Boot Camp or Notebook

nikkor · Nov 13, 2009, 12:21 PM

I have a problem that I need advice on. I have to purchase a piece of software to help me with some rental property i am buying. It is from Quicken and it only runs on Windows. From what I read it looks like I have two options.

1. Install Windows 7 through Boot Camp on my Macbook Pro 15" (Intel based).

2. Buy a cheap as notebook or laptop for this sole purpose.

I have never ran windows on my mac and I don't get a good feeling about it. On the other hand, I don't want to end up spening $600 on computer and software when I should be able to do it for under $300.

Does anyone have advice, recommendations, suggestions, words of caution, etc. that might help me make up my mind?

thegoldenmackid · Nov 13, 2009, 12:22 PM

I'm fairly certain that you could buy a cheap used computer, if you are solely running Quicken, go buy a budget PC and a CRT or do you need the portability?

maflynn · Nov 13, 2009, 02:20 PM

Buy an oem version of windows on newegg, much cheaper then retail.

Given that you only need to run one program, I'd go the virtualization route, either vmware or virtualbox (free) You can then load up windows 7 in vmware (or virtualbox), install the software and you're off like a herd of turtles

1ofthedavids · Nov 13, 2009, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maflynn

Buy an oem version of windows on newegg, much cheaper then retail.

Given that you only need to run one program, I'd go the virtualization route, either vmware or virtualbox (free) You can then load up windows 7 in vmware (or virtualbox), install the software and you're off like a herd of turtles

I second maflynn's notion. VirtualBox is free, and if you're only running a single app, you shouldn't have to dedicate a lot of resources to your virtual machine. You could utilize the trials of VMWare FUsion and Parallels 5 to see if they fit your needs better, but honestly, from what I can see of this thread, VirtualBox would work fine since you only need Windows for one application.

Hellhammer · Nov 13, 2009, 02:36 PM

How about Parallels or Fusion? Then you wouldn't need to boot to Windows everytime you have to use Quicken. How heavy is Quicken anyway (if it needs power, then Bootcamp is better solution). Moreover, Quicken seems to run OK with CrossOver (an app that lets you run some Windows apps in OS X) so you could download it's trial from here and try how well Quicken runs

psingh01 · Nov 13, 2009, 03:44 PM

VirtualBox (free), Parallels ($$$) or Fusion ($$$) would work great to run windows under OSX. I doubt you need to run it natively under bootcamp. Another option is Crossover. To run windows apps without installing Windows. I think it works with regular Quicken so you shouldn't have a problem.

Nov 13, 2009, 12:21 PM	#1
nikkor macrumors newbie Join Date: Nov 2009	Boot Camp or Notebook I have a problem that I need advice on. I have to purchase a piece of software to help me with some rental property i am buying. It is from Quicken and it only runs on Windows. From what I read it looks like I have two options. 1. Install Windows 7 through Boot Camp on my Macbook Pro 15" (Intel based). 2. Buy a cheap as notebook or laptop for this sole purpose. I have never ran windows on my mac and I don't get a good feeling about it. On the other hand, I don't want to end up spening $600 on computer and software when I should be able to do it for under $300. Does anyone have advice, recommendations, suggestions, words of caution, etc. that might help me make up my mind?

Nov 13, 2009, 12:22 PM	#2
thegoldenmackid macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Plano, TX/Winston-Salem, NC	I'm fairly certain that you could buy a cheap used computer, if you are solely running Quicken, go buy a budget PC and a CRT or do you need the portability? __________________ themacfeed.com/forums KRK Powered peace[darfur Help my external hard drive guide.

Nov 13, 2009, 02:20 PM	#3
maflynn Contributor Join Date: May 2009	Buy an oem version of windows on newegg, much cheaper then retail. Given that you only need to run one program, I'd go the virtualization route, either vmware or virtualbox (free) You can then load up windows 7 in vmware (or virtualbox), install the software and you're off like a herd of turtles __________________ Unibody MacBook Pro 2.53 GHz, 4GB ram, 500GB HDD; iPhone 3Gs 32GB

Nov 13, 2009, 02:36 PM	#5
Hellhammer macrumors 68040 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Helsinki, Finland	How about Parallels or Fusion? Then you wouldn't need to boot to Windows everytime you have to use Quicken. How heavy is Quicken anyway (if it needs power, then Bootcamp is better solution). Moreover, Quicken seems to run OK with CrossOver (an app that lets you run some Windows apps in OS X) so you could download it's trial from here and try how well Quicken runs __________________ iMac 24" 2.93GHz, 4GB DDR3, 640GB HD, GT130 512MB GDDR3 iPhone 3GS 16GB 50 Top Tips for Mac OS X Beginners Get 20% Off with coupon: MR20

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Nov 13, 2009, 03:44 PM	#6
psingh01 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Apr 2004	VirtualBox (free), Parallels ($$$) or Fusion ($$$) would work great to run windows under OSX. I doubt you need to run it natively under bootcamp. Another option is Crossover. To run windows apps without installing Windows. I think it works with regular Quicken so you shouldn't have a problem.