| Oct112009 | Windows 7 64-bit on a Late 2007 MacBook Pro |
If you read my notes about installing Boot Camp 3.0, you probably walked away with the conclusion that I’m some sort of glutton for punishment. For clarification for those that reach this post via Google, I installed the RTM of Windows 7 64-bit on a non-unibody 15″ MacBookPro purchased in late 2007.
What went wrong with installation?
Switching – Backing up is easy but there’s some shit that you just can’t take with you when you go between OS X and Windows. Stuff like iPhoto libraries and Mail (ok, you can probably take mail over but I can’t be fucked jumping through the hoops).
OS X Partition – You can install Windows on a Mac without keeping OS X around. But you lose access to any firmware updates from Apple and it’s a bitch to access your old files. MacDrive can help but as of writing it does not support Time Machine folders.
64-bit Windows is not supported by Boot Camp – I have 4.0 GB of RAM and I wanted 64-bit Windows in order to take advantage of it all. You have to Google instructions but basically you rip the DVD to your HDD and then use an official Microsoft utility to recreate a new installation DVD that Boot Camp can understand. Very time consuming and requires a Windows machine.
Crashing during Windows 7 Installation – I still don’t know why but the computer would just lock up during the “Completing installation…” phase (i.e. the very last phase of a lengthy install). My theory is that the DVD was bad or my laptop was overheating. I gave up and tried again at home and it worked.
So how is it to use?
Trackpad – The reason I gave up on Vista and Boot Camp 2.0 was because the trackpad support was abysmal. So bad that I was completely turned off by the idea of spending any amount of time in Windows. Apple make some first-class trackpads on their laptops and they are integral to the experience. Under BC 3.0, trackpad support is much better but still doesn’t compare to the OS X experience. The cursor jumps around as my palm grazes and the scrolling is there but it’s not as precise or comfortable. But it’s useable.
Keyboard shortcuts – Ooh this one pisses me off a lot. I am used to the Mac’s keyboard shortcuts where the Command key serves pretty much the same function it serves in Windows. Under Boot Camp, the Command key becomes the Windows key and it’s very jarring and I’m still not used to it when copying, pasting and opening new tabs.
Power – This is a big pain point too. Sometimes it just doesn’t wake up from sleep or hibernation. Bringing it out of hibernation gives you a bright grey screen to look at before you see the Windows logo appear. This is very painful when you use the laptop in the dark like I do. Sometimes it just crashes on boot up. This may have to do with 64-bit or maybe because Windows 7 support hasn’t matured yet. The automated fan control also works far better in OS X.
Switching in general – I miss Time Machine. On the flip side, I love being able to maximize apps and play games. I feel like OS X is more trackpad-friendly whereas Windows has a love affair with the mouse. Adobe Flash works far better on Windows. It’s much easier for me to connect to the corporate intranet on Windows (virtualization through VMWare Fusion eats far too much battery and generates a lot of heat).
Conclusion
I love Windows 7. I love my MacBook Pro. But the two mix very poorly. I could live in either OS but I do love using the Mac and I would miss it terribly if I went 100% Windows. I’m not really sure what to do!
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