The original deadline might have been missed but the prize money - totalling US$13,854 - has now been handed over. Yes, someone has come up with a verifiable way of dual-booting Windows XP (SP2) and Mac OS X on Intel-based Mac computers.
As our original story pointed out, the competition deadline had been set at February 15. However, this was extended - seemingly, to good effect.
Windows XP SP2 running on an
Intel-based iMacThe working solution looks pretty complicated and time-consuming - though it's probably unrealistic to expect anything ultra-simple. It also requires some very specific items, such as an original XP Pro SP2 CD. And it isn't perfect - certain elements don't yet work on any Intel-based Mac and others don't work on specific models.
So, for instance, iSight, Bluetooth and the supplied remote handset don't work at all under XP as yet. And nor does the hardware acceleration option for the video drivers. On MacBook Pro, the NumLock and Del keys don't work (there's a work-around for the Del-key, though), and nor do the keyboard backlight and the screen-brightness adjustment.
Nonetheless, we do have what looks like a viable solution for dual-booting XP and OS X on Intel-based Macs, so we'd extend our congratulations to the winners, blanka and narf2006, and to Colin, the man behind the competition. Comments in the HEXUS.community.
HEXUS.links
Main WinXPonMac compo site
Support forums
WinXPonMac Wiki
Download site - instructions and more
narf2006's pictures
