02/16, 6:00pm
Helps Bootcamp users redistribute free space
Bootcamp users who need to expand their Windows partition on-the-fly can now do so without risk of data loss or rebooting, says Paragon Software of its new Camptune X for Mac. Paragon, well-known for its utility to allow Macs to write to NTFS-formatted external drives, applies the technology to the repartitioning of disk space for larger Boot Camp partitions, saving substantial time and difficulty.
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09/22, 11:55pm
Microsoft says Windows 8 secure boot non-issue
Microsoft's Tony Mangefeste in a response to early adopters tried to calm down fears that Windows 8 might be used to shut out Linux or competing operating systems. After Red Hat engineer Matt Garrett worried that the UEFI firmware's secure boot feature could be used to exclude non-official operating systems, Sinofsky stepped in to clarify that it was part of the spec and not Microsoft's policy. The code is also an optional policy that, even when active, could still let someone install another OS without a flag preventing the new OS from running.
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08/24, 5:10pm
iMac update deals with hanging issues
Apple has released a pair of new software updates. The first of these, iMac Graphic FW Update 3.0, upgrades the graphics firmware on iMacs, solving a glitch that could cause iMacs to hang "under certain conditions," according to Apple. The download is just 482KB, but notably intended only for Macs running OS X Lion.
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05/05, 4:00pm
iMac updates fix graphics, Thunderbolt
Apple last night posted four important updates for 2011 iMacs and various MacBook Pro models. The most critical is Mac OS X 10.6.7 Update for iMac (early 2011) 1.0, a 382.56MB file that targets numerous problems. The patch should for instance improve graphics stability, and the performance of both 3D rendering and FaceTime. Some bugs eliminated include ones with Back to My Mac, the Mac App Store and transferring files to SMB servers.
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04/07, 7:30pm
Addresses issues with Windows 7 shutdown, more
The "Early 2011" model MacBook Pros have received a specialized update of Boot Camp, version 3.2, aimed specifically at them. The fix addresses issues with shutting down in Windows 7, along with an issue involving Japanese and Korean keyboards on that model MacBook Pro. The update is 21.55MB in size, and applies only to Windows 7 installs.
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01/17, 10:50am
Drops XP, Vista references, requires download
Some subtle changes to Boot Camp were made with Mac OS X 10.6.6, a tip notes. When creating a Windows partition the tool now asks for an "authentic installation disc of Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate." Windows XP and Vista are no longer mentioned, suggesting that Apple is effectively dropping support for them.
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11/18, 10:15pm
EFI firmware updates for Mid 2010 MacBook and MBP
Apple has posted several maintenance updates for Boot Camp, along with EFI firmware updates for the latest MacBooks and MacBook Pros. The Boot Camp downloads add support for the ATI-Radeon HD 5870 graphics card, Apple's USB Ethernet adapter, and the MacBook Air SuperDrive. Version 3.2 is also said to include several critical bug fixes.
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09/22, 6:25pm
Downloads available for 32- and 64-bit systems
Apple has released several support updates, including an LED Cinema Display download for Macs. Windows users can download separate updates that combine software for the new display and the Magic Trackpad. The display update, designed for Apple's latest 27-inch IPS panel, adds an option to the System Preferences pane that allows the display to automatically adjust brightness as the ambient light changes. Users can also configure the sound preferences to use the display for the primary audio output.
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08/03, 4:35pm
WaterField releases two Magic Trackpad cases
UNEASYsilence has hacked Apple's Boot Camp update, extracting a Magic Trackpad driver, allowing any Windows user to take advantage of the new controller. Released last week, the Magic Trackpad employs the same surface-as-a-button design as the trackpad on a MacBook, but with an 80 percent larger surface. Multi-touch gestures carry over, including rotations, scrolling and special three- and four-finger swipes.
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06/11, 2:50pm
New version works with MBR disks, adds Console
Paragon has released an update to its HFS+ communication software for Windows, Paragon HFS+ for Windows 8. The software allows Windows Machines to see Mac-formatted HFS+ and HFSX volumes. Users can access any type of hard disk attached via USB, FireWire, IDE, SATA or eSATA. The utility supports APM and GPT disks and auto-mounts HFS+/HFSX partitions. Large file transfers are said to be stable and Paragon claims content can be transferred at a faster rate than native HFS configurations.
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05/26, 9:20am
Boot Camp update fixes control panel issue
Apple has released a pair of minor software updates, beginning with the Boot Camp Update for MacBook Pro. The patch applies exclusively to the 13-inch Pro refreshed this year, which has had problems with headphone output, and the Boot Camp Control Panel when selecting the brightness tab. Different downloads are available for 32-bit and 64-bit installations of Windows.
