what size HD will i need to run XP on macbook

eurotrotter

hi guys
hope yer all well
i intend gettting a macbook, but i want to run XOP ON HER AS WELL
just wondering wat size HD you'd recommend if inetend having about 20 gb 's of space for myself to work with
thanks
ed

smcelhinney

You need 15Gb min to run XP. The standard MacBook has 60/80/120Gb which are all more than enough.

my advice, use the internal hdd for os's and crucial apps. Use external memory for documents movies music etc.

However remember that OS X/Windows use different filesystems, so you may need to have 2 external HDD's..

eurotrotter

smcelhinney wrote:

You need 15Gb min to run XP. The standard MacBook has 60/80/120Gb which are all more than enough.

my advice, use the internal hdd for os's and crucial apps. Use external memory for documents movies music etc.

However remember that OS X/Windows use different filesystems, so you may need to have 2 external HDD's..

wat file systems do they use?
is there a way of standardizing the file systems?
thanks for the post
ed

sozbox

Mac OS X uses HFS+ while XP can use either FAT32 or NTFS. The important thing to remember is OS X can both read and write to any partition formatted with FAT32 but can only read an NTFS partition.

eurotrotter

but if im just gonna be dealing music formats, data formats such as mdb,doc and xls, and video formats, then there should be no problem, rite?
say if i get a copy of a file in any of the above formats i can open and edit them on mac os x rite?
thanks for the help jason!
klearning alot bout macs these past fwe days!

Jason1984 wrote:

Mac OS X uses HFS+ while XP can use either FAT32 or NTFS. The important thing to remember is OS X can both read and write to any partition formatted with FAT32 but can only read an NTFS partition.

xebec

Can use iTunes or other software for your music.

For the office documents you'll need an editor for them, there are a number available including Microsoft Office, MSOffice doesn't come with Access though so you can't open any mdb's unless you get another database editor.

sozbox

Yup! The file formats I mentioned above are OS specific, you won't encounter them during daily use. For file formats such as .mp3, .mov, .doc, there's always a program available for OS X to handle them. I use my Mac for college too and have never had a problem with file formats.

As for the database format your only choice is probably to run Access under XP, I've never come across a program for OS X that handles .mdb files.

You could use XP for all your office needs and use OS X for the fun stuff!

Are you gonna use BootCamp or Parallels to run XP?

eurotrotter

to be honest i dont know enough about bootcamp/parallels to comment,
wat do u suggest,
i need to figure out how to do it too
wats teh difference between the two alternatives?
thanks again duide

Jason1984 wrote:

Yup! The file formats I mentioned above are OS specific, you won't encounter them during daily use. For file formats such as .mp3, .mov, .doc, there's always a program available for OS X to handle them. I use my Mac for college too and have never had a problem with file formats.

As for the database format your only choice is probably to run Access under XP, I've never come across a program for OS X that handles .mdb files.

You could use XP for all your office needs and use OS X for the fun stuff!

Are you gonna use BootCamp or Parallels to run XP?

sozbox

I've used and installed both. To be honest it all depends on your needs and budget. If you're going to be playing games on XP then BootCamp is the best option, if its just for files and college work then Parallels is more convenient especially since you don't have to reboot.
Of course BootCamp is free whereas Parallels costs close to €80!

eurotrotter

but u have to pay for the OS with bootcamp rite, but with parallels its included am i rite?
so paralell works out cheaper?

Jason1984 wrote:

I've used and installed both. To be honest it all depends on your needs and budget. If you're going to be playing games on XP then BootCamp is the best option, if its just for files and college work then Parallels is more convenient especially since you don't have to reboot.
Of course BootCamp is free whereas Parallels costs close to €80!

sozbox

Forgot to mention that, either way you go you'll have to pay for a Windows licence. The €80 just covers the software to enable you to install Windows not the OS itself. So say a Windows licence costs you €100 (for the sake of this example), if you wanted to go the Parallels route you'd also have to pay €80 for the Parallels software, so you'd spend €180 total.
Apple provide BootCamp free of charge so you'd only pay for Windows, in this example €100.

eurotrotter

gotcha
im over here in boston at the moment and i just seen this for sale:

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/sys/306357857.html

wat ya think?
i emailed him there waiting ona reply, if i got him down to say 900 dollars il take it.
y was teh bezela and battery replaed though?>

Jason1984 wrote:

Forgot to mention that, either way you go you'll have to pay for a Windows licence. The €80 just covers the software to enable you to install Windows not the OS itself. So say a Windows licence costs you €100 (for the sake of this example), if you wanted to go the Parallels route you'd also have to pay €80 for the Parallels software, so you'd spend €180 total.
Apple provide BootCamp free of charge so you'd only pay for Windows, in this example €100.

sozbox

Looks like a good deal.
There was probably a problem with them, discolouration maybe on the bezel.
At least you know its been repaired.
Seems like he's also including Parallels with it so you could be sorted there!
A copy of Windows is probably half nothing in the US given the exchange rate and all.
Let us know how it goes

If you've any more questions be sure to ask!

One little thing to note maybe- it doesn't come with a DVD writer if that matters at all.

eurotrotter

well spotted about the dvd writer
hadnt spotted that now at all
are they easy to fit?
thanks ed

Jason1984 wrote:

Looks like a good deal.
There was probably a problem with them, discolouration maybe on the bezel.
At least you know its been repaired.
Seems like he's also including Parallels with it so you could be sorted there!
A copy of Windows is probably half nothing in the US given the exchange rate and all.
Let us know how it goes

If you've any more questions be sure to ask!

One little thing to note maybe- it doesn't come with a DVD writer if that matters at all.

sozbox

I wouldn't think so, prob easier just to get the model with it installed already. It depends on if you really need one, I have one but I rarely use it.

You could always buy an external one with the money you save, not ideal I know but again it all depends on how often you'll use it!

big_moe

eurotrotter wrote:

are they easy to fit?

depends how good you are at disassembly.

this step by step guide is very good

moe

sozbox

True but a replacement Superdrive could cost $200 or more which is the price difference between the model with and the model without.

And you get much more than just an optical drive upgrade for that $200!

I enjoyed the guide though, might come in handy when my warranty runs out!

big_moe

yeah its a good guide alright. it is handier though just to buy a macbook with it in already, i just have that guide for those quiet tuesday evenings when i get bored!

moe