The specs really have nothing to do with this problem, as it worked
just fine for a while, then suddenly decided it wasn't going to
behave anymore from the windows side.
But, it's a 512MB ram (really really really want to upgrade to 1gb)
and it only has a 55MB hd that is nearly full including the 10GB used
for windows.
I do have an external 250GB hd attached though, so that'll hopefully
help with storage problems.
I waited until after the boot chime before holding down the option
key. I only had to hold it for about 10 seconds or so before Maria
told me the menu was up. I haven't a clue how long it actually took
for it to show up, as she wasn't watching the screen.