Yardi + Windows 7, Vista or XP?

[Catonow]

Hi, proud lifelong Mac user here. Got my first Mac SE in 1987. I was hoping to go to my grave never needing to buy Windows or a PC. However....

Later this week I have no choice but to start using Yardi, a Windows-only program for property management. So, the Windows-less streak is over.

I'm still not going to get a PC. But I will have to buy a (gulp) Windows OS to load onto my 2008 aluminum MacBook (2.4 Ghz Core 2 Duo, 4 GB RAM, 250 MB HD).

Two questions:

1. Has anybody ever used Yardi on a Mac? What solution did you adopt:

A) BootCamp, or B) a virtualization program (such as Parallels or VMware Fusion), C) both, or D) something else entirely?

2. Since the odds of someone else having the same issue reading this and posting an answer in the next day or so are pretty slim, here's a more general question:

Do I have a greater chance of success with Windows 7 or Windows XP? (Nobody seems to like Vista.)

I hate even the idea of buying a Windows program, but since I must, then I'd rather get the one that I can get the best use out of.

To rephrase it: Should I get Windows 7 or XP? (This one goes out to everyone, whether you've used Yardi or not.)

Yes, since I'm getting Windows anyway, I might like to play the odd Window-based game or so (though this is a very minor factor).

And if anybody has ever used Yardi on a Mac, their advice would be most appreciated!

 

[balamw]

Seems like there are many versions of Yardi. Do you know which one you will be using?

B

 

[Catonow]

Seems like there are many versions of Yardi. Do you know which one you will be using?

B

I believe it will be Yardi Voyager.

 

[balamw]

Voyager seems to be web based and thus likely compatible with running Windows in a VM.

You could start there, with a free trial of VMWare or Parallels and Windows 7 and go to other options if needed from there.

B

 

[Catonow]

Voyager seems to be web based and thus likely compatible with running Windows in a VM.

You could start there, with a free trial of VMWare or Parallels and Windows 7 and go to other options if needed from there.

B

Thanks! So, the only way to use Explorer on a Mac is to install Windows software on your Mac, right? I'm surprised there isn't a simpler solution.

Related question: I keep reading that Windows XP is more stable than Windows 7, but I can't find any way to buy or get it. Amazon, for instance, only sells Windows 7, not XP (except for upgrades). Is there any way to get a full version of XP at this time?

 

[balamw]

Thanks! So, the only way to use Explorer on a Mac is to install Windows software on your Mac, right? I'm surprised there isn't a simpler solution.

Related question: I keep reading that Windows XP is more stable than Windows 7, but I can't find any way to buy or get it. Amazon, for instance, only sells Windows 7, not XP (except for upgrades). Is there any way to get a full version of XP at this time?

You could try IE in a Winebottler http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/ image or on Crossover, but it definitely runs better on Windows in a VM.

You can't get a new one easily by design, MS pulled it from the market many moons ago now. You could get a used one off eBay and the like, but many of these listings are questionable and your mileage may vary. Even if you can find one, because they are no longer easily available you may end up paying more for XP than for 7.

I for one find it to be the best Windows OS yet, in terms of stability and usability.

B

 

[Catonow]

You could try IE in a Winebottler http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/ image or on Crossover, but it definitely runs better on Windows in a VM.

You can't get a new one easily by design, MS pulled it from the market many moons ago now. You could get a used one off eBay and the like, but many of these listings are questionable and your mileage may vary. Even if you can find one, because they are no longer easily available you may end up paying more for XP than for 7.

I for one find it to be the best Windows OS yet, in terms of stability and usability.

B

Thanks so much for responding. Have you tried Windows 7 on a Mac? Do you think XP works better/is more stable there?

 

[balamw]

Thanks so much for responding. Have you tried Windows 7 on a Mac? Do you think XP works better/is more stable there?

Yes, I have it on my 2008 MB and my 2009 MBP and a generic "PC" desktop at home and a Dell laptop for work. Works well everywhere. It is a bit more resource hungry than XP, but it's manageable.

Since I use 7 Professional and Ultimate any problematic software just gets installed in XP Mode.

B

 

[Catonow]

I thought I'd just let you know that I wound up installing Windows 7 and Parallels. I couldn't get Parallels to work properly, but I booted up in Windows 7 via Boot Camp and works just fine.

It's quite disconcerting to see Windows on my Mac. I will continue trying to get Parallels to work so I don't have to reboot every time I need to use Explorer/Yardi (which, indeed, is an Explorer/browser-based program).

Thanks again for your help!

 

[velocityg4]

I thought I'd just let you know that I wound up installing Windows 7 and Parallels. I couldn't get Parallels to work properly, but I booted up in Windows 7 via Boot Camp and works just fine.

It's quite disconcerting to see Windows on my Mac. I will continue trying to get Parallels to work so I don't have to reboot every time I need to use Explorer/Yardi (which, indeed, is an Explorer/browser-based program).

Thanks again for your help!

Are you using the 32 or 64 bit Windows 7? Last September I was asked by a real estate office looking to upgrade to Windows 7. But my conversations with techs and sales at Yardi was that Voyager was not supported on Win 7 x64. At that time they did not support Vista let alone the 64 bit version (though some clients were using it without problems) and could not say about Win 7 as it was not yet released.

Also do you have a Server? As they also wanted to replace the Server to SBS 2008 x64 but the Yardi people said this was not supported and the current SBS 2003 was already using all 3GB of RAM and had a massive Page File.