Slapping Windows 7 on a Mac mini

By way of comparison, the older XPS M1210 also scored a 2.0, again based on the hard drive. The ThinkPad X300 scored a 3.1, weighed down not by its hard drive (it uses a fast, solid-state drive) but by its graphics performance.

We plan to keep trying out the different machines, as well as installing different combinations of software to see how they work in various set-ups.

We like Windows 7 and think it has the potential to be everything Vista should have been.

Vista had a great built-in graphics engine, but didn't really harness that engine to make working simpler. It had better security, but used it more like a weapon to wield over the user, as opposed to making them invisibly safer. That said, we're not ready to sign this petition, which calls for Microsoft to release the product immediately. There are still some issues to work out.

For example, the video driver on the ThinkPad X300 crashes when we try and record TV and do other tasks at the same time. On that same system, Word 2007 has started crashing, sending us back to WordPad.

As for using a Mac to run Windows 7, there are some pluses and minuses. First of all, it's not supported -- by anyone. Apple approves of Boot Camp for XP and Vista, so, if Windows 7 messes up your Mac, we can't imagine you'll find much sympathy in Cupertino.

Secondly, you may have trouble finding all of the drivers you need. In our experience, the Mac mini required the least number of drivers, though. We've also read about some problems that iMac users have experienced with blue screens of death under Windows 7, allegedly caused by an Nvidia-driver issue. In any case, it's been enough to keep us from putting Windows 7 on our home iMac.

On the plus side, the Windows 7 beta allows you to try Windows for free -- legally -- on your Mac. For those who don't want to go down the Boot Camp path, either because they are averse to risks or because they actually want to use their Mac as a Mac, there are the usual virtualisation options -- namely VMware and Parallels. We might just try that on the iMac.