New MacBook ... Help

[MacRat]

Hi there.

I just got myself a new MacBook and I'm wanting to install XP Pro and Linux along with OSX.

It's pretty much virgin and I have all the standard disks etc so I'm not too concerned about

reinstalling if needed. I also have an empty 1000 gig USB drive for any backups so space is not a

problem.

I have an old Powerbook G3 that died a couple of years ago so I'm not a total Mac nOOb but

certainly out of sync with what's going on Macwise.

Twenty years of everything from IBM DOS 1.0 to XP Pro and I refuse to go Vista. Never had to put

a computer in the shop as I'm a hands-on kind of guy, (stubborn old SOB some would say, or maybe

just cheap), never-the-less I'm off on a new tangent and looking for a bit of help.

I've also purchased a used 939 motherboard to upgrade my PC's 754 MB and was wondering if there's

any way to get Tiger to run on my PC?

I've already gleaned some info from the various forums but it's a lot of chaff to dig through to

find the nuggets I'm looking for.


Mr. Jobs sure dropped the ball on a couple of points with this machine.

Why no DVD burner?

Why populate the two ram slots with 2-512s and not one 1gig and an empty slot?

There's probably other points of contention that I haven't discovered yet, like the miserly 75 gig

drive, but I've only had the machine for two days. (Give me time, I'll find lots more to whine

about I'm sure). :0)

All-in-all, I'm happy as a pig in poo to be Back to the Mac!

Thanks in advance for any help rendered and I'll be sure to help out where I can as well.

Bruce

[zarmanto]

I just got myself a new MacBook and I'm wanting to install XP Pro and Linux along with OSX.?

I'm sure you've already noticed... but we happen to have several threads on that topic in the BootCamp Forum. One of the best ones (in my opinion) is a Quad-boot discussion (http://forum.onmac.net/showthread.php?t=2793) -- and it shouldn't be too difficult to extrapolate from it only the subset of information you need to get a reasonable triple-boot system up and running.

Twenty years of everything from IBM DOS 1.0 to XP Pro and I refuse to go Vista.

I've also purchased a used 939 motherboard to upgrade my PC's 754 MB and was wondering if there's any way to get Tiger to run on my PC?

I'm totally with you on avoiding Vista... I've experimented with it some on my iMac, and it just doesn't seem to me that it's worth the trouble. Unfortunately, installing OS X on your non-Apple PC is probably a discussion for another forum, since it happens to be against Apple's license for the software.

Mr. Jobs sure dropped the ball on a couple of points with this machine.

Why no DVD burner?

Why populate the two ram slots with 2-512s and not one 1gig and an empty slot?

I'm going to make a wild guess, and say you must have bought your new laptop off of the shelf at a retail store: either Apple or Best Buy... Yeah, the default options can be a bit lackluster on some systems. A year ago, when I went to the Apple Retail Store to buy my current system, I specifically asked if I could get any of the build-to-order options on a store-bought unit, and they said that the only upgrade they could offer me in-store was a RAM upgrade -- and unlike the online store, I wouldn't get anything reimbursed if one of my existing RAM sticks had to be removed, either. I promptly turned around to one of the Macs sitting there in the store, logged into the Apple website, and bought an extensively customized computer online instead. Of course, I had to wait a few weeks for delivery, and sometimes customers simply don't have the luxury to wait... so I'd imagine that a fair number of potential switchers walk out of Apple's store front operations empty-handed every day, because of issues similar to this -- or if it's Best Buy, they probably walk out with a new customized PC instead. This is one area where I think that Apple really needs to open their eyes, and see all of the almost-bought-one situations that are slipping through their fingers.

But I digress... because you did buy one. I would say that your best bet is to hit sites like Pricewatch.com (http://www.pricewatch.com/), and buy your RAM upgrade at one of the cheaper* retailers you can find. It'll be a heck of a lot less expensive then getting RAM from Apple.

* but never the cheapest; that'll usually bite you in the end!