to me not having any money nor a job.

I have a question though. How well do these new machines perform under Windows XP / Vista? I'm assuming Vista would perform [more than] okay given they have better graphics cards (even the intergrated 9400M is an excellent card to my knowledge). The DDR3 RAM probably helps as well, even with only 2GB.

I had Vista installed on my MB 2.2 GHz SR, which has the Intel GMA X3100, and it ran okay, but it still lagged and the performance rating was only at about 3 or 3.5. As much as I hate saying this, I want to run Vista so I can get used to it, as eventually XP is going to be phased out, as was Win98 etc.

Also, some side questions that [sort of] relate:

Is there any way I can take a WinClone'd Windows XP backup image and restore it to a partition that'd be created on an external HDD? Even if that won't boot, would XP be able to see it as a partition?

...and...

I was reading on the twocanoes.com forums (makers of WinClone) that the Disk Utility on Leopard allows non-destructive partitioning, ala Boot Camp Assistant. I can't seem to partition my HDD using BCA anymore. It say that some files can't be moved, and it suggest that I backup and reformat, and then try BCA again. While that'd work, I don't want to have to do that.

If the above is indeed possible, I'd restore my image'd XP so I can use it again, but I wanna be sure that the DU method won't fry any of my unbacked up Mac OS X data.

 

[anish3232]

Friends Macbook 2.4 with 2GB ram got a 5.3(out of 6) on the Vista Performance Rating. That is really good for only 2GB of Ram and a 5400rpm HD

 

[ShiggyMiyamoto]

Friends Macbook 2.4 with 2GB ram got a 5.3(out of 6) on the Vista Performance Rating. That is really good for only 2GB of Ram and a 5400rpm HD

Awesome. I'm assuming this is a new GlassBook, right?

Would you have any idea about the Disk Utility method I mentioned at the end of my post? I'm also gonna call AppleCare or an Apple store to confirm whether or not this method works.

EDIT: I just called two Apple retail stores, and no one knows of that method nor feature. AppleCare is closed....

 

[anish3232]

Yes new Macbook, not sure what the BootCamp error is.

 

[ShiggyMiyamoto]

Yes new Macbook, not sure what the BootCamp error is.

Hmm. Okay. Anyone else?

Also, I want to make it clear that I'm trying to use DU to partition my boot drive, when using it to boot, if that makes sense.

 

[DARKJ3DI]

Have you repaired permissions? i had a Boot Camp assistant error which i fixed by repairing permissions.

 

[ShiggyMiyamoto]

Have you repaired permissions? i had a Boot Camp assistant error which i fixed by repairing permissions.

Several times.

This is the error I get when I try and use BCA to make a 32 GB partition (which is what my compressed WinClone image expands to):

I'm aware of the unix-side diskutil and it's commands for dynamically partitioning (which is why Apple wrote Boot Camp Assistant), but I don't want to dabble with that.

Can anyone help me now that I've provided that?

 

[anish3232]

Several times.

This is the error I get when I try and use BCA to make a 32 GB partition (which is what my compressed WinClone image expands to):

I'm aware of the unix-side diskutil and it's commands for dynamically partitioning (which is why Apple wrote Boot Camp Assistant), but I don't want to dabble with that.

Can anyone help me now that I've provided that?

I think you need more free GB on the Mac side I think its 20 not sure. I remember reading somewhere you had to have a certain amount of GB free on your Mac drive before Boot Camp will partition the drive.

 

[ShiggyMiyamoto]

I think you need more free GB on the Mac side I think its 20 not sure. I remember reading somewhere you had to have a certain amount of GB free on your Mac drive before Boot Camp will partition the drive.

I've been able to partition my drive to 32 GB several times (when I had Vista or when I had XP as the OS being restored / installed).

 

[southerndoc]

I'm running Win XP under VMWare Fusion on my 2.4 GHz MB Aluminum. No problems here. Of course I'm not running any high end programs.

Run Vista under Fusion on my 2.8 GHz iMac.

 

[ShiggyMiyamoto]

I'm running Win XP under VMWare Fusion on my 2.4 GHz MB Aluminum. No problems here. Of course I'm not running any high end programs.

Run Vista under Fusion on my 2.8 GHz iMac.

That's good to know, but I'm more concerned about its performance when running natively.

 

[southerndoc]

That's good to know, but I'm more concerned about its performance when running natively.

It should run just as any other PC. When you run it natively with Boot Camp, it's just like owning a PC, so it's really a non issue.

 

[ShiggyMiyamoto]

It should run just as any other PC. When you run it natively with Boot Camp, it's just like owning a PC, so it's really a non issue.

...I was just wondering about peoples' experiences with Windows installations (Vista specifically since it runs like crap on my current hardware) on the new MBs (aka GlassBooks).

I know that they'd run like "a regular PC". That wasn't the issue / inquiry.

 

[jav6454]

My 2.4GHz GlassBook runs Vista. It has 2GB Ram (I got 4Gb but Apple Store didn't have 2x2GB modules so I am waiting for them to call me) and let me tell you my experience.

1. Mac OS X runs a bit forced and Vista takes a little time to do the simplest tasks.

2. Didn't do performance rating cause the thing was to sluggish.

3. Ram goes up to all used up leaving only 20MB free.

4. Vista froze on me once. Had to use Restore Snapshot.

5. Vista is shown in Basic Style (no Aero).


I am hopping this will change with the introduction of the other 2GB Ram. I am looking at the possibility of deleting Vista and doing it through Boot Camp installation rather than letting VMware Fussion do it. Maybe that fixes problems. Besides VMware can boot a Boot Camp partition.

Will report after I get those extra 2GBs.