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sahni130

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 25, 2008
677
416
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
im looking to run Windows on my imac but i don't know which of these would be better? i will be using internet explore, word, and maybe some windoes gaming. i have a 20 inch imac 2.4ghz, 250 gb hdd, 128 mb ati radeon, and 2gb of ram.
 
Until Parallels can catch up, definitely VMWare.

It's real sad that Parallels "has to catch up". They were first to market and VMware has blown them to smitherines. It supports both processor cores (and presumably 4 or 8 if you used a Mac Pro).. it's faster and seemingly more stable. It'll also allow you to boot a bootcamp partition, something I don't think Parallels has the ability to do. So this is nice because your BootCamp partition will allow you to boot into Windows alone or boot into it via VMWare virtualization.

EPIC
WIN.
 
so vmware is not good for gaming?
no
also do i need the full version of windows to install it on my mac?
yes
what would i install first, vmware or windoze?

vmware.

however, don't bother. Just use boot camp if you want to play games. You can get Word for OS X, and Internet Explorer is a terrible piece of crap so I don't know why you'd ever want to use that. Use Firefox or Safari.
 
so vmware is not good for gaming? also do i need the full version of windows to install it on my mac? what would i install first, vmware or windoze?

No. because VMWare doesn't use the full hardware.

You need a full version of windows, I'd recommend XP, vista is really slow under vmware. It works like this, install VMWare, then create a new virtual machine in VMWare - it will walk you through the XP install.
 
so vmware is not good for gaming? also do i need the full version of windows to install it on my mac? what would i install first, vmware or windoze?

No virtual machine is good for gaming as you are basically running two OS's at the same time so have to split your computers resources , yes you need a full copy of windows if XP just make sure it's sp2, OEM versions are recommended. If your into gaming i'd suggest first you install windows via bootcamp then purchase a copy of Fusion and run it of your windows partition that way your'll have the advantage of being able to shut down your virtual machine and run windows through bootcamp at native speed
 
Quick question... I didn't want to make a whole new thread.

Ok, I am really looking into getting my first mac. Here's my question: Can I use Microsoft Word in just bootcamp so I don't have to spend like $150 on Microsoft Office for Mac?

Thanks!
 
I own both parallels and fusion. With the new Fusion 2.0 coming, it has finally surpassed Parallels in ease of use, speed and features, as far as I'm concerned. All new purchases of Fusion qualify for a free upgrade, so I'd go that route.
 
Ok, I am really looking into getting my first mac. Here's my question: Can I use Microsoft Word in just bootcamp so I don't have to spend like $150 on Microsoft Office for Mac?

If you don't mind restarting you can. You also must have a full version of Windows XP or Vista. I say just go for Office 2008 for Mac, just for its convenience. If you should decide to use Bootcamp and then add VMWare Fusion or Parallels, Office will run noticeably slower than if it were running in OS X. Also, if you don't absolutely have to have Office, iWork goes for only $79 so you could get that instead of going through all the trouble this will cause you.
 
I've also got a few questions about using Fusion. I am going to college in the fall and I will be studying pharmacy. I am not sure as to whether or not I will be using excel for graphs and stuff and I heard the office for mac has some trouble with equations and stuff of that sort. I am buying a macbook in august and I will be buying a copy of windows to use my current version of office (Office 2007 Pro for PC). So here are my questions:
1) Will Fusion allow me to boot up into Windows through bootcamp?
2) I know I need to buy windows, but would it be better to buy XP Pro or Vista?
3) I am getting the blackbook, and have been thinking about upgrading the RAM. Would it be beneficial to upgrade to 4GB?
4) On the RAM issue, is ram from crucial comparable to Apple ram This?
5) Would booting into mac OS take longer due to windows being installed also?
6) Would Windows be running as soon as I boot into Mac OS or would I have to "Boot up" windows in fusion before I used windows programs?
7) Would fusion use resources if windows is not running?
Thanks for the help.
 
