A few Boot Camp questions

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tal1971 Author

Level 2

302 points

A few Boot Camp questions

I have had my iMac for almost a month now. I've found that I only need Windows for a few programs and my girlfriend needs Windows too for some of her CD rom's.

I was going to get Parallels Desktop 8 for the convenience of not needing to re-boot the iMac when I wanted to run a Windows program. But with me not needing to use the Windows programs, CD rom's often I thought I could save myself the price of Parallels Desktop.

I thought I could at least give Boot Camp a go and see how I find it.

I was wondering what amount of space is it recommended to partition for Boot Camp based on the below?

I would be installing Windows 7, HP printing software (for my girlfriends card making CD roms which only run on Windows) and perhaps another 4 small programs.

If I created the Boot Camp partition and then decided later that I either wanted to increase or decrease this partition, is it posssible without wiping the Boot Camp partition?

Is there any performance increase or decrease by using Boot Camp instead of Parallels Desktop 8 and vice versa?

If I took a Time Machine backup would the Boot Camp partition be backed up too?

When I took a clone of my system with Carbon Copy Cloner, would this backup the Boot Camp partition too?

Before I started I would take a Clone of my system with Carbon Copy Cloner and also a Time Machine backup, in case something got messed up 🙂

iMac (27-inch, Late 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), iPad (3rd Gen) 32GB iPhone 5 32GB

Posted on Feb 19, 2013 8:41 AM

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Answer 1

tal1971 Author

Level 2

302 points

Feb 19, 2013 9:07 AM in response to tal1971

Also. If I create a Boot Camp partition and installed Windows. If I later decide that I want to purchase Parallels Desktop. Is it possible to delete the Boot Camp partition and use the space that this occupied on my then one and only partition?

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Answer 2

Csound1

Level 9

59,973 points

Feb 19, 2013 9:48 AM in response to tal1971

60 to 100G for Windows.

For your use a VM is the right way to go, try Virtual Box (it's free)

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Answer 3

tal1971 Author

Level 2

302 points

Feb 19, 2013 9:53 AM in response to Csound1

Csound.

When you say "for your use a VM is the right way to go". Do you mean I would be better using Virtual Box, Parallels Desktop or similar, rather than use Boot Camp?

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Answer 4

dalstott

Level 4

2,639 points

Feb 19, 2013 10:06 AM in response to tal1971

Here is my opinion on your questions.

If I created the Boot Camp partition and then decided later that I either wanted to increase or decrease this partition, is it posssible without wiping the Boot Camp partition?

Yes,you use Camptune. http://www.paragon-software.com/home/camptune/

Is there any performance increase or decrease by using Boot Camp instead of Parallels Desktop 8 and vice versa?

Windows runs natively with BootCamp and by emulation with Parallels. It is much faster for games and graphics with BootCamp.

If I took a Time Machine backup would the Boot Camp partition be backed up too?

No, you use WinClone to back up a BootCamp partition. https://www.twocanoes.com/winclone/

When I took a clone of my system with Carbon Copy Cloner, would this backup the Boot Camp partition too?

No, but it would back up a Mac installation of Parallels.

Before I started I would take a Clone of my system with Carbon Copy Cloner and also a Time Machine backup, in case something got messed up 🙂

That is a very wise thing to do.

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Answer 5

Csound1

Level 9

59,973 points

Feb 19, 2013 10:37 AM in response to tal1971

tal1971 wrote:

Csound.

When you say "for your use a VM is the right way to go". Do you mean I would be better using Virtual Box, Parallels Desktop or similar, rather than use Boot Camp?

Yes, and Virtual Box is where I would start (as it is free)

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Answer 6

tal1971 Author

Level 2

302 points

Feb 19, 2013 4:18 PM in response to Csound1

Csound1 wrote:

tal1971 wrote:

Csound.

When you say "for your use a VM is the right way to go". Do you mean I would be better using Virtual Box, Parallels Desktop or similar, rather than use Boot Camp?

Yes, and Virtual Box is where I would start (as it is free)

Thanks very much everyone for the help its much appreciated 🙂

I've installed Virtual Box along with Windows and I'll see how I get on with it before deciding whether to buy Parallels Desktop.

