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jandvicki

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 6, 2013
2
0
I am in a Doctoral Program and writing my dissertation. I have a Mac Air and the program I need to use, NVivo 9 or 10 for my research does not offer an ios verson. I can run it on my mac using bootcamp, parallels, or VMware fusion. I am a little leery of partitioning my mac and running windows. Can anyone give me some advice as to what is better. I am running OS X and it has 2G memory, 120 gig Storage. Thanks for your input
 
Nov 28, 2010
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Since you only have 2 GB of RAM (memory), using Windows via a Virtual Machine application might be quite slow, thus it probably would be best to use Boot Camp for running Windows, but 120 GB of storage capacity might be a bit low for having two partitions, unless you only have use 60 GB of that 120 GB yet, then having a 30 GB Windows partition (depending on the Windows version and your MacBook Air model (which year?)).

Btw, iOS is the operating system for iPhones and iPads and iPod touches, Macs either run Mac OS X (Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion) or OS X (OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion).
 

jemesouviens

macrumors member
Oct 31, 2012
51
0
Your best bet is Boot Camp.

The reason being that 2GB RAM is a bit low to run a virtual machine, whether in Parallels or VMWare. It'll run but the performance isn't going to be great.

You can point your vm software to Boot Camp to access Windows applications when you're logged into OSX.

I ended up choosing Parallels over VMWare Fusion - but advise you to install the trial versions of both and see which you prefer.

Good luck with your PhD!

Edit - simsaladimbamba beat me to it!
 

kulimer

macrumors 6502
Aug 30, 2011
330
2
I second boot camp!

My advice: if you are using Windows, buy a Windows computer.

Mac is not meant to run Windows, for example, the shortcut in MS Word is awkward to use.

Why did you buy an MBA? Running Windows on MBA is just the worst idea, the minimum requirement should be MBP.
 
Nov 28, 2010
22,670
30
located
.

Mac is not meant to run Windows,
A Mac is just a personal computer (PC) able to also run Windows and normally it is quite easy to do so.

for example, the shortcut in MS Word is awkward to use.
Which shortcut in which version of MS Office (Word) is awkward to use in which Windows version?

Why did you buy an MBA? Running Windows on MBA is just the worst idea, the minimum requirement should be MBP.
How come, HP, Dell and others sell computers with similar or less or better specs than the MacBook Air has, and they come with Windows 7 or 8? I guess they are called Ultrabooks, you may have heard of them?
 
Nov 28, 2010
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I agree, it's easy to set up, but not as fun to use on a Windows machine.

It is an OS, where is the fun in that?
And what do you mean by that (there seems to be an actual word missing from your statement)? It is more fun to use a non-Apple consumer computer for running Windows or that it less fun to use a non-Apple consumer computer for running Windows?

And what about the other points you brought up, but did not explain?

Will probably wait for nothing.
 

kulimer

macrumors 6502
Aug 30, 2011
330
2
I am saying,

Use Windows on a Windows machine; use Mac OS X on a Mac machine. It's plain simple.

Mac is more forgiving when you run Windows, try the other way. It takes my argument to the extreme.
 

jandvicki

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 6, 2013
2
0
I second boot camp!

My advice: if you are using Windows, buy a Windows computer.

Mac is not meant to run Windows, for example, the shortcut in MS Word is awkward to use.

Why did you buy an MBA? Running Windows on MBA is just the worst idea, the minimum requirement should be MBP.

I bought the MBA because of the portability and just found out that the software I need does not offer a OS X version. I purchased this in 2010 and have never had any problems with this. I am coming to the end of my dissertation (Research phase). I am told that the software NVivo 10 is coming out with an OS X version later this year but my timeline does not allow me to wait for the new software. This is the only reason I need to run windows. Once the new software comes out I will switch to the new OS X version.
 

wwong-maui

macrumors newbie
Feb 1, 2013
14
0
As others have mentioned, you'll want to run Windows using BootCamp (BC) because you have relatively little memory so Windows will run better than if you use a virtual machine software such as Parallels or VMware. The downside to bootcamp is having to reboot whenever you switch operating systems... and not moving data between the operating systems seamlessly.

