12-01-2011, 03:05 PM

Hey guys,

My Mac is dual booted with Lion and Windows 7

Usually depending on which one i want to use i hold down the option key on start up and it will bring me to a screen that allows me to choose.

In my university the library is full of iMacs, and when you boot those up the screen automatically loads with The Mac Symbol and the Winodws Symbol, and u have to pick which one u want and press enter in order to boot it up.

Do you guys know what I'm talking about and do you know how to make that an option on my mac??? It happens right away at start up, meaning you don't need to hold down the option key.

Thanks

12-01-2011, 03:24 PM

Probably a paid for program such as Parallels. You can switch from OS X to Windows without rebooting.

12-01-2011, 03:32 PM

no because they use bootcamp.

12-01-2011, 03:36 PM

It has to be some kind of Aftermarket boot loader. Since I have never messed with any of them but just used OSX's with the Option key, I don't know any names to give you. I am sure someone else here will know. I will search and get back to you.

The Option Key is not Bootcamp. It's on any Mac in the last 10 or more years without OSX even installed.

Here is one.

https://www.ramgad.com/2010/11/14/bo...or-os-x-refit/

Here is an article on it. Not sure which one they are using at the school, but this should help.

http://www.brighthub.com/computing/m...les/75525.aspx

12-01-2011, 03:56 PM

perhaps you have the right idea dennis, but idk maybe i didn't explain it correctly.

They def use Bootcamp because when i boot windows it shows the bootcamp symbol in the bottom right.

The thing is what normal users need to do to pick there OS is hold down the option key on start up, otherwise the computer just boots whatever u have it defaulted too..

In school there is no default. It boots to nothing but a screen similar to the one bootcamp loads after holding the option key and then u pick your os from there.

In other words there is no default OS that the computer boots up, it doesn't load anything unless u pick what to load from the screen that starts up..

Hope that makes more sense.

12-01-2011, 06:32 PM

Yes and what I said still applies. You can run an aftermarket boot manager on Macs and that is what they are doing. Bootcamp is not that Option menu. Bootcamp is a partition utility and installer and driver downloader. Once that is done, The Macs boot menu comes into play.

They are using some after market boot manager. Did you look at the URL's I gave you? At least two are talked about.

12-01-2011, 08:32 PM

Dennis is right. There is only one utility that will do that in the manner you described and that's the free open source rEFIt. You can download it at the link he provided.