Quick question... I didn't want to make a whole new thread.

Ok, I am really looking into getting my first mac. Here's my question: Can I use Microsoft Word in just bootcamp so I don't have to spend like $150 on Microsoft Office for Mac?

Thanks!

You can use Office 2007 on your Boot Camp partition. I would recommend this free office program for your OS X side if you don't want to spend the money for Pages or Word '08.

1) Will Fusion allow me to boot up into Windows through bootcamp?
VMware Fusion is virtualization software. You can run Vista, for example, side by side with OS X on any Intel Mac. Boot camp is a different ballgame.
2) I know I need to buy windows, but would it be better to buy XP Pro or Vista?
Opinions on this seem to be very subjective. Buy what you feel comfortable with.
3) I am getting the blackbook, and have been thinking about upgrading the RAM. Would it be beneficial to upgrade to 4GB?
4) On the RAM issue, is ram from crucial comparable to Apple ram This?
Almost everyone here recommends buying RAM from a 3rd party. Apple overprices so yes Crucial would be a great place to purchase. You could also check out macsales and datamemorysystems for your solutions.
5) Would booting into mac OS take longer due to windows being installed also?
6) Would Windows be running as soon as I boot into Mac OS or would I have to "Boot up" windows in fusion before I used windows programs?
7) Would fusion use resources if windows is not running?
Thanks for the help.
No, no and if the application is not running, no. You seem to be confusing VMware with Boot camp. Those are two different things. Read up here:

http://guides.macrumors.com/A_Beginner's_Guide_to_Running_Windows_on_a_Mac
 
For everyone wondering which version of Windows to get, I suggest getting the OEM version of Vista Business or Vista Ultimate. With the OEM version of Business or Ultimate you are allowed to "downgrade" to XP Pro with your Vista license, and then if you decide you want to install Vista later on you already have a purchased copy and license.

How it works is like this: You buy the OEM DVD of Business or Ultimate, then you install XP Pro on your system and enter in any XP license key(you have to find a copy of XP Pro, and any license key will work even if it is no longer valid). When you try to activate you will have to call MS because the XP license is probably not valid, then you give them your Vista license number over the phone and they will give you a new license number for XP Pro. Then if you ever want to install Vista you just install it using the license number it came with. The only catch is that the OEM version is tied to the computer you install it on. You can not uninstall it and then install it on another computer later, you would have to buy a new license for that.
 
You seem to be confusing VMware with Boot camp. Those are two different things. Read up here:

http://guides.macrumors.com/A_Beginner's_Guide_to_Running_Windows_on_a_Mac

I know the difference, I guess it was just poor wording on my part. :) A few more questions....
1) Would Windows Vista 64-bit run in boot camp and fusion?
2) When booting up the computer, does it automatically boot into OSX unless you hold the option key?
3) I plan on trying to use all the OSX apps except for the windows version of office I already have. Would office run well in Fusion say with iTunes and Saffari up at the same time with the standard 2 gigs of ram?
 
I know the difference, I guess it was just poor wording on my part. :) A few more questions....
1) Would Windows Vista 64-bit run in boot camp and fusion?
2) When booting up the computer, does it automatically boot into OSX unless you hold the option key?
3) I plan on trying to use all the OSX apps except for the windows version of office I already have. Would office run well in Fusion say with iTunes and Saffari up at the same time with the standard 2 gigs of ram?

1 yes but their can be issues with drivers
2 yes or there is an option in system preferences to boot up into which OS you want
3 yes but 4GB is better
 
It'll also allow you to boot a bootcamp partition, something I don't think Parallels has the ability to do.
Parallels has done this for at least a year now.

Are the rest of your Fusion "wins" as outdated and incorrect? (I don't know. I've bought Parallels last year when there was no Fusion, and have since paid no attention to Fusion.)
 
I feel that I need to run office because of compatability issues with papers and projects I will do for college.


there are plenty of mac programs that will work.......
 
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