I have a 2011 MBA 13" and it runs Windows 7 ultimate with no problems so don't be fooled into thinking the MBA is too underpowered. Couple of hints:

-Depending on what version of OSX you are running, (which determines what version of BC you can run, which determines what version of Windows is supported... for instance, Win8 is not supported yet (I know it runs under Mtn Lion but is not officially supported...yet.).
-You are a little light on Drive disk space so be aware that Win7 (64-bit) needs a partition of least a 20GB plus whatever data requirements you need for your program. Check to see if your Windows application can run in Win 32bit mode then you can install Win7 32-bit which only needs a 16GB partition.

Just so you know what you're missing if you're thinking you have budget to upgrade hardware... My 2012 MBA 13 with 4GB RAM and 254GB SSD is running Mtn Lion, with Win7 64-bit in BC.. as well as Parallels VM using the same Win7 instance in BC. For casual use, when I click on a windows file while in OSX, Parallels jumps in and let me simultaneously work in both Win and OSX... when I'm at a corporate client with a Windows environment, I boot into BC and I'm working on a real Windows laptop. I no longer lug my Dell with me as I see no performance hit or incompatibilities using my MBA as a full-on WinPC. Hope that helps.

----------

Couple of hints:
-Depending on what version of OSX you are running, (which determines what version of BC you can run, which determines what version of Windows is supported... for instance, Win8 is not supported yet (I know it runs under Mtn Lion but is not officially supported...yet.).
-You are a little light on Drive disk space so be aware that Win7 (64-bit) needs a partition of least a 20GB plus whatever data requirements you need for your program. Check to see if your Windows application can run in Win 32bit mode then you can install Win7 32-bit which only needs a 16GB partition.

A good starting point for your research on what to do can be found in Apple's Knowledgebase:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1899
Boot Camp: System requirements for Microsoft Windows
 

MiamiC70

Suspended
Oct 16, 2011
416
156
WTF exactly is a "Windows machine". I run Winows on my MacBook Air so doesn't that make it a Windows machine.


I am saying,

Use Windows on a Windows machine; use Mac OS X on a Mac machine. It's plain simple.

Mac is more forgiving when you run Windows, try the other way. It takes my argument to the extreme.
 
Nov 28, 2010
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A Windows machine is a Windows machine, it's not a Mac machine. What's so confusing to you?

But a Windows machine is capable of running Linux, what kind of machine is it then?

I guess you mean a pre-built computer one buys, where Windows is already installed, am I right?

I do not know, how well you know what kind of hardware modern personal consumer computers use nowadays, but it seems, your post is more rooted in opinion (probably based on a bad experience) than facts.

A computer using the x86 architecture can run Windows, any kind of x86 Linux distro and Mac OS X, depending on the level of drivers existing for the included hardware and the respective OS and the level of computer knowledge the user can apply into installing either OS.

I ran Windows quite well on two of my Apple-branded computers in the years 2007 and 2008 and I ran Linux quite well on non-Apple-branded PCs (PC nowadays being a synonym for "Windows computer", albeit entirely wrong) and one Mac, and the only thing I have not tried yet, but some people seem to have been successful according to early reports, is installing Mac OS X on a non-Apple branded PC.
 

kulimer

macrumors 6502
Aug 30, 2011
330
2
But a Windows machine is capable of running Linux, what kind of machine is it then?

I guess you mean a pre-built computer one buys, where Windows is already installed, am I right?
A Mac machine, such as iMac and MBP, runs OS X natively, but it has the capability of running Windows using boot camp. I will not call it a Windows machine.

I do not know, how well you know what kind of hardware modern personal consumer computers use nowadays, but it seems, your post is more rooted in opinion (probably based on a bad experience) than facts.
I am not sure what facts you are referring to, but for any Mac (iMac, MBP, MBA), it is not designed to run OS X.

When Bill built Windows computer, he did not give a dam about how OS X will run on it. Likewise, Steve did not care how Windows would run.

