Macbook Pro has been ordered

[manoman81]

I ordered my MBP yesterday on campus. Should be here in about a week or so. I guess they're really backlogged. Wish I could get it now. Anyways, need some opinions:

 

1) I need to have it dual boot into windows. XP Pro or Vista? If vista, which version? I am going to do a little bit of gaming on it.

 

2) Can Macs read NTFS drives? I was thinking I'm going to try to partition the HDD into 3 parts: OS, Windows, and a third for universal files: MP3s, pics, files for stuff like CS3, etc. Is this possible?

 

3) Is there a such thing as a mouse that is compatible with both systems? Not really a big deal but would cut down on the clutter in my bag.

 

Any other thoughts about what I should pick up would be great.

[RoxStar]

1) I'd recommend XP just because of Vista's might instability, but your MBP will run vista fine, should you wish it too.

 

2) Yes. With a bit of geek ingenuity they can write to NTFS too! Google NTFS-3G and MacFuse tools.

 

This link should help you out

http://www.macgeekblog.com/blog/archive/2007/04/01/howto-write-ntfs-partition-from-os-x.html#post_content_extended

 

3) Yes. Any standard USB mouse will work with OS X, so you can use a pc mouse still. Likewise, I believe you can use your mighty mouse in Windows, too.

[Jeff]

I'd second the recommendation to go for XP Pro. I haven't used Vista besides looking at it in the stores but what I've heard from others hasn't been good.

[RoxStar]

Also make sure you get at least a small apple care package with it. You wouldn't want your investment to go unprotected.

 

It may sound corny saying this, but it really is a good idea, unlike with most pc's that you buy at circuit city or the like. Most often, Apple will replace your machine with a newer model should something go wrong.

[manoman81]

Yeah I was smart enough to pick up the warranty for the next 3 years. I've heard that Apple was pretty good about that stuff.

 

I think I will pick up XP. Thanks for the link, RS. I'm sure I'll be going there daily until I figure it all out.

[Kjølen]

I'm getting a MacBook Pro, soonish, too. I'm getting the faster 15" version:

 

2.4GHz Core 2 Duo

2GB DDR2 667 SDRAM

160GB Hard Drive

Geforce 8600M GT 256MB GDDR3

Probably glossy display

 

I hardly even have to customize it, for it was perfect for my wishes.

[manoman81]

Yeah, I'm getting the same one without the glossy screen. The guys at the Apple Store told me that it tends to over saturate colors. But, it looks great for movies and stuff.

[Crow_Nest]

  Darth Moeller said:

I'd second the recommendation to go for XP Pro. I haven't used Vista besides looking at it in the stores but what I've heard from others hasn't been good.

 

Yeah i'd go for XP as well. Vista isnt all THAT great, other than the fact that it seems a lot more stable than XP. I never ever had to ctrl alt delete my way out of anything.

[BongoBob]

I'd go for XP simply because it uses less resources and less battery than Vista from my experience.

[Det. Bart Lasiter]

  Crow_Nest said:

Yeah i'd go for XP as well. Vista isnt all THAT great, other than the fact that it seems a lot more stable than XP.

So you're saying it's slow and steady?

[TiE23]

I just hope to god nVidia comes out with new drivers for Vista. I'm now 90% sure thats the reason for all my woes on Vista at the moment.

[BongoBob]

That's why I wiped Vista off my laptop ASAP.

 

Now comfortably running in XP Home SP2/ubuntu 7.04

[Kjølen]

  Crow_Nest said:

Vista isnt all THAT great, other than the fact that it seems a lot more stable than XP.

 

*Laughs in your face, pointing.*

I was one of Vista's beta testers, and I can tell you that THEY were more stable than the actual release.

[BongoBob]

  Crow_Nest said:

...other than the fact that it seems a lot more stable than XP. I never ever had to ctrl alt delete my way out of anything.

 

So, all you've done is turn it on then immediately turn it off

 

As a testiment to how fail vista is, my cousins boyfriend who's helping down at the family auto garage has it on his laptop, and just trying to set up a simple computer to computer wireless network and playing Command And Conquer 3 on said wireless LAN caused 3 complete freezes that required reboots, and at least 7 frozen C&C3 games.

 

Seriously, wtf

[manoman81]

Well, back to the matter at hand. Another question: Did it take forever to actually receive said laptop for anyone else? I talked to the Apple guy on campus and he said I won't have it until Sept 16. That is if I actually believe Apple's dates.

[ChAiNz.2da]

  manoman81 said:

Well, back to the matter at hand. Another question: Did it take forever to actually receive said laptop for anyone else? I talked to the Apple guy on campus and he said I won't have it until Sept 16. That is if I actually believe Apple's dates.

I get mine faster when I order online directly from Apple's store...

 

Seems the "physical" Apple/Re-Seller Stores have to go through a bunch of hoops filling out the order, sending it in, blah blah...

 

However, it does seem to take a little longer no matter where you order it from whenever you change the 'default' specs.. go figure

[manoman81]

OK, this is the last time I'm gonna bump this. I'm picking it up tomorrow. Can't wait. What's even better is that I scored a free copy of XP for work!!! Feel like it's Christmas Eve!

 

 

Can't believe I'm excited to get a Mac...

[RoxStar]

Did you ever pick it up? Are you thinking about upgrading to Leopard? Will Batman and Robin survive the fall?

 

 

sorry for bumping.

[Tyrion]

  RoxStar said:

Did you ever pick it up? Are you thinking about upgrading to Leopard? Will Batman and Robin survive the fall?

sorry for bumping.

 

A better question to ask is why? Why do you dig up the dead? Why do you place their bodies on slabs of metal and molest them with crude implements of science?

 

Why do you play God?

[manoman81]

  Tyrion said:

Why do you play God?

 

Cause it's fun?

 

Anyways, yeah I finally got mid way through Sept. I'm digging it. It's a solid machine and I'm getting to know OS more and more. As for Leopard, yeah I guess that I'm going to have to pick it up because the bootcamp 1.4 license is up when Leopard gets released. Problem is that I'm broke until next semester, so it's gonna have to wait.

 

And, yes, B & R will survive with the cunning use of the batarangs and shoelaces.

[BongoBob]

He likes to party.

[PR-0927]

Y'know, if you know computers well enough, and you have mastered Windows XP, Windows Vista is just a shiny version of XP. Once you establish control over Vista, it's actually very good (and this is coming from someone who is cynical about Microsoft products).

 

I see it this way - if you have XP, don't upgrade to Vista. But, if you get a new computer, go with Vista if you don't mind familiarizing yourself with a new GUI and "re-learning" Windows (which is really just learning the new GUI and some new features, disabling UAC, etc.).

 

And my laptop runs Vista very smoothly and quickly.

 

- PR-0927

[Kjølen]

  PR-0927 said:

(which is really just learning the new GUI and some new features, disabling UAC, etc.).

- PR-0927

 

Regardless of what you think about UAC, disabling it simply makes it less secure than XP. Better to have it on with some minor annoyances than to not have it at all.

[BongoBob]

Or better to have lunix, and not have windows at all >.> <.<

[Kjølen]

  BongoBob said:

Or better to have lunix, and not have windows at all >.> <.<

 

Some of us like playing visual games instead of the text-based games in Konsole. Next time I get the urge to play "install some software," I'll get a Linux distro.