In my quest to soil my Mac Pro for the sake of science, I decided to install Windows 7 via BootCamp yesterday. One thing that I felt was a necessity was read and write access to both systems from either system. Snow Leopard has NTFS read support out of the box, but in order to enable write support you must get out the chicken bones and voodo stick.

Here’s how:

1. Open Terminal.app (/Applications/Utilities/Terminal)
2. Type “diskutil info /Volumes/volume_name” and copy the Volume UUID (bunch of numbers).
3. Backup /etc/fstab if you have it, shouldn’t be there in a default install.
4. Type “sudo nano /etc/fstab”.
5. Type in “UUID=paste_the_uuid_here none ntfs rw” or “LABEL=volume_name none ntfs rw” (if you don’t have UUID for the disk).
6. Repeat for other NTFS partitions.
7. Save the file (ctrl-x then y) and restart your system.

And that’s it!

[UPDATE]

After a few days of running with NTFS write support using Boot Camp, I started to experience random lock ups and program crashes. My Mac became completely unresponsive at times. Especially when running Disk Utility permission repairs.

If this happens to you, I suggest removing, or renaming /etc/fstab

Here’s how:

1. Open Terminal.app (/Applications/Utilities/Terminal)
2. Type “sudo rm -f /etc/fstab” to remove fstab, or “sudo mv -f /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.bak” to rename it.

Windows 7 Upgrade Install

We can say for sure that our own Windows 7 upgrade experience didn’t take, oh say, a whole day, but according to Microsoft, your own just might. The boys and girls in Redmond set out with a goal of seeing the Vista to Windows 7 upgrade accomplished around five percent faster than an upgrade to Vista, and while it seems that they succeeded, the staggeringly wide range in install times has us a wee bit concerned. A variety of testing situations were put in place, and nearly every profile was tested on low-, mid- and high-end hardware. A clean install of Windows 7 on mid-to-high-end hardware took just a half-hour, but a 32-bit upgrade on a mid-range machine with 650GB of data and 40 applications took an astounding 1,220 minutes, or just under 21 hours. The wild part here is that it’s not all that uncommon for a power user / all-around nerd to have a half-terabyte of information and two score programs, and in anticipation of one install actually taking over a day, the team didn’t even bother testing this path on a low-end rig. Good thing our imaginations are in check, huh?

via Engadget

Windows 7 Home Premium

While Microsoft’s Windows 7 will go on sale in just about two months, there is still a little time to get a free copy of the operating system.

Well, at least a free test copy of Windows 7, anyway. Users have until Thursday to download the “release candidate” version of the software–the final test version of the operating system. It’s a good option for those who have a spare machine to try out the software or for Mac users looking to experiment with running Windows either in virtualization software or via Boot Camp.

Microsoft has provided free, unlimited downloads of the release candidate version, but plans to halt distribution after Thursday.

“After that date, you will still be able to register your product and get registration keys but, the media will no longer be available for download,” Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc said in a blog posting this week.

Even for those that get the software, the free ride only lasts so long. The release candidate will only work through early next year. The software will expire entirely on June 1 and, starting March 1, it will begin shutting down every two hours to remind users that the end is nigh.

As for the software itself, although it is not the final version, I used the release candidate for months and found it to be quite stable and reliable. For those who are looking to ultimately use the software, though, I recommend just biting the bullet and upgrading to the final release.

Folks will also want to remember that to move from the release candidate to the final version requires a clean installation of the operating system, meaning backing up one’s data, reinstalling Windows 7, and then restoring the data and reinstalling any applications.

Microsoft’s decision to leave Windows XP users behind, with no easy upgrade path to Windows 7, is, possibly, the sole mistake of an otherwise pitch-perfect product development and launch campaign.

Yes, I know there’s precedent for Microsoft not helping customers upgrade from multi-generations-old operating systems. When XP shipped in October of 2001, Windows 3.1 and even Windows 95 were left behind. The exact phrasing Microsoft uses in its literature is: “No Supported Upgrade Paths.” When Vista shipped in January 2007, XP had multiple paths, but Windows 2000 (and older OSs) were left out in the cold.

To clarify, Microsoft isn’t abandoning these users. The company is simply making it clear that for any user running a Windows operating system older than Vista, there is “no supported upgrade path.” That means, of course, that you’ll need a clean install to run Windows 7. Look, our tests have shown that Windows 7 is one of the leaner Windows OSs in recent years. It can even run on sub-powered netbooks. So, it’ll likely run on your older systems (within reason, of course). However, if you want to move that XP system to Win 7, you’ll need to do what Microsoft is calling a “Custom install.” Microsoft describes it thusly:

“A custom installation gives you the option to either completely replace your current operating system or install Windows on a specific drive or partition that you select. You can also use Custom if your computer does not have an operating system, or if you want to set up a multiboot system on your computer.”

Just so you know, “…replace your current operating system…” means starting over. You’ll lose settings and will need to back up all your files to storage outside that XP system. All your apps will need to be reinstalled, as well. And you may have to manage some of the hardware driver updates, too. Microsoft also is not promising that all your XP apps will work with Win 7: The company has always promised that all Vista hardware and software would.

I don’t think Microsoft is being unfair here. Like I said, this is how it has always done its upgrades. On the other hand, XP followed Win 98 and Vista followed XP. Despite some initial misgivings, users came to tolerate, if not like, 98 and XP, especially once each one of them got its Service Packs and Special Editions. Theses upgrades made a world of difference. By the time new OSs came along, adoption was pretty much universal.

Things are different now.