Use it what it is meant for!

I ran Windows quite well on two of my Apple-branded computers in the years 2007 and 2008 and I ran Linux quite well on non-Apple-branded PCs (PC nowadays being a synonym for "Windows computer", albeit entirely wrong) and one Mac, and the only thing I have not tried yet, but some people seem to have been successful according to early reports, is installing Mac OS X on a non-Apple branded PC.

I am glad Windows ran well on your Mac, but don't take it for granted---it is because the guys at Apple designed so it runs well.
 
Nov 28, 2010
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A Mac machine, such as iMac and MBP, runs OS X natively, but it has the capability of running Windows using boot camp. I will not call it a Windows machine.
That is your prerogative.


I am not sure what facts you are referring to, but for any Mac (iMac, MBP, MBA), it is not designed to run OS X.
A Mac is designed to run Mac OS X and OS X, I guess it is a hiccup on your part.

When Bill built Windows computer, he did not give a dam about how OS X will run on it. Likewise, Steve did not care how Windows would run.
If your refer to Bill Gates, he did not built a Windows computer, he was clever enough to write/copy an OS in collaboration with others and get other companies to built machines capable of running that OS and even obliged them via contracts to run DOS and then Windows on those machines.
And Mac OS X did not exist back then, it was just System 1 and System 2 and System 3 and so forth.

And while Apple might not have cared that much, how well Intel Macs would run Windows natively, probably evident in all the driver issue threads, it was an important selling point in the second part of the first decade of the third millennium after that fella was born.

I am glad Windows ran well on your Mac, but don't take it for granted---it is because the guys at Apple designed so it runs well.
I do not take an OS and its stability, regardless of what computer does run it, for granted. Mac OS X is as flawed as Windows, just in other ways. I have had unstable Macs on work and have had unstable Macs at home, as I had unstable Windows computers at work and home.
Sometimes they just don't work as advertised, but often they do, and I am still glad I can use Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard on my Mac, and I do not take that for granted, as I am now limited to 2011 Macs and not newer Macs, since Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion are still not for me. But that has been talked about by myself at more than enough opportunities.

Have a good evening. :)
 

kulimer

macrumors 6502
Aug 30, 2011
330
2
Again, I think it's a horrible idea to run Windows on Mac, if you want to use Windows go buy a Windows machine, not Mac.

That is your prerogative.

It is your prerogative to believe that a Mac running OS X is called a Windows machine, though wrong.

A Mac is designed to run Mac OS X and OS X, I guess it is a hiccup on your part.

You got that right!

I do not take an OS and its stability, regardless of what computer does run it, for granted. Mac OS X is as flawed as Windows, just in other ways.
Taking it for granted? That just doesn't make sense!

Try boot up time, try open up Firefox. You decide which one is fast which one is slow.

You should not twist a fact and insist it is an user's opinion.
 
Nov 28, 2010
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Again, I think it's a horrible idea to run Windows on Mac, if you want to use Windows go buy a Windows machine, not Mac.
And if you want or have to use both Windows and Mac OS X?



It is your prerogative to believe that a Mac running OS X is called a Windows machine, though wrong.
It is not my believe to call it anything. Both Windows and Mac OS X run on computers sharing the same hardware components (CPU, GPU, ports and so on) and only differ in small areas.
I do not need to call a computer running Windows a "Windows machine" and do not need to call a computer running Mac OS X, or OS X nowadays, a "Mac machine". Both are computers, and nowadays one simply has to say "PC" for a computer running Windows, albeit the wrong term for it, but we strangely live in computer illiterate times. The word "Mac" for a PC running Mac OS or Mac OS X or OS X or System 1 through 7 is another area, since those computers were born with that name and were a little bit unique using a different architecture than Windows based PCs until the Intel switch.

Taking it for granted? That just doesn't make sense!
You said something about not taking something for granted (check the quote in my post) and then I replied, that I do not take anything computer related for granted. I worked with enough Windows and Mac OS X based computers to have seen them fail and fail again, due to some ****** software on it or some hardware connected to it (even if being a verified workstation) or the OS just frelling panic.

