Tag: Leopard

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MacBook Windows 7

I installed Windows 7 (Build 6801) on my MacBook “Core 2 Duo” 2.0 13″ (Black) with 3GB RAM.

To manage the boot menu for my Vista and Leopard partitions, I use rEFIt instead of Boot Camp. After I made a backup disk image of the Vista partition, I booted the Windows 7 DVD, reformatted the Vista partition and began the installation. It went a lot faster than the Vista install.

The Boot Camp drivers from the Leopard DVD installed without any problems in Windows 7 – the Apple Built-in Bluetooth, the Apple Built-in iSight, the Apple Trackpad Enabler, the Apple Keyboard, the Apple IR Receiver, the Atheros AR5008X Wireless Network Adapter, the Marvell Yukon 88E8053 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller, the SigmaTel High Definition Audio Codec and the Boot Camp Control Panel. Windows 7 installed the Mobile Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family (Prerelease WDDM 1.0 Driver) for the display adapter.

I used Randy’s SharpKeys 2.1.1 (a registry hack) to remap the Apple enter key (on the bottom row) to a forward delete key so I don’t have to hold down the fn key and delete for that function. I also mapped F8 to Prtscr – another Windows key that’s missing on the MacBook keyboard.

Thankfully, my two year old MacBook still feels responsive in Windows 7 (and in Vista). I’ve never had any major problems with Vista, and so far, Windows 7 seems to be an improvement.

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Merom and Santa Rosa

I’m ready for a new notebook computer but with Leopard and Vista around the corner, maybe I’ll wait for a system with either of those installed. With Core 2 (Merom) Macbooks (Pro) most likely being introducted by Apple in their September 12 announcement, plus being able to run Windows, I’m leaning toward another Mac(intrash).

Intel Core2 Extreme processor die (photo courtesy Intel)
Intel Core2 Extreme processor die (photo courtesy Intel)

Currently, I’m using a Rev. A 12″ Powerbook and a Shuttle SB51G desktop with a 2.2 GHz P4 and 845 GE chipset – not exactly the latest technology. Since I don’t do anything, it’s adequate – the Powerbook is running Apache and MySQL for testing, so that’s OK for now.

I downloaded Vista Beta 2 but I have yet to install it. There’s no Windows Aero for me anyway because my Shuttle is using a ATI AIW (Radeon 9000) for video.

Being a former heatseeker (who would pay $1500 for a Motorola Micro Tac Elite?), I know you should just buy what you need. With the Santa Rosa platform due in H1 2007, I guess more patience is required. What I always wonder is why, when you get a new computer, is it fast and then a couple of years later, it’s so slow?