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A few months ago, before the first Macintels were released, this site prepared to launch a site called TwinMac (a domain we purchased from a friend) with instructions on dual booting your Mac. The project was scrapped since Apple released the units with EFI (and the guides we had written didn't work, since they were based on the transition kits).

 

However, we want to revive the TwinMac idea in order to create simple, elegant guides for Mac users to...

 

1) Dual Boot Windows with Boot Camp

2) Dual Boot Linux with Boot Camp

3) Use virtualization (as with Parallels)

 

Our goal is to make the guides very easy to follow with several screenshots to help along the way.

 

Interested in helping? Here's what we need from you. We need 2 people to write out a detailed guide for each of the items above and include several screenshots (or pictures if screen captures are unavailable). Our staff will edit them and arrange/compile all the material, so you don't need to worry about grammar, etc. When completed, just send the .doc (or .txt) file with the included pictures to mashugly [at] gmail.com.

 

We've got an amazing design for the site and we can't wait to use it. Those who help with the guides will of course be recognized. We hope to have the site up by next Friday, so if you can get them done in a week, that would be great.

 

If you've been looking for a way to give back to the community, here's how. This is your chance to make a difference from which the entire community will benefit.

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Aren't the Apple instructions for Boot Camp good enough? I used them to get Windows running, and it was very clear and concise. Perhaps you should also post instructions for booting Vista, as well as instructions for Windows/Linux with the XOM method, in case the Boot Camp license runs out and Apple tells all of us to stop using it. Just my 2 cents...

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colonels1020 -

 

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it.

 

moksha -

 

Yeah, the apple instructions are good, but we also want to include the things that may not be there - tricks you've learned, things to watch out for, etc.

 

If several of you can just throw those in an email and send it to me, that'd be great! Thanks!

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It'd probably be best to send them separately, maybe in a zip or rar if it's easy for you. Thanks, colonels!

 

We're shooting to have these done by the end of this week so if you're planning on helping, now's the time!

 

(I don't ask for help on this site very often, but we're a community and this has got to be a community effort! It'll be much better that way!)

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Hi Mashugly!

 

You should be aware that the current situation with regard to Linux is quite volatile, and you may have to scrap and re-write the Linux guide every few weeks.

 

For example, Apple's Boot Camp release changed the landscape completely -- now we can use LILO and GRUB on the Mac, but there are some specific problems and we're still learning what the limitations are. Only a few days later ATI released drivers for its graphics card, changing the landscape once again -- now you actually need to boot via Boot Camp and LILO/GRUB to get proper graphics. (The same for the Mac mini; now that a Video BIOS is available the X11 drivers work.) I expect more events of this magnitude in the coming weeks. There are currently no Linux-space tools to create the proper hybrid GPT/MBR partition tables, and we don't yet know how to control the CSM from EFI space. Once that changes, the landscape will shift again.

 

Note that I'm not holding you back, in fact I think it's a good idea. But you and your writers should be aware that this will not be a one-time effort.

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Thanks Christoph, I was actually just thinking about this issue (in the shower, where I end up doing most of my good thinking).

 

Perhaps we should just mention Linux as an alternative and point people to the forum to keep up-to-date on the issue.

 

At this point I will really be content with a good guide for regular dual booting and Parallels.

 

If you have installed either of these, please email me your thoughts and tips for installation! We'll compile it all and make some cool guides.

 

Thanks for your help!

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In the forums, however, some people have very differing ways of getting Linux installed, some easier than others. I think it would help to have a Linux guide, but to put a disclaimer up saying that this isn't definitive, and to have a few people who're in the know-how about this update it when they came to compensate for new things that may have changed the process.

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That's not a bad idea, moksha, although it may be wiser to focus on putting out 2 good guides for Boot Camp and Parallels and then work on the linux guide at a later time (and once things become a little more definitive.)

 

I'm sad to say that I haven't yet gotten any guides (or even tips) from anyone. It would be sad commentary on this community if no one was willing to spend 15 minutes to help 15,000 or so Mac users.

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I'd recommend linking to a wiki for the Linux stuff, that way the community can keep that rolling everytime something new, big, exciting, and or disaterous comes up with getting Linux working. If I had an Intel-based Mac I'd be all over this, giving you everything I've got, but I'm waiting for at least 2 or 3 substantial revisions to the MBP before I buy one (or until I have the money for it, whichever happens later). If there's anything I can do, despite not having an Intel-Mac, please let me know.

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Just had a thought - this would probably be blatantly obvious to most people, but you ought to remind people to print out the guides you put on TwinMac, as they won't be able to access them online when they're actually using them. Making a printable version of them would help as well.

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Great idea moksha - I'll be sure to put that at the top. That is usually something I forget when following guides like that. :)

 

aitikin - the wiki idea is a good one. We'll probably use it. :)

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That's great news, colonels1020. Thanks so much for your help.

 

Can anyone take a few minutes and send in a few thoughts and screenshots of dual booting with Boot Camp?

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If you've already put some of your thoughts together, try to email me your info this weekend.

 

If you haven't and you'd like to help, go ahead and do it! It will seriously take less than 20 minutes of your time, but will this site - and the thousands who visit it - a ton. Thanks.

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Finished! I'll email the guide right away. It's a bit more in depth than I had originally planned. You can edit out stuff if it's not necessary or you don't like it. I'm always glad to help out the site!

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That's great news, colonels1020. Thanks so much for your help.

 

Can anyone take a few minutes and send in a few thoughts and screenshots of dual booting with Boot Camp?

 

when you say post screens, do you mean post images of xp running on the mac or of the install? because i could quite easily take some screens of the desktop and maybe a few in game, but im not gonna reinstall xp.

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Thanks so much for your help, guys!

 

As far as screenshots go, I mainly meant just a few screenshots you saw along the way while installing XP/using parallels.

 

I'd still need a few thoughts on dual booting with Boot Camp, though - if you've ever used boot camp please take 5 minutes and jot down a few things you'd tell a friend...

 

...that would rock. :sorcerer:

 

(I would do this myself, but 1. help from the community is great! and 2. I'm still trying to get that MacBook. Almost there.)

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I guess since the virtualization is done, I can volunteer my time, skills, and my iMac (well, at least it's time) to some work on the BootCamp docs. Anyone else out there already working on 'em? I've got a few pages done.

 

I currently only have the following O/S's to install/boot from:

 

Windows 9x (9x-ME)

Windows NT (2k pro,srv,adv, 2003 std/ent)

Windows XP (Home & Pro 32, and 64bit)

FreeBSD 5.0 (x86 & x64)

Solaris 10 (x86 & x64)

Xandros (x86 & x64)

Ubuntu (x86 & x64)

Mac OSX (How many different discs of THAT do I have laying around)

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Welcome to the forum, silicon.wolf! If you'd like to do a guide for XP with bootcamp, that would rock! Mainly, just put the steps in your words along with a couple of screenshots. If anyone else wants to do the same, it can only help!

 

colonels1020 - your guide is great as is! If you don't mind writing down anything that changes with XP, that would be great.

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