VirtualBox, VMWare, or Parallels

[mac2o]

Looking into all three options to be able to run quickbooks for pc on a mac.

Which one is the best? (easy to install, doesn't contaminate the mac side, easy to use)

XP or windows 7(professional or would the home version work)?

Do I need an antivirus on the pc side?

if worse comes to worse, I might buy a really cheap pc to run the few programs I still need on windows.

Thanks!

 

[MagicBoy]

All would do what you want. VirtualBox has the advantage of being free, VMWare and Parallels offer better integration, performance and graphics acceleration support ... but you pay for it.

Either OS, use free AV software.

I've used Parallels since 2006.

 

[charlien]

My preference is Parallels. It is also the most expensive. I prefer it because it gives me an almost native Windows experience. With Fusion, I always felt I was running a VM. I never tried virtual box so I can't comment on it other than to acknowledge there are rabid supporters, so I imagine it gets the job done for free. I would not go the second PC route. More to maintain, carry around and make sure you have all the right adapters.

 

[a.coward]

Parallels 9 was just release yesterday. If I was a betting man, I would
say that Fusion will be upgraded to V6 within one or two months. So,
it will be interesting to see how these two fair against each other.

For malware protection, I would look no further than Microsoft Security
Essentials, which is free. It works well, is fairly transparent, and has
very little bloat.

Another advantage of using a VM is that you can take "snapshots".
I do this fairly often. So if you do run into malware, you can always
revert back to a clean state. I also tend to save working files outside
of the VM (either on a network share or on the host machine using
host sharing), so that going back to a snapshot will not affect any
working files (that is unless your working file was the source of the
malware).

Last, if you are as paranoid as I am, you can use the OSX Little Snitch or
Hands Off! firewalls to keep a tab on any outgoing network connections
from the guest VM. I have not found anything similar or quite as
powerful on Windows.

Combining these things, I find using a VM to be more secure and robust
than a native Windows install.

 

[jonasdamn]

Looking into all three options to be able to run quickbooks for pc on a mac.

Which one is the best? (easy to install, doesn't contaminate the mac side, easy to use)

XP or windows 7(professional or would the home version work)?

Do I need an antivirus on the pc side?

if worse comes to worse, I might buy a really cheap pc to run the few programs I still need on windows.

Thanks!

As i'm studying computer engineering I also need windows OS. So far tried trial parallels 8, it is simple to use, because i'm totally new on macs and installed parallels with windows in 10 minutes without any problems. However i have MBA with 4gb rams, so i'm thinking about installing windows via bootcamp for better performance.

 

[mac2o]

Thanks. Getting ready to order a mac mini and wanted to make sure that a VM was as easy as everyone says it is.

Noticed that B&H photo is offering free parallels with purchase of mini. However, if I buy a refurb from Apple there is a chance I might get the upgraded ram as a surprise.