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02/24, 10:40pm
Utility works with NTFS, FAT32
Paragon has launched a final release, after over a year of beta testing, of its Boot Camp partitioning utility, CampTune 8 for Mac OS X. The software allows users to redistribute free space between the Mac OS and Boot Camp NTFS partition. It prevents users from having to erase their entire partition and reinstall the Windows partition when a space change is needed. It can transfer free space in both directions, not only adding space to the Boot Camp partition but recovering space for the Mac OS as well.
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01/19, 5:10pm
iMac and Mac Pro firmware and drivers also revised
Apple has released several Boot Camp and firmware updates designed for 64-bit or 32-bit versions of Windows 7. Boot Camp 3.1 adds full support for Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. The update addresses issues involving trackpads and the red LED for digital audio, while the company's wireless keyboard and Magic mouse are also now supported. For users planning to transition from Windows Vista to 7, a separate utility ensures that the Macintosh volume will safely unmount on Vista.
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01/19, 1:40pm
Company upgrades enterprise security platform
PGP Corporation has released an updated version of PGP Destkop, its enterprise-level encryption platform. PGP Whole Disk Encryption Desktop 10.0 is now available for Snow Leopard, and the platform as a whole now supports Boot Camp, finally allowing hybrid Mac/Windows systems to be encrypted. In the same vein, Mac, Linux and Windows PCs can all be used in the same environment.
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12/30, 2:55pm
Promise not kept
Unless an update is delivered by the end of Thursday, Apple will miss a deadline for adding official Windows 7 support to Snow Leopard's Boot Camp, reports note. For some time Apple has hosted a page on its website, promising that the support would be coming "before the end of the year." Windows 7 has been commercially available since October 22nd, and still earlier in the form of public betas and release candidates.
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10/28, 7:15pm
Download geared for latest iMacs
Apple on Wednesday released a Bluetooth firmware update designed for users running Windows via Boot Camp. The download is said to improve the wireless performance with Vista and XP on the latest 21.5- and 27-inch iMacs released earlier this month, although specific details have not been provided.
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10/22, 2:55pm
Most newer systems to work in 64-bit mode
Apple has pledged full support for Windows 7 through Boot Camp in Snow Leopard before the end of the year. Many Macs already can run Windows 7, although users have reported varying levels of compatibility. Not all systems are able to run in 64-bit mode, while certain hardware drivers currently create problems. The Boot Camp software update will enable Macs to load Microsoft's Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate variants.
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09/07, 6:55pm
New MacBook Pros exhibit Boot Camp sound problems
Several Owners of Apple's latest MacBook Pro offerings in the 13- and 15-inch screen sizes have reported speaker failures when running Windows via Boot Camp. The problems have affected many gamers who use Mac OS X for daily computing, then switch to Windows to play games. The problem appears to have begun with Boot Camp v2.1, which was launched in June, while the recent v3.0 release, designed for Snow Leopard, has not alleviated the widespread issues.
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08/31, 5:15pm
Boot Camp Win 7 64 support
The latest version of Boot Camp -- found in Mac OS X Snow Leopard -- supports the 64-bit version of Windows 7, examination shows. Though not heavily promoted by Apple, Boot Camp 3.0 is noted to feature both 32- and 64-bit drivers for Microsoft's next operating system, whereas Boot Camp 2.1 can only handle the 32-bit code. Some Mac owners have already been installing copies of Windows 7 despite the only legal availability being limited to a release candidate; the final software is due October 22nd.
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11/13, 5:30pm
Parallel 4.0
Ever since Apple switched to Intel processors, Macs have been able to run the most popular operating systems for the x86 architecture including Linux and Microsoft Windows. Apple offers Boot Camp for free, which lets you create a dual-boot partition, but forces you to choose between Mac OS X or Windows each time you turn on your computer. For a solution that lets you switch between Mac OS X and any other operating system without rebooting, you need a virtualization program such as Parallels 4.0.
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09/18, 10:05am
First Look: Fusion 2.0
No matter how much you may love your Mac, there may be at least a handful of Windows programs that don’t have an equivalent Mac OS X version. Rather than buy a separate machine, of course, you can always use Boot Camp to turn your Mac into a PC. However, a more practical solution may be to run Windows inside a virtual machine using Fusion 2.0.
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08/15, 6:00pm
Forum roundup iPod rumors
Forum roundup: Rumors about upgrades to the iPod lineup are a recent topic of interest in the MacNN forums where members seem to think that we will see new models by the end of the year. Advice on how to make ringtones for use with the iPhone 3G can be found in this thread started by jorgem4.
