Boot Camp (software)

Infobox Software
name = Boot Camp



caption = The partitioning options window in Boot Camp 2.0
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developer = Apple Inc.
released = April 5 2006
latest release version = 2.1
latest release date = April 24 2008
latest preview version =
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frequently updated =
programming language =
operating system = Mac OS X
platform =
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genre = Software assistant for dual booting
license = Proprietary
website = [http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/bootcamp.html Mac OS X Leopard - Boot Camp]

Boot Camp is a utility included with Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard" operating system that assists users in installing Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista on Intel-based Macintosh computers. Boot Camp guides users through non-destructive re-partitioning (including resizing of an existing HFS+ partition, if necessary) of their hard disk drive and using the Mac OS X Leopard disc to install Windows drivers. In addition to device drivers for the hardware, the disc includes an applet for the Windows control panel for selecting the boot operating system.

Overview

Holding down the option key at startup brings up the boot manager, allowing the user to choose which operating system to boot. When using a non-Apple keyboard, the alt key usually performs the same action. The boot manager can also be launched by holding down the “menu” button on the Apple Remote at startup.

On early Intel-based Macintosh computers, Boot Camp requires that the user upgrade the EFI firmware, to include a BIOS compatibility support module. EFI is used in Intel Macs in place of Open Firmware used on PowerPC Macs. Later Intel Macs ship with this update.

Boot Camp displaced the open source Xom Project for dual booting Mac OS X and Windows XP. [cite web |url=http://www.everymac.com/articles/q&a/windows_on_mac/faq/xom-hack-for-running-windows-on-mac.html |title=Xom hack for running Windows on Mac |publisher=EveryMac |accessdate=2007-09-26]

Requirements

Apple's Boot Camp FAQ lists the following requirements:cite web|url=http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306538 |title=Boot Camp: Requirements, installation, and frequently asked questions (FAQ)|accessdate=2007-11-10|date=October 11, 2007|author=Apple Inc.|publisher=Apple Inc.]
* An Intel-based Mac with the latest firmware
* A Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard installation disc or Mac OS X Disc 1 included with Macs that have Leopard preinstalled for installation of Windows drivers
* 5 GB free hard disk space (15 GB is recommended for Vista)
* A full version of one of the following OSs:
**Windows XP Home Edition or Professional with Service Pack 2 or higher (32-bit editions only)
**Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate RTM or higher (both 32-bit and 64-bit editions).

Mac OS X v10.4

Boot Camp Beta, which was the only version available for Mac OS X v10.4, expired on December 31, 2007. The company has urged users to upgrade to Mac OS X v10.5 in order to continue using Boot Camp, as well as getting support and updates for it.

Unsupported devices

There is partial support for Apple's combined S-Video and composite video adapter for TV-out. Some Macs with an ATI graphics chip are compatible as long as the system is booted with the cable in place.Fact|date=November 2007 Yet many users have had trouble getting the S-Video image to sync properly from the Boot Camp side while using the 2007 aluminium iMacs, regardless of how the ATI graphics chip's resolution and refresh rate are set.Fact|date=November 2007

As of Version 2.1 there is no support for tap click on Mac notebooks, and some discussion groups on the web question Apple's commitment to updating its drivers in a timely way.

Other operating systems

The documentation from Apple states that Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista is requisite for a Boot Camp installation, and it also mentions that trying to install an unsupported operating system could prevent the computer from booting even into Mac OS X; however, it should be noted that other operating systems have been installed successfully. Other versions of Windows, such as Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 have been installed. Further, various Linux distributions have been installed, [cite web|url=http://wiki.onmac.net/index.php/Triple_Boot_via_BootCamp |title=Triple Boot via BootCamp |publisher=OnMac |accessdate=2007-01-24] Verify credibility|date=November 2007 as well as GNU OpenSolaris's Nexenta OS (Alpha 6 Elatte). [cite web|url=http://docs.lucidinteractive.ca/index.php/Solaris_on_the_MacBook |title=Solaris on the Macbook |publisher=Alkaloid Networks |accessdate=2007-01-26]

64-bit (x64) Microsoft Windows

Apple supports running 64-bit versions of Windows Vista on selected Apple hardware, namely the early 2008 generation of the Mac Pro and the MacBook Pro. [cite web |url=http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1846 |title=Boot Camp: Macs that work with 64-bit editions of Microsoft Windows Vista |publisher=Apple Inc. |date=2008-05-07 |accessdate=2008-10-03] 64-bit versions of Windows XP are not supported. [cite web |url=http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1888 |title=Boot Camp 2.0: Which versions of Microsoft Windows are supported? |publisher=Apple Inc. |date=2008-06-17 |accessdate=2008-10-03]

Linux

Linux is not supported by Boot Camp, but some distributions ship proprietary drivers to achieve partial compatibility with Apple computers, with various small problems occurring, such as reduced sound output quality, and numerous issues with MacBooks and hardware sleep.Fact|date=October 2008

Version history

ee also

*Parallels Desktop for Mac
*VMware Fusion
*VirtualBox

References

External links

* [http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/bootcamp.html Boot Camp feature description]
* [http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/ Boot Camp support page and installation instructions]
* [http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304109 Using the Apple Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard in Boot Camp]
* [http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20060406.html Boot Camp Turns Your Mac Into a Reliable Windows PC] - Walter Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal
* [http://www.cabel.name/2006/04/boot-camp-first-look-half-life-2-video.html Summary of the Windows XP Install process and video of an iMac running Half Life 2]
* [http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,125393,00.asp PC World Article On Boot Camp Beta]