Do I have to reinstall Bootcamp when leopard comes out?

Hey guys!
I got a 15.4" MBP yesterday and it is GODLY. My first mac ever and easily the best computer I've ever had. Anyway, I used to be an exclusive microsoft guy, so naturally I have some windows software I'd like to still use via boot camp, but my only question is, when the boot camp beta ends, will I have to totally reinstall boot camp and windows? Or will I be able to simple upgrade my present boot camp installation? Thank you very much!

 

That's a good question. I'm hoping and guessing it will be able to detect the existing Windows partition and just provide the option to update drivers.

 

Speaking of leopard, did they announce if all machines will work with it that are in production now.. Like my macbook and soon to be pro?

 

All Intel machines and even G5 iMacs, iBook G4s and Powerbook G4s will run Leopard fine if previous OS X versions are any indication. Don't worry about running Leopard on your MacBook and MacBook Pro at all.

 

Now is the software bought online and just installed? Also I got two machines.. meaning two licenses / copies? basically do I pay the 69.99 x2 or just once?

 

Yes, for two Macs you will need two copies of OS X Leopard to install. If you're planning to get a third Mac , you may want to get the Mac OS X Family Pack for $199 US, but for just two Macs getting two copies of OS X Leopard will be cheaper. Still, at $138 US for two Leopard copies at Student Discount, that's still cheaper than Microsoft Office Student Edition!

 

haha yeah... I don't have Office Student Edition.

 

Another question, will you get all that nice software on Leopard if you upgrade the MacBook's current Tiger OS?

 

You mean iLife? iLife comes bundled with the Mac, not the OS. So if you got a new Intel Mac before iLife '08 was released, and you have iLife '06 on it, then installing Leopard won't get you iLife '08. But if you get a Mac from now on, it'll have iLife '08 anyways.

Photo Booth and the final version of Boot Camp is found in Leopard though. Photo Booth currently is part of the Mac, and not part of the OS (so getting OS X Tiger for a PowerPC won't get you Photo Booth), but it will be part of the OS in Leopard.

 

GODLY, YES! Very nice Apple representation here . Congrats!

Will you be able to continue to use Boot Camp without purchasing Leopard?

I do not know, no one does. It's all speculation at this point. But I would hope that Apple will offer an option in addition to purchasing Leopard. For example, purchase Boot Camp final for $XX.XX. I plan to purchase Leopard so I haven't really been focusing on this issue though.

When you upgrade to Leopard will you have to reinstall Windows?

Once again there is no definitive answer to this question, as nothing official has been said by Apple.

However, based on previous experiences I can say that you should expect to be able to upgrade effortlessly; I do. You will be able to upgrade from Tiger to Leopard without a hiccup. I upgraded from Boot Camp Beta 1.3 to 1.4 without incident, so I would expect nothing less when the final version is released.

With all that said, I know it's a hassle to install Windows. Or at least it was on a PC. Apple make installation easy. Again, I plan to purchase Leopard, and I will completely reinstall everything (perform a Clean Install in Windows terms). Apple even makes installing Windows easier, but it still takes a while.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

 

so if i upgrade to leopard will everything be wiped off or will my files and programs still be in same place?

 

You can choose; you can upgrade over Tiger so all the applications and folders that you had in Tiger stay in Leopard, or you can erase and install Leopard.

 

Based on Apples track record of these things, you will be able to upgrade both the OS and Boot Camp with it without having to reinstall. Leopard will certainly work this way, and Boot Camp should. I wouldn't worry about it - in fact, I'm not worried

 

I wonder if Boot Camp can recognize the Windows partition off a clean install of Leopard

 

When I get Leopard if I want a fresh install of my mac OS could I do a fresh install with just the leopard disc and then come back and still have windows work since it has a separate partition?

 

I don't know how EFI works really, if the boot loader stays it would still be able to boot to the Windows partition. I believe the answer to your question will be yes, but we won't know the definite answer until Leopard comes out.