dual boot xp/os x what file system to use?

I am going to dual boot my macbook IF it gets here today. I have 2 questions so far without actually ever using os x yet.

1) Should I use Fat 32 or NTFS on the windows partition? Pros and cons?

2) Can I later change the partition size or is this not recommended for one reason or another? I was thinking of giving windows 25-30GB of space so I could install programs and games.

I think I am getting a 60 or 80gb hard drive.

 

The big perk of using FAT32 would be that on the OS X side you would still be able to read AND write to the partition. If you use NTFS, you'd only be able to read from the OS X partition.

On the Windows side, you'd need some software like MacDrive to read from the Mac partition.

You can use Boot Camp to adjust the partition size.

You can always upgrade the hard drive later (replacing the hard drive in the MacBook is very easy). If you're going to be doing a dual-boot setup especially, I think 80GB is a bare minimum, but it will all depend on how much you'll be installing, how much room you'll want for music, etc. But with only a 60GB drive, and a dual boot, a lot of that is going to get eaten up by OS X and the Windows partition.

 

I have 21GB of music. Would it be better to put that on the os x partition or the fat 32 windows partition?

I have read that os x frags less then windows. Which is better for windows Fat 32 or NTFS? Does one use more space then the other? I'm not sure what the advantage of NTFS is.

 

I'm not an expert, but I believe there are some benefits of NTFS (although I think some of them deal with larger hard drive sizes, etc. and less wasted data). But the only reason to use FAT32 would be if you want to easily write to the windows partition from the OS X partition.

You might want to create it as an NTFS partition, and then create a third data partition using FAT32.

I don't think it would matter all that much which partition you put your music on.

 

You know I got a macbook for a reason so I guess I'll just give windows enough space for windows xp and the software I need. My music collection will continue to grow larger not get smaller or stay the same so I might as well just back my stuff up and keep some music on the macbook and all of it on my home pc (since it obviously has the most HD space available with 500GB)

Can anyone think of a reason I'd want to transfer data back and forth over the HD? the only thing I can think of is word and excel documents. or maybe downloaded files that are sent from someone over IM that are to large to put on my 256MB flash drive.

Is there a way that Tiger can use the files from NTFS through a program if there are benefits to NTFS?

 

OS X can read the files from an NTFS partition, it just can't write to them. It comes down to a matter of convenience really. If you switch back and forth a lot, for example, you might want to easily share data back and forth. But this can be taken care of easily by creating a third FAT32 data partition to share.

The examples you cited are the most common reasons to share data back and forth between partitions.

 

Being able to read the other partition is good enough for me. I can copy a small txt document and such without issue. So I guess I will just make a partition with the better NTFS file system.

 

Also consider buying a larger thumbdrive. They are cheap. Another option is an external hard drive. Both of those will help conserve some space on your hard drive.

 

That is true. I've had this thumbdrive for a few years now but there is nothing wrong with it. The macbook has a dvd burner so backing up music shouldn't be a problem. My g/f is a music therapist she has even more music then I do lol.

 

OS X can write to NTFS if you install Macfuse. Curiously no one seemed to note when I posted about it here, but don't spread things that are no longer true.

 

Sorry, I didn't see your previous post, and this is the first I have heard of MacFuse. I certainly wasn't trying to spread something that was no longer true.

http://code.google.com/p/macfuse/

How reliable/usable is this though? From reading the FAQ, it sounds like it is still pretty developmental - or at least, it doesn't necessarily look like something that the average end-user would want to mess around with.

I mean, have you used this, and have you found it to be reliable?

 

Yes, it is somewhat experimental, and I didn't mean to say everybody should use it. Besides, you need to install both Macfuse and an NTFS module. I used FUSE extensively under Linux to access Windows NTFS partitions and never had problems, and I have never heard of them with the latest version (which doesn't mean there aren't any). Under OS X, I just did a quick test, using an NTFS partition in an external USB. Had no problems, but YMMV.

Here is my original post:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=98997&highlight=NTFS

 

Cool. Well, it's good to know they're doing it. One of the things that has kept me using FAT32 is to make it easier to work with OS X as well, so it is nice to no longer have that limitation.

 

If you're concerned about reliability using the ntfs-3g driver rest assured that each release undergoes rigorous testing prior to being made widely available.

http://ntfs-3g.org/quality.html

 

ummm it doesn't like my windows xp professional cdrom?

 

Is it SP2? It requires an XP CD including SP2.

-Zadillo

 

I don't know if it has SP2 or not on it. It does not say.

 

It probably doesn't then, an XP Pro CD with SP2 would be clearly labeled as saying it had Service Pack 2. You'll need that (I've seen some guides on the web to creating a slipstreamed XP Pro CD with SP2 included, which might be all you'd need, and I believe that should be legal).

 

I would have to put it on a cdr though. Would it work if it is on a cdr?

 

I'm pretty sure it shouldn't matter, as long as it is a valid install CD. I've known a few Mac users who had to create a slipstreamed XP install for similar reasons (because they didn't have an XP SP2 CD).

 

I may have to look into this. if I have to buy another OS I'd just buy vista

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure you shouldn't need to buy another OS; the important thing is that you have your XP Pro serial, which is what you really need. The physical media isn't that important (which is part of why I think MS doesn't have a problem with people slipstreaming XP CD's to create versions with SP2, etc.).

Or if you know someone with an SP2 CD, I imagine they would let you borrow it to do the install (again, this should be perfectly fine, since you will still be able to use your own serial number).

 

I took an original XP disc, used nlite to slisptream SP2 and took all the crap out of XP - drivers, non needed programs like paint and such. And I put the Macbook drivers from bootcamp into the CD as well - unfortunately it won't let me extract the drivers easily so I'd had to run the installer anyways, perhaps someone more knowledgeable in Windows than me could do it. It worked like a charm and XP ended up taking about 1GB of HDD space only.

 

Can you dual boot OS X and Vista?

 

Yes.

-Zadillo

 

Would my key work on a sp2 cdrom if I have the first generation of XP?

 

Yes, as long as you have a legitimate key, you can use an SP2 CD-ROM with no problems.

 

I have a friend who is going to bring his over in a couple weeks so I guess I'll just wait until then. I'm beginning to understand this mac though and haven't actually needed windows except for instant messaging. I have yahoo messenger working now though.

 

For IM I'd highly recommend Adium (a multi-IM app based on gaim).

http://www.adiumx.com/

 

I'll second that recommendation, Adium rocks.

 

I would use adium but I need the video and file transfer as well. I have msn and yahoo now and that is perfect.