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Will PC only Software work on MacTels?

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wirelessimports

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 24, 2005
88
0
I just made the switch when the mac mini came out and since then i dispise ever going back to windows as im sure most of you are. however, i still need one for the office and home since there are some PC only programs I require to work.

So my big questions is not will i be able to run windows xp and my pc only software on that, cause i dont care about xp. What im interested in knowing is that do you believe that PC only software will be able to run on OSX with the new intel macs?
 
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inlimbo

macrumors 6502
Jan 29, 2005
411
0
Sydney, Australia
Here is a quote from Australian Mac World July 2005 p 023.

Will my Intel-based Mac be able to run Windows?
It seems likely, although Apple won't support it. Someone will probably figure a way to install Windows on a Mac system so that you can choose to boot into either OS X or Windows. In addition, consider a future version of Virtual PC that lets you run PC applications at full speed, on a window within your Mac (or a second monitor). There are some intriguing possibilities here for Mac user who must use Windows applications some of the time.
 
eXan

eXan

macrumors 601
Jan 10, 2005
4,731
63
Russia
Maybe, but you will have to install Windows (if it would be at all possible) to run them.
 
mkrishnan

mkrishnan

Moderator emeritus
Jan 9, 2004
29,776
15
Grand Rapids, MI, USA
eXan said:
Maybe, but you will have to install Windows (if it would be at all possible) to run them.
Click to expand...

Depends. There will always be some app that will pretty much only run in Windows, but WINE is very capable these days, and, even if it has to run in the X environment instead of in Aqua, once OS X hits the Intel architecture, the work of getting WINE running on it should be vastly easier than it is now.

But that, of course, would have been something the OP could have found out quite easily with a forum search.... ;)
 
MacDawg

MacDawg

Moderator emeritus
Mar 20, 2004
19,823
4,503
"Between the Hedges"
In other words, PC only software will not run seamlessly in OSX (because it is Windows software). It is tied to the OS, not just the processor.

Will you be able to make it run on a Mactel? Probably in some form, either by loading XP on the Mactel, using VPC or some equivalent, or WINE or some other interpreter. There will always be a way. Will this give you satisfactory results? Maybe, maybe not. The performance issue will be for you to decide, but it should probably be better than VPC on the Mac now.

Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
 
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wirelessimports

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 24, 2005
88
0
basically what im asking is will the mactels be able to either run .exe files on the OSX?

What my main goal is is to be able to run either UPS worldship software or Fedex Ship manager software for my shipping purposes since we ship alot. Anyone believe this will do the trick?
 
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Eric5h5

macrumors 68020
Dec 9, 2004
2,489
590
wirelessimports said:
basically what im asking is will the mactels be able to either run .exe files on the OSX?
Click to expand...

Nope, as people have already said. OS X is not Windows. It's not even remotely compatible with Windows, from an application standpoint. Running on x86 doesn't do diddly-squat to make it even slightly more compatible with Windows, because the two operating systems are completely different, regardless of CPU. Trying to run a Windows .exe on OS X will result in the same thing that happens when you run an OS X .app on Windows: i.e., nothing. Or an error message of some type.

Unless you want to fiddle with emulation, it's just not possible. The only thing running on Intel chips will do is make emulation faster (or non-existant if you actually boot into Windows).

--Eric
 
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wirelessimports

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 24, 2005
88
0
Eric5h5 said:
Nope, as people have already said. OS X is not Windows. It's not even remotely compatible with Windows, from an application standpoint. Running on x86 doesn't do diddly-squat to make it even slightly more compatible with Windows, because the two operating systems are completely different, regardless of CPU. Trying to run a Windows .exe on OS X will result in the same thing that happens when you run an OS X .app on Windows: i.e., nothing. Or an error message of some type.

Unless you want to fiddle with emulation, it's just not possible. The only thing running on Intel chips will do is make emulation faster (or non-existant if you actually boot into Windows).

