Boot Windows on your MacTel

Written by Wil Harris

July 26, 2005 | 09:40

Tags: #dual-boot #mac #mactel #osx #windows

Companies: #intel

One of the cunning side effects of Apple's move from IBM to Intel is that Intel is now running a standard, open x86 architecture.

And guess what? Windows likes it just fine.

Whilst you can't install x86 MacOS on a normal PC, you can install Windows on the Intel Mac. These machines aren't available to buy yet, but are with key Apple developers who are writing new code on them.

A couple of enterprising chaps have written a guide to dual-booting Windows and Mac, inventively using Linux as a boot-loader.

The step-by-step guide involves creating three hard drive partitions and installing OSX on one, WinXP on the other and CentOS Linux on the other. The Linux partition can be configured to show a boot menu at startup, allowing you to choose to boot from either Windows or OSX. Whilst both those operating systems have boot-choosers built in, they don't, handily, work with each other.

It seems to be the case that Apple are secretly hoping that dual-booting will be the killer app for MacTels. They've publicly confirmed that the machines will dual-boot come launch, and it seems like it might be a cunning way to get more Macs onto desks - for the odd killer application that doesn't run in OSX, simply reboot into Windows.

The two guide writers say that they hope they're not breaking NDA (non disclosure agreement) through writing this guide. We suspect Apple has got them sewn up with very tight documentation as to what they can and can't say about the preview MacTels, and we hope, for they're sake, they're not.

Looking forward to Intel Macs? Think they're an abhorrence? Let us know your thoughts.
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