A DUAL-BOOT SYSTEM QUICK AND EASY
windows xp has arrived on
Intel-based Macs, courtesy of
two new pieces of software—
Apple’s Boot Camp and Parallels’
Workstation 2.1. We tested
both products and found
Boot Camp an intriguing
high-performance option for
anyone who’d like to run OS
X but it still needs Windows
for productivity or gaming.
Boot Camp and Parallels
Workstation take different
approaches to bringing Windows
to Macs. Apple’s utility
helps automate the process
of creating a dual-boot
machine that can run Windows
natively. The functionality
will be built into the next
release of Mac OS X, dubbed
Leopard. In contrast, Parallels,
a Rs 1,800 download,
employs Intel’s virtualization
technology to run Windows
and other operating systems
from inside OS X.
So how well do they work? We
ran Boot Camp’s installer on
an iMac and found the pro cess
amazingly smooth. The graphics
drivers were solid, and the
20-inch iMac’s display re -
sponse in app and gaming
tests was fi ne. As a virtual OS
environment, Parallels couldn’t
run our WorldBench 5 or gaming
tests, but it performed adequately
in hands-on testing.
GOING TO BOOT CAMP
boot camp works only on
Apple’s new Intel-based Macs
and requires the latest version
of Mac OS X (10.4.6) plus a
fi rmware update. After you’ve
updated your computer, you
can download, install, and run
Boot Camp Assistant, which
burns a CD of Windows drivers
for you and helps you re -
partition your Mac’s hard disk
and install Windows XP. On
the iMac we tested, Boot
Camp cleverly handled the
series of reboots required to
get XP set up. Once the system
is fully configured, you
can hold down the
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