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07/30, 4:25pm
NY Bar to hold off on Mac
Lawyers taking bar exams in New York have once again foregone the use of a Mac this year, according to information from the state's Board of Law Examiners. Since 2003, people taking the exam have been given the option of using special software, which can be preloaded on notebooks for answering the essay and MPT sections of the test. The Board has explicitly stated however that it is refusing to support "any form" of Apple product at the moment, even if is running Windows through Mac OS X Leopard's Boot Camp utility.
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07/29, 10:25pm
CampTune live partitions
Paragon Software Group on Tuesday unveiled CampTune, a new application designed to allow users to customize the size of their Boot Camp partition on their Macs, without having to start from scratch. CampTune can either increase or decrease the size of a Boot Camp partition, without losing data, allowing users to quickly shift free space depending on their priorities. CampTune is currently available as a free pre-release; Paragon did not announce how much it would be in the future.
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04/24, 6:05pm
Boot Camp, Common Criteria
Apple today released a variety of updates for Boot Camp users, as well as a Common Criteria Tools security verification utility. The Boot Camp updates are required to install Service Pack 3 in Windows XP, Windows Vista 32-bit, and Windows Vista 64-bit versions on an Intel Mac. Little is mentioned regarding the updates themselves, but they are presumably designed to ensure compatibility with the updated versions of Windows.
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04/24, 2:05pm
VMware Fusion
VMWare Fusion 1.1.2 has been released, adding enhanced support for the MacBook Air. The new release also enables Time Machine backup of virtual machines, adds support for Windows XP SP3 Boot Camp partitions, and is now available in Simplified Chinese. In addition, VMWare can now properly disconnect USB devices connected to the virtual machine when shut down, making the USB devices available again to the Mac. It also addresses problem with wireless bridged networking in some cases not being able to obtain an IP address from the DHCP server.
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03/11, 9:15am
AntiVirus Dual Protection
Symantec has released a new anti-virus suite, AntiVirus Dual Protection. The package actually contains two pieces of software -- AntiVirus 11 for Mac and AntiVirus 2008 for Windows -- and is intended for owners of Intel Macs, who may use the Boot Camp feature of Mac OS X Leopard to run Windows XP or Vista on a separate partition. Each application is tailored to the specifics of its platform, requiring the two versions.
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02/04, 12:25pm
Windows Vista SP1 rollout
The first Service Pack for Windows Vista has been released to manufacturing, Microsoft has announced. English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese versions are said to be heading to assembly lines, mainly for enterprise customers, but also for OEMs who will be installing the updated version on new computers. SP1 will also be released via Windows Update, but this is not scheduled until mid-March as a manual download, and mid-April as an automatic one.
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01/31, 8:15pm
Ruby on Rails boot camp
In brief: A book on iPhone binary development has made its debut, a new gaming site for users with disabilities is available, Big Nerd Ranch has announced plans for a Ruby on Rails boot camp, and Apple introduces 30 Coding Head Starts ... iPhone Open Application Development is a new title designed to teach users how to write Native Objective-C Applications for the iPhone. Zdziarski, the developer of the first fully functional application using the open iPhone toolkit, explains how to create applications using Objective-C and the iPhone API, which in some ways resembles Apple's desktop API and in other ways strikes new ground. The book covers installation of the toolkits and background on the operating system and Objective-C. Graphics and audio programming, the CoreImage and CoreSurfaces interfaces for games programming, interfacing with iTunes, and the use of sensors are all covered.
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11/29, 6:25pm
Iona College Mac switch
Iona College in New Rochelle, New York has long used Windows-based solutions for its various computer labs, and in March 2007, Chief Information Officer Joanne Steele filled an entire lab with 52 Intel-based iMacs in an effort to streamline maintenance and support issues. After 20 years of a PC-only environment, the decision was made to explore whether Apple's Mac OS and Boot Camp would be a valid option to provide the most cohesive multi-platform environment. In addition, the iMacs provided the peripheral benefit of having a small footprint and integrated security options such as a Kensington lock slot.
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11/28, 8:55pm
Boot Camp beta expires
Although Boot Camp is a feature of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Apple has been offering a beta trial of the service for 10.4 Tiger for almost two years, and announced today that it will be discontinuing support for Tiger Boot Camp users. Originally introduced in April 2006, the Boot Camp beta allows Tiger users to install Windows on their Intel-based Macs, making it easier for Windows users to switch to a Mac, while offering Mac users a wider variety of software and games. Existing Boot Camp beta participants will still be entitled to keep their Windows partitions, but the software that manages installations will be deactivated, and Apple will no longer provide updates, requiring users to upgrade to Leopard if they wish to add to or modify the Boot Camp partition.
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