Does Virtual Box and my Windows installation and programs etc get backed up with Time Machine and also with Carbon Copy Cloner too?

Is it possible to increase the storage amount that Virtual Box uses, from what was chosen at the time of installation?

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Answer 7

Csound1

Level 9

59,973 points

Feb 19, 2013 4:23 PM in response to tal1971

Does Virtual Box and my Windows installation and programs etc get backed up with Time Machine and also with Carbon Copy Cloner too?

Yes, they are files in the OSX partition so Time Machine and CCC will back them up

Is it possible to increase the storage amount that Virtual Box uses, from what was chosen at the time of installation?

Yes, in Virtual Box's settings but it should not be required, VB will increase the space as needed.

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Answer 8

MlchaelLAX

Level 4

2,286 points

Feb 19, 2013 4:32 PM in response to tal1971

14 day free trial download of Parallels here

Parallels has the ability to use a Bootcamp partition as the basis of its Windows emulation and hence you can have access to the best of both worlds. Sometimes paying for software results in more and better features and support.

My advice is to never save data files within your virtualized environment; that is, save them in your Mt. Lion world, if that is possible. Then they will be saved by Time Machine.

If there is catastrophic failure, even with backup, you have access to your Windows data files for use in a recontructed Windows environment, if necessary.

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Answer 9

tal1971 Author

Level 2

302 points

Feb 19, 2013 4:32 PM in response to Csound1

Thanks again Csound.

I chose fixed size storage when I installed Virtual Box

Does this mean that once space is running out of the 25GB, that Virtual Box would add some more space/use some more from the main Macintosh HD partition?

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Answer 10

tal1971 Author

Level 2

302 points

Feb 19, 2013 4:34 PM in response to Csound1

Csound1 wrote:

Does Virtual Box and my Windows installation and programs etc get backed up with Time Machine and also with Carbon Copy Cloner too?

Yes, they are files in the OSX partition so Time Machine and CCC will back them up

Is it possible to increase the storage amount that Virtual Box uses, from what was chosen at the time of installation?

Yes, in Virtual Box's settings but it should not be required, VB will increase the space as needed.

I've had a look around the settings, but I could not see anything?

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Answer 11

Csound1

Level 9

59,973 points

Feb 19, 2013 4:45 PM in response to tal1971

OH, you should have chosen dynamic, do it again, there is no need for fixed space storage. Just take all the defaults (except Ram which for XP should be 512MB to 1GB).

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Answer 12

Csound1

Level 9

59,973 points

Feb 19, 2013 4:55 PM in response to MlchaelLAX

MlchaelLAX wrote:

14 day free trial download of Parallels here

Parallels has the ability to use a Bootcamp partition as the basis of its Windows emulation and hence you can have access to the best of both worlds. Sometimes paying for software results in more and better features and support.

My advice is to never save data files within your virtualized environment; that is, save them in your Mt. Lion world, if that is possible. Then they will be saved by Time Machine.

Files located in the VM are backed up by Time Machine.

You seem to to suggest Parallels all the time, is their an arrangement we should know about?, or do you not like free software for some reason?

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Answer 13

Csound1

Level 9

59,973 points

Feb 19, 2013 4:57 PM in response to tal1971

It's a seperate utility, VBox Manager (from their website) but use a dynamic disk, it is far more efficient and just as fast.

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Answer 14

dalstott

Level 4

2,639 points

Feb 19, 2013 6:47 PM in response to MlchaelLAX

Off topic. I noticed the detail of your avatar of a dog listening to an iPod. I doubt many recognize the modern version of Nipper listening to a gramophone. Well done.😁

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Answer 15

MlchaelLAX

Level 4

2,286 points

Feb 19, 2013 7:41 PM in response to dalstott

dalstott wrote:

Off topic. I noticed the detail of your avatar of a dog listening to an iPod. I doubt many recognize the modern version of Nipper listening to a gramophone. Well done.😁

Thank you!

I find that people under 30 (and sometimes as old as 40), do not get the joke ("His Master's Choice - look inside the video screen of the Digital Media Player; enlarge by clicking on it)!

The Avatar is a cropped version of my registered service mark in the State of California.

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