--Eric
Click to expand...

Thanks. In VPC now is it possible to connect a printer and print stuff out? or is it really only good for just opening and closing programs?
 
MisterMe

MisterMe

macrumors G4
Jul 17, 2002
10,709
69
USA
wirelessimports said:
Thanks. In VPC now is it possible to connect a printer and print stuff out? or is it really only good for just opening and closing programs?
Click to expand...
VPC prints through your Mac printer. Documents are printed from Windows using a driver who name is VM Additions Printer. Lest there be any doubt, VPC does not provide extra compatibility. If you cannot print to a printer without VPC, you cannot print to the printer with VPC. You can print only to printers which are properly installed on your Mac. You may install as many print drivers within Windows as you like. However, only the VM Additions Printer driver will produce hard copy output.
 
Sun Baked

Sun Baked

macrumors G5
May 19, 2002
14,937
157
wirelessimports said:
basically what im asking is will the mactels be able to either run .exe files on the OSX?

What my main goal is is to be able to run either UPS worldship software or Fedex Ship manager software for my shipping purposes since we ship alot. Anyone believe this will do the trick?
Click to expand...
Are you serious... :confused:

If that were true..

Why would anybody buy another copy of Windows again?

Especially if you didn't need a copy of Windows to use the same programs.

You'd be an absolute moron to pay for Windows, when you can download a copy of Linux off the net, or pay $5 for a burned Linux DVD.

If you are running Windows on a x86 right now, then it's possible that you really need Windows to run a Windows program. Or, at least some way of faking it.
 
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CubaTBird

macrumors 68020
Apr 18, 2004
2,135
0
would it be possible to have your mac partition formatted in hfs and the windows partition formated in ntfs? both living on the same hard drive? :confused: :eek:
 
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wirelessimports

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 24, 2005
88
0
CubaTBird said:
would it be possible to have your mac partition formatted in hfs and the windows partition formated in ntfs? both living on the same hard drive? :confused: :eek:
Click to expand...


Thats a damn good question, now I just wish I knew what he was talking about.

LOL... Yea I think I have a vauge idea. Basically split the HD in 2 sections, one to run windows and the other OSX?

Wait a second, cant you install Linux on a Mac and have windows boot up as well? Maybe its old school, cause I heard this a long long time ago but... Someone once told me you could instal linux then run windows through it like a window then minimize that OS and load up OSX or if you have a large enough monitor load them up side by side.
 
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Eric5h5

macrumors 68020
Dec 9, 2004
2,489
590
CubaTBird said:
would it be possible to have your mac partition formatted in hfs and the windows partition formated in ntfs? both living on the same hard drive? :confused: :eek:
Click to expand...

Yes, you can have different partitions be different formats, no problem.

wirelessimports said:
Wait a second, cant you install Linux on a Mac and have windows boot up as well? Maybe its old school, cause I heard this a long long time ago but... Someone once told me you could instal linux then run windows through it like a window then minimize that OS and load up OSX or if you have a large enough monitor load them up side by side.
Click to expand...

Well, er...no. You could run Linux on an x86 box and then run WINE, which is sort of running "Windows through it like a window" I guess (though you're not really running Windows, because Wine, as they say, Is Not an Emulator), and then run the PearPC emulator to get OS X running. PearPC is kind of slow right now because of having to emulate PPC, but I suppose the release of x86 OS X will fix that.

--Eric
 
iMeowbot

iMeowbot

macrumors G3
Aug 30, 2003
8,634
0
CubaTBird said:
would it be possible to have your mac partition formatted in hfs and the windows partition formated in ntfs? both living on the same hard drive? :confused: :eek:
Click to expand...
We'll have to wait and see if Apple do anything weird with booting first. Even if they do, someone will surely come up with a little boot mangler program to smooth over the rough edges. Having the different formats on there shouldn't be a problem in itself though.
 
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