Clean erase

M

mwerth

Registered
Hi

I have a rather unusual ( in this forum) question; how do i completely erase OS X Leopard from my iMac and install Vista Home Premium?.......yes i know!.....sorry, but the Leopard and i will never become friends.....

Two months ago i purchased an iMac 24" from B&H in New York; but they forgot to send the Install Disk 1 with my computer. According to Apple, the disk should be in the box, when you buy a computer with OS X....something B&H know nothing about..........To my knowledge the disk is necessary, when you want to run "Bootcamp" and maybe when you want to erase the complete system? I can get the disk directly from Apple, but it will take time (i'm sitting in the northen Greenland).

Now i've decided to install only Vista; which i know, and it suits my demands.....is it possible? may i have to download a program? or is there a much more simple way, which i've overlooked, to do this? Mac's always praised for their logic and intuitive way to do things; but i may say i'm not convinced...........

Regards and thanks in advance Mogens Werth, Thule Air Base
 
It's not possible without the assistance of Mac OS X and BootCamp.

I would contact B&H and insist that they complete your order with the Mac OS X install disk they didn't include.
 
Hi

Thanks for the quick reply ELDiabloConCaca.........Yes you are probably right about B&H......a little bit disappointed over that kind of customerservice......:-(

Thanks again Mogens Werth
 
And - the Windows drivers for the Apple hardware are on (wait for it!) - Disk #1 of the OS X restore DVDs. So, you won't be able to easily complete the Windows installation without it, or the help from BootCamp that creates the Windows-bootable partition.

One suggestion is to leave OS X in place, and use Boot Camp to create a Windows partition using most of the hard drive, say about 75-80% capacity. Leave OS X alone, until you realize that there is some good there!

Just a question - what about OS X leaves you puzzled? There's plenty of help with OS X on this site, and other similar support sites....
 
Hi
#4
Thanks for your answers........i realize that i need the requested disk. I think i will follow your advice about Bootcamp.....and as you say, maybe i will return for goodies.

To your question: quite frankly, an awfull lot; i've been a PC-user for 10 years, and maybe it's just lazyness from me, but for me it's to much work, turning my habbits and the way i work on a computer.......and back home in Denmark i have a PC with Vista, which is working perfectly, so why switch?

Some of the things i'm having trouble with: my Logitech diNovo Edge keyboard, Thecus Nano 2,5" external harddrive, i don't like Safari, the way searching on the computer works, iPhoto takes eternally to open, or to import photos....etc.

Regards Mogens Werth, Greenland and Denmark
 
You are not required to use Safari; another web browser, such as FireFox, is certainly OK on the Mac.
Ditto for iPhoto - you can choose to ignore all the Apple software if you wish. Iphoto performance has always been a little sluggish, and can easily be aided with a couple of simple settings changes.

I also should say that I think both of those are quite good, and Safari complies with the modern browser standards, something that Internet Explorer is still striving for...

I read your question "why switch?" , yes, why indeed!
Why did you get a Mac, when you could have more easily bought another PC. Did you not realize that the Mac OS is significantly different (and, IMHO, remains a step - or many steps - ahead of Windows? Such as stability, and little to fear from viruses, etc.)

If you find that you really prefer to stay with Windows, then do it!
And, you can, of course, install Windows on your new Mac through the included Boot Camp utility, or use one of the virtualization solutions, such as Parallels Desktop, or VMWare Fusion. So, you can work both sides!
 
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#6

Where on Earth did you find a computer with an external apperance as the iMac?. I haven't found it for sure...or maybe i would have bought that brand....you see?

In my opinion it's by far the nicest computer when it's turned off...:).....and with a more than decent picture-quality turned on......."just" need to get rid of that dammed leopard!!...........

Regards Mogens Werth
 
You won't be able to just run Windows on it. You're going to have to run OS X on it as that's the OS that's meant to run on that system. If you want Windows on it, you have to use Boot Camp and just select to have it boot to Windows by default. Apple's not there to make money for Microsoft only. Apple's there to give you the experience its known for, which is Mac OS X on a Mac. Sure it lets you runs Windows, but no way in hell that Steve Jobs is going to let you SOLELY run Windows without Mac OS X having its place on your hard drive. Yes, it's a gorgeous system, but by all practical means it would have been much cheaper for you to find some really beautiful PCs out there (and they are out there, even if they do copy Apple's designs). But ultimately, it's your money and your decision....just don't expect Apple to have the same sentiment for your preferred OS. ;)
 
Thanks for your answer nixgeek, i think i have the answers that i need to go further..:)))
Before i was posting, i was aware it was a sensitive question i was asking; and quite frankly, i'm not trying to raise yet another front in the eternal and ongoing war between Mac's and PC's.............shall wee keep it there?..:)))....and let us choose whatever we like.......

Regards Mogens Werth
 
mwerth said:
Thanks for your answer nixgeek, i think i have the answers that i need to go further..:)))
Before i was posting, i was aware it was a sensitive question i was asking; and quite frankly, i'm not trying to raise yet another front in the eternal and ongoing war between Mac's and PC's.............shall wee keep it there?..:)))....and let us choose whatever we like.......

Regards Mogens Werth
Click to expand...

I personally never perceived it as such, but I was quite baffled at why you would spend so much on the hardware just to run Windows despite the multitude of cheaper (and yes, good looking) selections from other PC manufacturers. Again, it is your money and your choice to do what you wish, but I personally didn't see the reason for spending that extra money on Apple's good looks just for Windows. Just my opinion is all.

Mac OS X is not for everyone, just as Windows or any other OS is not for everyone. Thank goodness we have the choice. :)
 
I bought my first Mac (MacBook Pro) less than 3 months ago and read a lot about BootCamp and VMWare. I tried Windows XP Pro on BootCamp but was unhappy with having to reboot to use Mac programs and also decided it's a waste to install duplicate programs for Windows and Mac OS X. Three days ago, I took the plunge and installed VMWare Beta 2 (free) and then installed Windows XP Pro on it. I then installed MS Office Pro 2003 and M/S OneNotes. Am very happy with being able to use the Mac just like a PC. Installation of new devices (and device drivers) on the Mac is trivial on the. Mac.

Using a function called UNITY built into VMWare, I can have one or more Windows program (such as Access) in their own window alongside native Safari and i-Tunes windows on my Mac OS X desktop. It's like blending Windows with Mac OS X, a great environment for me to migrate to Mac while I'm working on this laptop. Our other machines are PCs, and I'm the PC Tech support for my family.

I prefer the VMware solution where the virtual machine is contained in a disk image that can grow (unlike the fixed-size hard partition required for BootCamp). If I ever end up back in the Windows application fold, I suspect the disk image could grow to take up most of my HDD. That's unlikely because I'm picking up more OpenSource Mac software to replace many Windows programs that I use in a PC.

One more positive is that I have set up Mac OS X's backup program with a 400GB USB drive to backup my Mac once every 24 hours (versus the default hourly backup). Window XP's backup doesn't seem be incremental. I've tried M/S's OneCare but still doesn't trust it when the trial period expired.

Maybe, this will give you another method to stay with trusted Windows programs while learning to use Mac OS X (a UNIX system under the cover).
 
Hi

mxbrn10013: thanks for your suggestion; i will certenly take in consideration using VMware..............but first i will try "Bootcamp" and then maybe later, if "Bootcamp" is to annoying, install VMware............

Regards Mogens Werth
 
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