Try boot up time, try open up Firefox. You decide which one is fast which one is slow.
That is where the opinions differ. I am of the opinion, Mac OS X starts applications faster and boots up faster, but I also have seen well maintained Windows based computers (writing "PC" is probably simpler, but I am quite an arse that way) being able to boot faster and start applications faster, though Windows Explorer seems to be the exception. I am always too impatient and press Windows+E too often and end up with five or so Windows Explorer windows open.

You should not twist a fact and insist it is an user's opinion.
What was that fact again?

A computer is there to be used, and if it is possible to install any compatible OS on it, then it can be done. Just because a computer was initially built to run primarily one OS (that Windows based computer from Costco or that Mac from Best Buy), does not mean, it has to be that way, especially if the needs differ.

This is a circling discussion, isn't it? And not one of those other bastards out there are keen to chime on. Cowards. Probably have something better to do, like watching Katy Perry frog a kegel.

 

kulimer

macrumors 6502
Aug 30, 2011
330
2
And if you want or have to use both Windows and Mac OS X?

Buy a Windows and a Mac, they are not substitutes. Each one has its own strength.

For example, it's a pain to use Microsoft Word on mac.

YI worked with enough Windows and Mac OS X based computers to have seen them fail and fail again, due to some ****** software on it or some hardware connected to it (even if being a verified workstation) or the OS just frelling panic.
All electronics have life expectancy and failure rate. But on a normal sunny day, Windows freezing just pisses me off like no other.

That is where the opinions differ. I am of the opinion, Mac OS X starts applications faster and boots up faster, but I also have seen well maintained Windows based computers
What is "well maintained"? If you did not heat it up in the microwave, it's fine. Honestly, there really isn't that much you can do to maintain.

Please do not confuse the readers.

A computer is there to be used, and if it is possible to install any compatible OS on it, then it can be done. Just because a computer was initially built to run primarily one OS (that Windows based computer from Costco or that Mac from Best Buy), does not mean, it has to be that way, especially if the needs differ.
I wonder what would Steve Jobs say if he heard you saying this?
 
Nov 28, 2010
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Buy a Windows and a Mac, they are not substitutes. Each one has its own strength.
Of course it has, but one can also buy just one computer capable of running both, many people seem to be fine just doing that, be it Macintosh or Hackintosh users, and probably those fabled Linux users.

For example, it's a pain to use Microsoft Word on mac.
MS Office, or MS Word, is not an OS, and depending on what version of MS Word you are using on what version of Mac OS X, I agree. I had my fare share of frustration with MS Office 2008 and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and Spaces and so on.


All electronics have life expectancy and failure rate. But on a normal sunny day, Windows freezing just pisses me off like no other.
I agree, Windows coming to a halt gives me goosebumps and urinates my bladder.

What is "well maintained"? If you did not heat it up in the microwave, it's fine. Honestly, there really isn't that much you can do to maintain.
Windows can be maintained and often needs to with older versions of it, depending on what you do with it. If you install every application you come around, and there are lots of people doing so, it can bog down and sometimes maintaining the OS works wonders. Though I even was at a point in my life, where Windows 2000 was that misbehaving, probably also due to my ignorance back then, that I could remember the Windows 2000 serial number and even recognise it at a concert in a slide playing in the background. Probably due to me reinstalling it almost every ****ing day.

Please do not confuse the readers.
Which readers?

I wonder what would Steve Jobs say if he heard you saying this?
Wonder away, he can say what he wants, but I do not give a **** about it. It is my opinion and I stand by it, and SJ has a different opinion, and had a different vision of personal computers (a computer for the masses that can hardly be fiddled with) which now comes into fruition more and more. See the iMac or MacBook Pro with Retina Display or MacBook Air.

