malcolm Posted June 8, 2008 Share #1 Posted June 8, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Anyone using Windows on a Mac? With BootCamp or Parallels? Any cautions/advice? I may be moving from a PC to a Mac when I replace my desktop computer, and can't afford to replace thousands of dollars worth of software. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 8, 2008 Posted June 8, 2008 Hi malcolm, Take a look here Mac and Windows. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
stunsworth Posted June 8, 2008 Share #2 Posted June 8, 2008 With Bootcamp you have to reboot the machine into Windows - i.e. you can't run OS X and Windows at the same time. Using Parallels means that you can run both together. I'd expect Bootcamp to have the advantage regarding speed of running Window's applications, but personally I'd go down the Parallels route for the sake of convenience. I've tried Bootcamp on my MacBook and it ran flawlessly. Obviously for either you need to buy a copy of the Windows operating system - at one point many of the cheaper versions of Vista wouldn't run in a virtual Parallels machine. I've no idea if that's changed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stnami Posted June 8, 2008 Share #3 Posted June 8, 2008 All works just fine but vista is full of bugs............ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
like_no_other Posted June 8, 2008 Share #4 Posted June 8, 2008 Anyone using Windows on a Mac? With BootCamp or Parallels? Any cautions/advice?I may be moving from a PC to a Mac when I replace my desktop computer, and can't afford to replace thousands of dollars worth of software. I recently visited an Apple shop and asked what to do with my windows software. The salesman told me that it wouldn't be much fun to switch from one operating system to the other on one machine (boot camp). I decided to wait for new IMacs (tomorrow is Apple day, maybe with some product announcements) and male my buying decision later on. When I read your question I got an idea. Why not buy an IMac, use the IMac for web and other things with the pre installed software, put a windows pc beside the mac and use the IMac as a monitor for the windows pc when there is a need to work with your windows specific software, as well. I don't know if the I Mac has an additional dvi or HDMI input but I think that is highly possible. What do you think about his workaround? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikasmg Posted June 9, 2008 Share #5 Posted June 9, 2008 Anyone using Windows on a Mac? With BootCamp or Parallels? Any cautions/advice?I may be moving from a PC to a Mac when I replace my desktop computer, and can't afford to replace thousands of dollars worth of software. If you want to stick with Windows and all it's software, why change to Apple? I use Apples and used to be a Windows user. I do use windows for one or two programs but have otherwise switched to Mac software. FWIW, Parallels seems to run Windows fine when I need it. - Vikas Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozdavid Posted June 9, 2008 Share #6 Posted June 9, 2008 I have recently acquired a MacBook Pro. Whilst loving the speed and stability of the Mac system, as a trial lawyer, I still need to be able to use some Windows based litigation support software. We've installed VMWare Fusion with Windows XP (SP3) as a virtual windows environment, running both Mac and windows software concurrently and have had no dramas. I think it gives the best of both worlds. Regards David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted June 9, 2008 Share #7 Posted June 9, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) I also use VMware Fusion and it has worked fine. It's important to keep in mind that, while special software can allow Windows to read/write Mac HFS drives, speed suffers greatly. So sharing data (picture files for example) across platforms doesn't work well unless one wants to live within the significant limitations of FAT32 formatting. Otherwise, I've found things to work as advertised. That said, I've migrated to using Windows programs only when absolutely necessary. Cheers, Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcolm Posted June 9, 2008 Author Share #8 Posted June 9, 2008 With Bootcamp you have to reboot the machine into Windows - i.e. you can't run OS X and Windows at the same time. Using Parallels means that you can run both together. I'd expect Bootcamp to have the advantage regarding speed of running Window's applications, but personally I'd go down the Parallels route for the sake of convenience. I've tried Bootcamp on my MacBook and it ran flawlessly. Obviously for either you need to buy a copy of the Windows operating system - at one point many of the cheaper versions of Vista wouldn't run in a virtual Parallels machine. I've no idea if that's changed. Steve, Thanks. Can't I just copy the Windows folder from the PC's Program files onto a CD and transfer this folder to a Mac? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjmcsu Posted June 9, 2008 Share #9 Posted June 9, 2008 If you decide on sticking with dual platforms (separate machines) it works well to network the two. I use PC for mail & to run my windows based RIP.I work on the images on my Mac & send them to the PC for production on the RIP. I set-up a cross-over cables via the gigabit ethernet ports on both machines using TCP/IP addresses & all works seemlesly. I built the windows machine & run XP Pro.Just a thought if you do not run windows on a Mac(I have a PowerPC) G5 Quad tower, but also use MacBookPro for travel. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted June 9, 2008 Share #10 Posted June 9, 2008 Steve, Thanks. Can't I just copy the Windows folder from the PC's Program files onto a CD and transfer this folder to a Mac? No, you have to install Windows regardless of whether you're running Bootcamp or Parallels. Just copying the relevant folders to a CD/DVD and then copying that to the Mac will not work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLogan Posted June 9, 2008 Share #11 Posted June 9, 2008 Why not buy an IMac, use the IMac for web and other things with the pre installed software, put a windows pc beside the mac and use the IMac as a monitor for the windows pc when there is a need to work with your windows specific software, as well. I don't know if the I Mac has an additional dvi or HDMI input but I think that is highly possible. I'm pretty certain that it is not possible to use an iMac as the external monitor of a second computer. I tried a few months ago, with no success. