B4 I buy a MBP, tell me how to run my PC programs on it, please.

[papa deuce]

I have several PC only programs that I use for DJing. My buddy is a mac guy and says that I can run those on a MBP, but he can't explain it to me until tomorrow. I'm trying to get a small clue before we talk.

If this is really feasible, I will buy a MBP this week.

 

[spinnerlys]

BootCamp, VM Ware Fusion, Sun Virtual Box and Parallels.

 

[Mew2468]

There are many ways to run Windows on a Mac. There's a program that comes with Mac OS X called Bootcamp which allows you to install Windows onto a partition on your disk. The downside is you can only be running one operating system at time.

Alternatively, you could use Parallels or VMWare Fusion (both do the same thing; I recommend VMWare Fusion). They let you install Windows and you can run it at the same time as Mac OS X.

For both, you need a Windows installation disk.

Edit: I forgot to mention...Bootcamp is free but you still need an installation disk. Parallels and VMWare Fusion cost money, and you also need an installation disk.

 

[papa deuce]

Thank you.

Now I have another question... if I get these programs to work using the solutions you provided, are my DJ programs more likely to crash because they are going "through" other software?

 

[Inakto]

Thank you.

Now I have another question... if I get these programs to work using the solutions you provided, are my DJ programs more likely to crash because they are going "through" other software?

Virtualization is more prone to crashes (vm ware and Parallels) but bootcamp is just a program that works around a natively installed windows. Windows will be as stable as ever, and the apple drivers are quite good.

 

[chill.]

Virtualization is more prone to crashes (vm ware and Parallels) but bootcamp is just a program that works around a natively installed windows. Windows will be as stable as ever, and the apple drivers are quite good.

i've actually had a lot of trouble with the apple drivers

when i bootcamped vista early this year, my audio output was extremely low volume and i had to download new audio drivers. i also had a problem with the wifi adapter causing lag spikes and had to get a new network driver. i still have issues with the trackpad and function keys not working correctly in bootcamp. the trackpad doesn't click very smoothly (the cursor jumps a bit when i click) and the function keys don't work, but these are minor issues compared to the crippling audio/network problems

of course this was with bootcamp2? i think, and they have bootcamp3 now. could be different.

OP, your dj programs will work in bootcamp. however, i would be prepared to tweak your system because it might not perform properly out of the box with bootcamp

 

[RaceTripper]

Virtualization is more prone to crashes (vm ware and Parallels) but bootcamp is just a program that works around a natively installed windows. Windows will be as stable as ever, and the apple drivers are quite good.

Emulation might be more prone to crashing, but I disagree about virtualization. It is a very stable way to run an OS. We use virtualization to run multiple Linux instances in a production environment and it works very well. I've never had VMWare Fusion crash on me while running Windows. In fact, I would say running Windows XP running inside VMWare Fusion has been very stable, and I've been doing it for two years. Fusion 3 is even better. OTOH: I had problems with drivers running Windows in boot camp. Never could get it to work with an external monitor from my MBP at the correct resolution. It would always set the display resolution to match the lower resolution of the MBP.

 

[Inakto]

i've actually had a lot of trouble with the apple drivers

when i bootcamped vista early this year, my audio output was extremely low volume and i had to download new audio drivers. i also had a problem with the wifi adapter causing lag spikes and had to get a new network driver. i still have issues with the trackpad and function keys not working correctly in bootcamp. the trackpad doesn't click very smoothly (the cursor jumps a bit when i click) and the function keys don't work, but these are minor issues compared to the crippling audio/network problems

of course this was with bootcamp2? i think, and they have bootcamp3 now. could be different.

OP, your dj programs will work in bootcamp. however, i would be prepared to tweak your system because it might not perform properly out of the box with bootcamp

Emulation might be more prone to crashing, but I disagree about virtualization. It is a very stable way to run an OS. We use virtualization to run multiple Linux instances in a production environment and it works very well. I've never had VMWare Fusion crash on me while running Windows. In fact, I would say running Windows XP running inside VMWare Fusion has been very stable, and I've been doing it for two years. Fusion 3 is even better. OTOH: I had problems with drivers running Windows in boot camp. Never could get it to work with an external monitor from my MBP at the correct resolution. It would always set the display resolution to match the lower resolution of the MBP.

I used bootcamp on my white macbook without the multitouch trackpad. The drivers for that seems pretty good but i dont know how they are for the new machines. I did notice that the wifi wasnt as good, and the battery life was terrible with vista. But i like the drivers as they don't include any bloatware, they all install at the same time, and mimic the apple experience as much as possible in terms of UI. I used Parallels back in 2007 so i guess i have a 1.0 release bias plus 1 gb of ram didn't cut it for XP and osx at the same time.
Wether or not the drivers are good or bad, i think windows users will have little trouble getting their macs running their favourite sofwarez.

 

[RaceTripper]

I used bootcamp on my white macbook without the multitouch trackpad. The drivers for that seems pretty good but i dont know how they are for the new machines. I did notice that the wifi wasnt as good, and the battery life was terrible with vista. But i like the drivers as they don't include any bloatware, they all install at the same time, and mimic the apple experience as much as possible in terms of UI. I used Parallels back in 2007 so i guess i have a 1.0 release bias plus 1 gb of ram didn't cut it for XP and osx at the same time.
Wether or not the drivers are good or bad, i think windows users will have little trouble getting their macs running their favourite sofwarez.

I don't care for Parallels either, but to claim virtualization is more prone to crashing because you had problems with Parallels 1.0 on a machine with 1 GB isn't helpful to others. Even with my 8 GB MBP I still only give my Windows XP VM 1 GB of RAM and it runs great for what I need.

To the OP I recommend using Fusion (or try VirtualBox, it's free). Unlike using Bootcamp it has the benefit that you can run Mac OS and Windows simultaneously. With Bootcamp you're just creating a dual-boot machine. You run one OS or the other, and have to reboot if you aren't running on the one you need. Also, if you already have a Bootcamp partition, Fusion can use it for virtualization.

 

[papa deuce]

Thanks... I hope my buddy gets all this, because it is Greek to me... As long as I can run my PC DJ programs and the iLife suite, I'm good.