Anyway, it is fun talking with you, but I will hopefully jump to bed now, unless someone caught a battery virus while underheating his or her mouse.
 

solderguy1

macrumors member
Apr 20, 2012
40
0
Apple supplies the BootCamp program with windows drivers. If they think it's a good idea, who are we to argue. Fanboyism is so ten years ago.
 

iSmack

macrumors newbie
Jul 26, 2006
11
0
Denmark
I'm in the same boat at my university. Our new Intranet (MS SharePoint based) have some very important functions and options that I can't access with my 2012 MBA due to using Mac OS X. It's really frustrating but you can't blame Apple for this. I don't know what went through our university's IT department when they migrated to the new system. My guess is that 40-45% of the students use a MacBook at my campus.

I solved it by using Virtual Box and installing WinXP. VB is free. I think it requires a 5-10GB partition with WinXP. I'm not sure with Win7. I don't know if it's the optimal solution compared to other software alternatives out there but it gets the job done. Not perfectly but it's adequate. I don't need to reboot when wanting to access WinXP and vice versa.

On a sidenote: What are the disadvantages using the free Virtual Box tool compared to, say...Parallels?
 

Stetrain

macrumors 68040
Feb 6, 2009
3,550
20
A Windows machine is a Windows machine, it's not a Mac machine. What's so confusing to you?

So which chips/components do these "Windows machines" have that "Mac machines" do not?

When you install Windows via Bootcamp on a Mac, it becomes a native Windows computer. No emulation, it's real Windows.

There should be basically no differences in shortcuts or usage of MS Word running on Windows on a Mac via Bootcamp compared to a computer that came with Windows installed.
 

rbrian

macrumors 6502a
Jul 24, 2011
784
342
Aberdeen, Scotland
Windows on a Mac is worse than Windows on a PC designed for Windows for two reasons:

1. The Magic Touchpad is amazing on OSX, but it doesn't work very well in Windows, which gets confused between right-clicking, dragging, and pinch zooming, amongst other things. The gestures in OSX are so far ahead there is no reason for separate mouse buttons, but Windows still needs them.

2. Some keyboard shortcuts are impossible with a Mac keyboard - one I needed to use was to take a screenshot with a menu showing. It needed something like Ctrl-Alt-PrintScreen. Mac keyboards don't have PrintScreen buttons, there is a key combination which is supposed to replace PrintScreen. For the "shortcut" I needed to press about 6 keys all at once - I tried all sorts of finger gymnastics but it just didn't work.

Both of these problems can be overcome with a different mouse and keyboard, which makes much more sense for a desktop than it does for an Air.
 

Stetrain

macrumors 68040
Feb 6, 2009
3,550
20
Windows on a Mac is worse than Windows on a PC designed for Windows for two reasons:

1. The Magic Touchpad is amazing on OSX, but it doesn't work very well in Windows, which gets confused between right-clicking, dragging, and pinch zooming, amongst other things. The gestures in OSX are so far ahead there is no reason for separate mouse buttons, but Windows still needs them.

2. Some keyboard shortcuts are impossible with a Mac keyboard - one I needed to use was to take a screenshot with a menu showing. It needed something like Ctrl-Alt-PrintScreen. Mac keyboards don't have PrintScreen buttons, there is a key combination which is supposed to replace PrintScreen. For the "shortcut" I needed to press about 6 keys all at once - I tried all sorts of finger gymnastics but it just didn't work.

Both of these problems can be overcome with a different mouse and keyboard, which makes much more sense for a desktop than it does for an Air.

Pretty sure that there are 'Windows machines' out there with both of those problems as well.

Needing those dedicated keyboard keys (as well as ones like Home, Insert, etc. and a numberpad) is a good reason to get a different laptop. It isn't exactly a Windows vs Mac problem though.
 

rbrian

macrumors 6502a
Jul 24, 2011
784
342
Aberdeen, Scotland
Pretty sure that there are 'Windows machines' out there with both of those problems as well.

Needing those dedicated keyboard keys (as well as ones like Home, Insert, etc. and a numberpad) is a good reason to get a different laptop. It isn't exactly a Windows vs Mac problem though.

It is Windows vs Mac problem, at least with laptops, because you cannot get a Mac with the right keys and touchpad. Nearly all Windows PCs do, and if the one you like doesn't, there are 37 very slightly different ones which do.
 
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