For one thing, perception of Windows Vista has been almost universally bad. It became the poster child for a product that over-promised and under-delivered. Like the OSs that came before it, Vista now has its own set of Service Packs. SP2 solved most of Vista’s major issues, and now, it is, in fact, a good OS. But oh, the way Vista is perceived. It’s been so bad that it’s kept many consumers and huge swaths of businesses away. What’s more, Vista, unlike Win 7, is a resource hog that demands a powerful system to run effectively.

And then there’s the netbook thing. The netbook explosion created a very unusual problem for Microsoft. An operating system that Microsoft was trying to euthanize—XP—rose from the dead and now marches among us on netbooks, with its own third Service Pack. I don’t think Microsoft planned the last one, but XP remained so popular that it had to release it. Netbooks are only serving to extend its improbable run. Eight years after its initial release, new systems are still selling with XP preinstalled. Steve Ballmer must be cursing the netbook explosion.

Interestingly, when I went to the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference where the first Win 7 beta was introduced, Microsoft executives made a special point of showing off how well Win 7 runs on a netbook. They had to know that current netbooks are running XP. So, why didn’t anyone push for an upgrade path?

The point is, XP may be an old OS but it’s widely used. Consumers, in particular, will be squeamish about installing a completely new OS. I think the word of mouth about Win 7 is so good—and rightly so—that users will finally want to upgrade. However, when they hear that they have to replace their operating system and, ostensibly, rebuild their relatively new PCs, they could balk.

Microsoft is also ignoring the countless businesses that stuck with XP. I hate to admit it, but I work at one of them. Sure, I’m surrounded by PCs running Vista, Win 7, and even the Mac OS, but my work PC is XP (SP2!). My IT department, like so many others, wanted nothing to do with Vista, or the headaches they assumed they’d encounter. Microsoft needs companies to feel comfortable about switching to Win 7. If they can’t upgrade from the OS most are using, they’ll wait, too.

Obviously, many businesses will wait anyway (I know of some firms still running Windows 2000 and earlier OSs), but this Microsoft strategy will certainly scare off many XP users who were considering an upgrade. There is a bit of good news. Microsoft’s decision has left the door open for third-party tools. LapLink (remember them?), for example, has created a utility that will let any XP user upgrade to Win 7.

There are still a few months before Win 7 ships. Perhaps Microsoft can do something on its own, too. Now that Win 7 is in RTM, it’s unlikely Microsoft can do anything to the code, but the company could offer its own free migration utility.

via Windows XP to Windows 7: It’s Going to Be a Bumpy Ride – Columns by PC Magazine.

Well, were getting closer to the release of Windows 7, the next major release from Redmond. Announced today on the official Windows Blog was that the RTM version has shipped!

- Brandon LeBlanc

“I am pleased to announce that Windows 7 has RTM’d!

As I mentioned previously, RTM officially happens only after sign-off occurs. What happens is a build gets designated as a RTM contender after going through significant testing and meeting our quality bar for RTM. Then, it goes though all the validation checks required for RTM including having all languages of that build completed. If all the validation checks have passed – sign-off for RTM can occur. Today after all the validation checks were met, we signed off and declared build 7600 as RTM.”

read the rest @  The Windows Blog

Prices for the Windows 7 Family Pack have apparently leaked, according to ZDNet, and the multi-user bundle will net you three copies of Windows 7 for $137. Also revealed were prices for the Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade products.

These prices aren’t 100 percent confirmed, and no one knows certain when these products will ship. But the speculation is that upgrading from Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Home Premium will cost $82, while upgrading from Home Premium to Professional or Ultimate will cost $91 or $138, respectively.

Is your head spinning yet? Good. Because you should also know that Microsoft plans to run a pre-release promotion to lower both the Home Premium and Ultimate upgrade prices to $49 and $99, respectively. OK, done. Phew.

via Gizmodo

The amount of information pouring out of Redmond these days about Windows 7 is unprecedented, and so is the level of enthusiasm. In a frantic attempt to make sense of it all, Maximum PC has been releasing our ongoing Feature Focus series, which hopefully, has helped you determine wither upgrading to Windows 7 is worth it for you. Once you made that decision however, or buy a new PC that’s upgrade eligible, do you know exactly what you’re getting? Can I upgrade from Windows XP? Do I need to buy the same product edition when upgrading? Can I go from 32 bit to 64 bit? These are just a few of the many questions we seek to answer after the jump.

Check out our Windows 7 Buyers Guide here!

The Basics

Release Date: October 22nd 2009

Qualifying OS’s For Upgrade: Windows 2000, XP, Vista

Qualifying OS For In-Place Upgrade: Vista

Upgrade Editions: Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate

System Requirements:

•    1GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

•    1GB RAM (32-bit) / 2GB RAM (64-bit)

•    16GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20GB (64-bit)

•    DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Read more via Windows 7 Upgrade Guide: All Your Questions Answered | Maximum PC.

Ed Bott of ZDNet finds this M&M buried inside the horrible trail mix that is the Windows 7 Home Premium End User License Agreement: there’s going to be a Family Pack.

That’s it. There’s going to be a family pack for three users. Nobody knows what the pricing will be, but Apple’s family pack pricing is $199 for five users. Only three (Mom, Dad and Junior) can use Windows 7, so theoretically it should be lower than $199. But when you look at the pricing for a standalone one-user copy of Home Premium, it’s $120 for an upgrade and $200 for a full version. So somewhere between $120 and $199 for an upgrade Family Pack, and somewhere between $200 and infinity for a retail Family Pack. [ZDNet]

via Gizmodo – Windows 7 Home Premium Will Have a Family Pack – Windows 7 family pack.