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Running Windows on a Mac

sergiuria

sergiuria

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 21, 2008
627
0
Near a bunch of T-Rex
There a a couple of programs I need to use for college, and they are only available for Windows :(

What do you guys recommend? VMware? Parallel? Bootcamp? Other? and why?

Thanks for the help!
 
What programs are we talking about?
CPU/GPU intensive tasks better run natively with Bootcamp.
For small programs that require less power, you can use Parallels or Fusion.
 
GuntherS said:
What programs are we talking about?
CPU/GPU intensive tasks better run natively with Bootcamp.
For small programs that require less power, you can use Parallels or Fusion.
Click to expand...

They are rather simple programs, one being "Raptor .rap" But nothing too intense on the computer.

What are the diferences on Parallel and VMware? is there any?
 
sergiuria said:
What are the diferences on Parallel and VMware? is there any?
Click to expand...

Mostly the same, match up fairly well feature for feature. I used to use Parallels, been on VMWare's Fusion for a couple years now.

I prefer Fusion because it gives me the ability to run additional virtual machines provided by work that were created with our corporate instance (Windows) of VMWare. The .vmdk files (virtual disks) created are platform-agnostic, so I don't need anything additional to support a multitude of platforms and applications that I train.
 
You can also try VirtualBox. It does the same basic virtualization as Fusion or Parallels, but doesn't have some of the extra features, such as unity-mode.

The trade off is balanced by the fact that VirtualBox is free, while the others will cost you some money.
 
sergiuria said:
Read it, but didn't understand what it was. Care to explain?

Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...

sergiuria said:
Got it now! it's pretty cool!! but, I'm not going to pay $70 for just that :p
Click to expand...

I'll assume that means you wanted an explanation of unity-mode, but with a little more digging you sorted it out for yourself. Kudos for being proactive!

I've virtualized an RC of Windows 7 on my MacBook, but found it wanting. When I moved it to my MBP (with more RAM), things were better. I should be getting a copy of WinXP in the next couple of weeks, at which point I'll probably go the BootCamp route.
 
sergiuria said:
There a a couple of programs I need to use for college, and they are only available for Windows :(

What do you guys recommend? VMware? Parallel? Bootcamp? Other? and why?

Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

It depends...
If you want to run only one OS at a time, use Bootcamp for free.
If you want to run two OS's at one time...
Use parallels if you're less concerned about fluid movement between OS's
Use VM Fusion if you're more concerned about fluid movement between OS's

VM Fusion is slightly more expensive the Paralleling software, but if you've got a newer Mac, you won't regret Fusion.

So 2 things to keep in mind...
1) System specs make a HUGE difference when running multiple OS's simultaneously
2) Do you even need two OS's to be running simultaneously?
 
IF you use bootcamp, i recommend you use rEFIt. So you will be able to choose which partition to run at startup.
 
budkid said:
IF you use bootcamp, i recommend you use rEFIt. So you will be able to choose which partition to run at startup.
Click to expand...

No, you don't need anything.

Just press and hold the Alt (Option) key after the startup sound and choose whichever you need it to boot.
 
VBox

I'm using Virtual Box to run XP OS X. I need to run Windows specific software for some work stuff so I went this route. I downloaded VBox (free) installed a copy of XP that I already owned (free) upgraded my MacBook RAM to 4GB ($50) and dedicated 1GB of that RAM to run XP. All in all I ended up with a pretty sweet dual machine for less than it cost for Parallels or Fusion and I also maxed out my RAM for optimal performance. Win Win as far as I'm concerned. Good Luck.
 
And....

scienide09 said:
You can also try VirtualBox. It does the same basic virtualization as Fusion or Parallels, but doesn't have some of the extra features, such as unity-mode.

The trade off is balanced by the fact that VirtualBox is free, while the others will cost you some money.
Click to expand...

It is not as fast nor anywhere near as stable as Fusion. I feel it is a classic case of you get what you paid for....:eek:
 
Toofan said:
It depends...
If you want to run only one OS at a time, use Bootcamp for free.
If you want to run two OS's at one time...
Use parallels if you're less concerned about fluid movement between OS's
Use VM Fusion if you're more concerned about fluid movement between OS's

VM Fusion is slightly more expensive the Paralleling software, but if you've got a newer Mac, you won't regret Fusion.

So 2 things to keep in mind...
1) System specs make a HUGE difference when running multiple OS's simultaneously
2) Do you even need two OS's to be running simultaneously?
Click to expand...


Be careful....you are going to Law School, the Exam-taking software doesnt not work well with Fusion or Parallels. Bootcamp will be you only choice.
 
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