A fortnight hasn’t even passed since the hacker community got an Intel-based Mac to boot Windows and now Apple has released an official Windows boot loader! Appropriately titled Boot Camp (thank you Apple for not putting an i in front of the name!!), the new program will prepare your Intel iMac, Mac mini, or MacBook Pro for booting both OS X and Windows. Going through a series of steps, you’ll be prompted to insert a blank CD to burn the needed Windows drivers as well as making some room on your hard drive for the Redmond-based created operating system install. The best part of all this is you don’t have re-install OS X (unless you goof and install Windows over it). Also, all of your Mac hardware will work in Windows (something the hackers couldn’t get to work.) Even your eject key for disc media is going to pop those platters out. Sweet!

There is one gotcha. You have to have Windows XP SP2 full install. No upgrades allowed. Media Center Edition (MCE) is also not supported. Apple does not make it clear if earlier version of Windows will work or not, but SvenOnTech suspects it will, though you’ll be without drivers since XP drivers are not compatible with earlier versions of Windows.

Also note that Apple is good to point out the problems with Microsoft’s operating system by stating in a warning, “Windows running on a Mac is like Windows running on a PC. That means it’ll be subject to the same attacks that plague the Windows world.” Apple goes on to aid the daring user and advises, “So be sure to keep it updated with the latest Microsoft Windows security fixes.”

All in all, it looks like the built-in Windows support of Leopard as we first reported earlier is more and more likely to be reality. With not only a blessing to run Windows on a Mac but encouragement of this sort, running Windows applications in OS X like OS/2 use to once do is most likely a given in 10.5.

Tags: windows, mac, intel, boot camp, dual boot