Brief Hands-On Report--Apple Boot Camp 1.1 Beta

Apple updated Boot Camp public beta to v1.1. It is available for download via this Apple Web page. The file is 202MB and it contains a number of updates. Version 1.1 is intended for all new and previous Boot Camp beta users. According to Apple, Boot Camp 1.1 beta includes:

• Support for the latest Intel-based Macintosh computers
  
• Easier partitioning using presets for popular sizes
  
• Ability to install Windows XP on any internal disk
  
• iSight camera support
  
• Support for built-in microphones
  
• Right-click when pressing the right-hand Apple key on Apple keyboards
  
• Improved Apple keyboard support including Delete, PrintScreen, NumLock, and ScrollLock keys
  

If you previously installed Boot Camp beta and Windows XP, you should update to Boot Camp 1.1 beta by burning a new Macintosh Drivers for Windows CD using the Boot Camp Assistant in v1.1 and installing the drivers in Windows XP. You don't need to partition your hard drive again (unless you want to change its size) or reinstall your Macintosh and Windows software or documents. Complete instructions are provided in the Installation and Setup Guide included with the Boot Camp 1.1 beta software.

We downloaded Boot Camp v1.1 and burned a new Macintosh Drivers for Windows CD using the Boot Camp Assistant. Then we booted our Mac mini Core Duo into Windows XP and inserted the CD. The new drivers were installed automatically. After a reboot, the iSight camera attached to our Mac mini via FireWire was recognized by Windows XP. But, of course, at present, we have no Windows software that uses the iSight. Nor do we have an additional internal drive or built-in microphone in the Mac mini. However, the new keyboard commands all work.

We have been unable to install Boot Camp 1.0 or 1.0.1 on our MacBook Pro because we get an error message saying that some files can't be moved during the partitioning process. Unfortunately, we get the same error message with v1.1. We guess we will have to remove, reformat the drive and restore our data to it. That's about a 4-5 hour project using FireWire 400 but we hope to reduce it to 2 hours or less with an eSata drive and ExpressCard 34. [Bill Fox]