We don’t feature a great deal of Mac-specific software on
vnunet.com/downloads, but sometimes there needs to be an exception. Apple
Bootcamp is this exception and, with the release of Bootcamp 1.2, with support
for Windows Vista, if you’re an Apple Intel Mac user, there’s never a better
time to install Bootcamp if you want to run either Vista or Windows XP SP2 on
your computer.
Bootcamp isn’t virtual technology. It’s not based around emulation. It
doesn’t run slowly on your computer, nor does it run on top of Mac OS X.
However, it’s also a doddle to install. Really, it is. It’s simple.
To get started with Bootcamp, you install the application on your Mac, on OS
X. From here, you can create a Windows partition on your hard drive and then
burn a Windows driver CD. Next, grab your copy of Windows XP SP2 or Windows
Vista, install to your new Windows partition. You can then choose to boot
directly to Windows or Mac OS X. If you need to change this in the future, you
can hold down the Alt key on your keyboard and you can choose between Windows or
Mac OS X.
Bootcamp is native to your computer, which means that it uses the hardware
built-in to your Intel Mac. This means it’s ideal for playing games that require
direct access to your graphics card. You’ll get proper drivers so Windows
recognises your graphics card, CPU and other technologies. It also means that
Windows runs rather quickly on an Intel-based Mac.
Note that Apple Bootcamp 1.2 requires specific system requirements, such as
OS X 10.4.6 or higher, 10GB hard disk space and more.
System
requirements.