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The moment Apple announced it was going to switch over to using Intel chips in its Mac computers, people started to wonder if they would finally be able to install Windows on a Mac.
Apple didn't seem terribly keen on the idea, so when the first Intel-based Macs arrived in January, the hacker community to see what they could do.
They cracked it by the middle of March (as reported in the Test Bed), but the process they came up with was so long and complicated that it hardly seemed worth the effort.
Then, just a few days later, Apple announced it was working on software called Boot Camp that could do it all for you.
The program is still in the beta stage, but it allows you to install Windows XP onto an Intel-based Mac and to create a dual-boot system that can start up using either Windows or the traditional Mac OS.
We used Boot Camp to install Windows XP onto an Intel Core Duo Mac Mini and were amazed to see that we had Windows up and running within about 45 minutes - about the same time that it would take to install onto an ordinary PC.
You can see just how easy it is by taking a look at our step-by-step guide to installing Boot Camp .
However, there's one big hitch that we have to warn you about straight away.
The Windows installation disc you use has to install Windows XP and Service Pack 2 all in one go. You can't install an older version of Windows XP first and then install SP2 separately.
Furthermore, Boot Camp won't work with older versions of Windows such as 98 or ME.
But, as long as you've got a Windows XP/SP2 disc, the process really is very simple.
The first step is to download and install a firmware update for the Mac from Apple's website and then launch the Boot Camp application.
Boot Camp will then create a disc containing Windows drivers for the Mac's graphics, audio and networking features. It then allows you to partition the Mac's hard disk so that you can have Windows and the Mac OS on separate partitions.
Once this is done, you just insert your Windows XP disk and install Windows as you would do normally.
The entire process was surprisingly smooth and problem-free - finally you don't need to be a hardcore hacker to get Windows running on a Mac.
Of course, Boot Camp is still beta software, so it does have a few rough edges.
Some Mac models have got built-in webcams and these won't currently work with Windows.
However, running ordinary Windows applications such as Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer proved no problem at all.
We even got a few 3D games running as well, such as Dungeon Siege 2 (though the cheap and cheerful Mac Mini isn't a particularly good games machine).
Of course, this is a big gamble for Apple. It's clearly hoping that Boot Camp will lure PC users into using a Mac for the first time, safe in the knowledge that they can still run Windows if they need to.
It also prevents current Mac-fans from buying a PC purely because they want to run software that's only compatible with Windows.
Only time will tell if that gamble pays off. In the meantime, there are plenty of people for whom the ability to run both Windows and the MacOS on the same machine is an absolute godsend.
Best of all, it's a free download and available now from Apple's Boot Camp website .
We'll be testing Boot Camp further over the coming days and weeks and will be reporting further findings on the Test Bed.
Don't forget to also check out our step-by-step guide to installing Boot Camp, plus we have a download of the software.
System requirements:
Apple Mac with Intel processor
OS X v.10.4.6
Windows XP/SP2 installation disc
10GB hard disk space
Blank CD for drivers
All Operating Systems
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