dantheman82
17th February 2006, 02:20 AM
I was reading some informative bits on /. about this dual-boot thing - you have to keep this in mind:
1) Differences: Linux already supports the EFI loader used by MacOS X even now. Windows XP doesn't support it until Windows Vista.
2) Also, Apple left out of the EFI anything not needed to boot OSX, including a BIOS-compatability mode.
3) In order to run a mobile Pentium, you have to control its frequency aggressively. Otherwise it will fry itself! The support for EFI in Linux (which they just were able to get to boot recently) is based upon ACPI, which apparently has been taken out and replaced by native power management. This means that once the euphoria settles from realizing the Linux install is working, they will have smoke coming out of the melting plastic on top of the overheated processor in a short enough time.
4) It likely won't work as the Mac uses the new UGA standard for video cards, and has NO support for VGA at all. Windows (including Vista) only supports VGA (or UGA with VGA fallback, which Mac doesn't have either).
5) There is also a problem with drive partitioning, as there is apparently no support for FAT/FAT32 or NTFS which Windows supports. Can someone verify this?
So, not only does XP look extremely unlikely to get working because of all of these issues, but Vista will not be able to work until a real bona fide UGA driver comes out from Microsoft (unless if that has already been done recently). And furthermore, you have a risk of frying the hardware in the process and/or having zero battery management, because power/heating control (and battery management in the case of a laptop) is done via ACPI. Furthermore, in some cases, Microsoft has used ACPI to control the system clock in Windows, so you may have to say goodbye to accurate system time as well. By the way, I just checked in my P4 Toshiba's Device Manager, and it has the following System Devices:
* Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery (for battery related stuff, apparently)
* ACPI Fixed Feature Button
* ACPI Lid
* ACPI Power Button
So, this means that you will have to potentially come up with or hack:
1) Battery control for an Apple battery you've never seen before
2) Hibernation and Standby so that it can work in XP.
3) Perhaps a way to maintain the internal system clock in Windows.
It seems that Microsoft's Windows XP being compatible for the lowest common denominator in terms of hardware will make this difficult to impossible until they come up with some updated drivers that will work with current OSX hardware, which isn't out yet. So, basically, I wish you all the best on this venture, but I think I may bow out of this thing. While the reward is great, the more likely risk is also great (a broken computer that is no longer under warranty due to tinkering). If the thing fried, I think it would be rather dishonest to blame them for a "manufacturing defect" that was obviously caused by fiddling around with low-level processor stuff.
I personally am quite interested in the new MacBook Pro, but until either Apple comes up with the missing pieces on their side of the puzzle or Microsoft/Apple release Virtual Server 2006 with Mac OSX Intel support or Microsoft comes out with driver updates to Windows XP so that a dual-boot is possible. I'm more inclined to think that Microsoft will take the first step in promotion of opening up hardware to be able to run their OS, as they have always done in the past with great success...
1) Differences: Linux already supports the EFI loader used by MacOS X even now. Windows XP doesn't support it until Windows Vista.
2) Also, Apple left out of the EFI anything not needed to boot OSX, including a BIOS-compatability mode.
3) In order to run a mobile Pentium, you have to control its frequency aggressively. Otherwise it will fry itself! The support for EFI in Linux (which they just were able to get to boot recently) is based upon ACPI, which apparently has been taken out and replaced by native power management. This means that once the euphoria settles from realizing the Linux install is working, they will have smoke coming out of the melting plastic on top of the overheated processor in a short enough time.
4) It likely won't work as the Mac uses the new UGA standard for video cards, and has NO support for VGA at all. Windows (including Vista) only supports VGA (or UGA with VGA fallback, which Mac doesn't have either).
5) There is also a problem with drive partitioning, as there is apparently no support for FAT/FAT32 or NTFS which Windows supports. Can someone verify this?
So, not only does XP look extremely unlikely to get working because of all of these issues, but Vista will not be able to work until a real bona fide UGA driver comes out from Microsoft (unless if that has already been done recently). And furthermore, you have a risk of frying the hardware in the process and/or having zero battery management, because power/heating control (and battery management in the case of a laptop) is done via ACPI. Furthermore, in some cases, Microsoft has used ACPI to control the system clock in Windows, so you may have to say goodbye to accurate system time as well. By the way, I just checked in my P4 Toshiba's Device Manager, and it has the following System Devices:
* Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery (for battery related stuff, apparently)
* ACPI Fixed Feature Button
* ACPI Lid
* ACPI Power Button
So, this means that you will have to potentially come up with or hack:
1) Battery control for an Apple battery you've never seen before
2) Hibernation and Standby so that it can work in XP.
3) Perhaps a way to maintain the internal system clock in Windows.
It seems that Microsoft's Windows XP being compatible for the lowest common denominator in terms of hardware will make this difficult to impossible until they come up with some updated drivers that will work with current OSX hardware, which isn't out yet. So, basically, I wish you all the best on this venture, but I think I may bow out of this thing. While the reward is great, the more likely risk is also great (a broken computer that is no longer under warranty due to tinkering). If the thing fried, I think it would be rather dishonest to blame them for a "manufacturing defect" that was obviously caused by fiddling around with low-level processor stuff.
I personally am quite interested in the new MacBook Pro, but until either Apple comes up with the missing pieces on their side of the puzzle or Microsoft/Apple release Virtual Server 2006 with Mac OSX Intel support or Microsoft comes out with driver updates to Windows XP so that a dual-boot is possible. I'm more inclined to think that Microsoft will take the first step in promotion of opening up hardware to be able to run their OS, as they have always done in the past with great success...