Triple boot? Anyone here crazy like me?

I'm using a Macbook Pro currently (x1600 rev.). It came standard with a 120gb drive, and 1Gb ram. I upped it to 2gb ram, but this 120gb drive is CRAMPED

I currently have it split 40/40/25, OS X/Windows Vista/ Fat32 drive.

The reason for the fat32 drive is to share my iTunes library between OS X and Windows Vista. However, I've currently got 10.32Gb free on my OS X drive, and 18Gb free on my Vista drive.

That's quite icky!

So I ordered a 320Gb 7200Rpm WD drive from newegg that'll be here tomorrow, and 2Gb stick to up me to 3Gb ram.

My question is, does anyone run a triple-boot with OS X, Linux, and Windows of some sort?

Getting Windows and OS X to play nice with my music partition was a whole adventure in itself, so I don't know how well it will behave with a Linux partiton... I was thinking of something like:

120 OS X (HFS+)
120 Windows Vista (NTFS)
45 Ubuntu
30 Music (Fat 32, possibly NTFS via MacFUSE)

I'm also planning on running my Windows (and maybe ubuntu!) via Vmware Fusion or Parallels (I own both.).

Anyone have any experience triple booting, or running a third OS under vmware via bootcamp? I might just be better off sticking that 45Gb into my OS X Partition, and just using a VM for uBuntu.

install only ubuntu xD and run your other os on virtualpc

SuperMiguel said:

install only ubuntu xD and run your other os on virtualpc

Click to expand...

Well I use the windows for the handful of games I don't yet have mac versions of yet, so I need actually working 3d support bang head ) so Linux is the lowest list of my priorities to have installed.

I think I've settled with just not messing with Linux since it messed up my boot loaders pretty hardcore, and Parallels bootcamping VM

dippy_skoodlez said:

Well I use the windows for the handful of games I don't yet have mac versions of yet, so I need actually working 3d support bang head ) so Linux is the lowest list of my priorities to have installed.

I think I've settled with just not messing with Linux since it messed up my boot loaders pretty hardcore, and Parallels bootcamping VM

Click to expand...

linux has 3d support

SuperMiguel said:

linux has 3d support

Click to expand...

I've yet to see it functioning IRL... last time I installed Nvidia drivers, i just did the first step of the instructions, and it gave me a blank screen of never work again..

but does the Virtual machine support 3d, is the real question?

The only reason I even have a windows partition is because I have a few games that wont be ported to os x (RA2, NFSMW, mohaa), or I don't have a mac copy yet.

u can run those games in linux easy

would it not be much easier to vitrualize both Ubuntu and XP via VmWare Fusion or Parallels? This would enable you to make nicer partitions that a triple boot layout (see below). Both Fusion and Parallels have come a loooong way sonce their birth, and have full 3D support, TTBOMK. But I understand that you may still want to triple boot. Here is the tutorial 2 of my friends used, one witht eh x1600 rev, and the other with a 9400 + 9600 (unibody) machine:

http://wiki.onmac.net/index.php/Triple_Boot_via_BootCamp

Yes, this is through boot camp, so it still looks (and works) pretty pretty.
Note: I recommend jumping to Vista x64 just for EFI\GPT support, so you can have >3 partitions (almost nessecary, and removes much of the complexity.)

Note: I suggest hitting up this link before proceeding at all.

x30Jx said:

would it not be much easier to vitrualize both Ubuntu and XP via VmWare Fusion or Parallels? This would enable you to make nicer partitions that a triple boot layout (see below). Both Fusion and Parallels have come a loooong way sonce their birth, and have full 3D support, TTBOMK. But I understand that you may still want to triple boot. Here is the tutorial 2 of my friends used, one witht eh x1600 rev, and the other with a 9400 + 9600 (unibody) machine:

http://wiki.onmac.net/index.php/Triple_Boot_via_BootCamp

Yes, this is through boot camp, so it still looks (and works) pretty pretty.
Note: I recommend jumping to Vista x64 just for EFI\GPT support, so you can have >3 partitions (almost nessecary, and removes much of the complexity.)

Note: I suggest hitting up this link before proceeding at all.

Click to expand...

Thanks, those links where much better guides than google initially turned up.

I settled with installing uBuntu via VM, and OSX+Win 7 install with a Music partition. Running windows 7 64 bit now, and its OK, but I'm definitely not fond of Microsofts inability to get solid drivers available for hardware for 64 bit OS's yet. Can't get my Keyboard to recognize anything other than a generic keyboard. Audio was a pain to get working (Sigmatel not the Realtek newer MBP's have)

Tried Vista 64, and... almost nothing worked, and 64 bit drivers wouldn't even install. However, it appears that 10.5.7 Ati driver update also killed Vmware Fusions 3d Acceleration... so I'm screwed until they fix it... (Good thing this is a boot camp install! ) I think I'm going to revert back to Vista 32. 64 Bit Microsoft camp is still not progressed anything past the initial days of XP64 it seems.

I'm curious dippy_skoodlez, how that 320Gb 7200Rpm WD drive is in your machine? I've heard of some people having 'clicking noises' too often. (head parking issues) In the MacBooks with some WD laptop drives.

They apparently have used hdapm which supposedly fixed it, but I was just curious if the WD line you picked showed any sign of this issue that you've noticed?

Thanks.

- Blackstar

Blackstar said:

I'm curious dippy_skoodlez, how that 320Gb 7200Rpm WD drive is in your machine? I've heard of some people having 'clicking noises' too often. (head parking issues) In the MacBooks with some WD laptop drives.

They apparently have used hdapm which supposedly fixed it, but I was just curious if the WD line you picked showed any sign of this issue that you've noticed?

Thanks.

- Blackstar

Click to expand...

Nope, no problems at all. It spins a little faster so I can tell it is just a tad, and under HEAVY use the front left of my macbook pro gets a little warmer.

However, noise wise, this thing is dead silent. I have never heard a PEEP out of it, in Windows or OS X. It is the WD Black series. (7200rpm/16Mb)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136280

I like it. Nice drive.

dippy_skoodlez said:

Nope, no problems at all. It spins a little faster so I can tell it is just a tad, and under HEAVY use the front left of my macbook pro gets a little warmer.

However, noise wise, this thing is dead silent. I have never heard a PEEP out of it, in Windows or OS X. It is the WD Black series. (7200rpm/16Mb)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136280

I like it. Nice drive.

Click to expand...

Awesome! Thanks.