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTD Posted June 9, 2008 Share #12 Posted June 9, 2008 Some software vendors (such as Adobe) let you crossgrade from the Windows version to mac version. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocker Posted June 9, 2008 Share #13 Posted June 9, 2008 Some software vendors (such as Adobe) let you crossgrade from the Windows version to mac version. But they make it very difficult for you! I have been exchanging emails with them for the past two weeks to get my Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat cross-graded. My original full purchase Photoshop was PS 6. Since then I have bought CS, CS2 and CS3 as upgrades. They demanded to see my proof of purchase of PS6 ( I think I bought it in 2001) I'm not impressed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted June 9, 2008 Share #14 Posted June 9, 2008 If you lose your PS6 serial number, your upgrades on the same platform won't work, either. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleeson Posted June 10, 2008 Share #15 Posted June 10, 2008 I run WinXP on my various Macs both ways. Parallels is fine for switching back and forth for occasional office type work, but Boot Camp lets things run much faster. I second the suggestions to avoid Vista altogether. I predict you'll rarely use XP on the Mac, especially for internet and graphics. If you do access the Internet through XP, remember that you'll need all the usual security programs in that partition. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
miami91 Posted June 10, 2008 Share #16 Posted June 10, 2008 I use VMWare Fusion with Vista Ultimate on two machines: Mac Pro and a MacBook Pro. It's really quite snappy, especially on the Mac Pro (2 quad core processors). Like most things, the faster your computer and the more RAM, the better the experience will be. On my Mac Pro I dedicate 4GB of RAM to the virtual machine --- this helps a great deal. Integration is really quite smooth. The virtual machine automatically uses the host internet connection, you can set your Mac home directory as a share on Windows (easy file sharing), and Vista can even print to my Airport wireless printer! One possible selling point for Fusion over Parallels ---- Fusion takes advantage of multiple processing cores, where I don't believe Parallels does. So performance will likely be better for those with the latest Intel duo or quad core chips. Jeff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psamson Posted June 10, 2008 Share #17 Posted June 10, 2008 My setup: - 17" Macbook Pro, 3Gb of memory/RAM - Parallels for the virtual-machine software (VMWare is a competitor) - Windows XP with SP3 running on Parallels - Boot into Apple normally - Start Parallels, and then start Windows within Parallels - you are now running both A nifty feature of Parallels is "coherence" mode. Instead of the Windows XP virtual machine (VM) appearing in a window, the window disappears and instead I have both a Mac and a Windows toolbar along the bottom. Moreover (the best part), the applications running on either the Mac or Windows are mingled such that you visually know if it's coming from the Mac or Windows. Yes, you can tell the difference by the window style but from a productivity perspective you simply move applications around on the desktop. It's stable and I love it. Planning for initial setup/cost: - Mac. Go for at least 3Gb of memory, perhaps even 4Gb. You need to give 512Mb or 1Gb of memory to the Windows WM for it to run OK. Actual memory needs for the Windows VM depend on your needs. Reliable, inexpensive memory from Memory upgrades, flash media, and usb storage at Crucial.com - A copy of the Parallels software - A copy of Windows XP. Yes, you must have a licensed copy of the operating system. I agree with others to stay away from Vista. - Other Windows software you might need. Setup: - Boot up the Mac. - Install Parallels. - Get any recent patches for Parallels software. - Change Parallels to allow the desired amount of RAM for the Windows VM (512Mb, 1024Mb?). - Use Parallels to install your Windows XP VM. NOTE: Plan accordingly when allocating initial space for the VM. - In the Windows VM, use Internet Explorer to go to update.microsoft.com multiple times and get all recent patches - Consider installing anti-virus software on the Windows VM. It's still Windows... - Install other Windows software Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcolm Posted June 12, 2008 Author Share #18 Posted June 12, 2008 But they make it very difficult for you! I have been exchanging emails with them for the past two weeks to get my Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat cross-graded. My original full purchase Photoshop was PS 6. Since then I have bought CS, CS2 and CS3 as upgrades. They demanded to see my proof of purchase of PS6 ( I think I bought it in 2001) I'm not impressed. Keith et al, (plese disregard if you already know this, and if you knowledgeable folks know any of the following to be wrong, please correct me) After doing some research and making some phone calls, here's what I've learned: a. A platform CHANGE from Windows to Mac can be accomplished through Adobe (costs about $6), but the PC End User License is voided and replaced by the Mac platform one (i.e., no more free updates available for the PC version). Web link for this is: http://www.adobe.com/support/service/ts/documents/lod/lod_exchange.pdf. b. To run windows on Mac requires a separate, full, copy of windows to be installed on the Mac. c. There seems to be some problem with CS3 on a Mac using Leopard 10.5.4. There is an upgrade to CS3.3 which is supposed to be released by the end of June. Cost $159 US. Don't know whether it resolves any current issues with Leopard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
like_no_other Posted June 12, 2008 Share #19 Posted June 12, 2008 I'm pretty certain that it is not possible to use an iMac as the external monitor of a second computer. I tried a few months ago, with no success. Thanks for the clarification! I wasn't aware of that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overgaard Posted June 12, 2008 Share #20 Posted June 12, 2008 As a curiosity, a Danish Apple shop chain advertised last week that one can buy an Apple with Windows pre-installed. It's a pretty good idea. I would like to have Windows installed as well but never had the time or energy to learn how that works. Anyone selling Mac, please steal the idea... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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