Opening a bootcamp windows program in OS X

OSX not IOX Sorry!

Ok, This is a dumb question but I thought I would ask. I have the new 2011 Air. I wave Windows 7 and Office for windows on my computer. If i am on the mac side, is there a way to open say office programs? I tired Parallels for a week, hated it and took it out. The reason I ask is because I would like to use the Mac side more but with most of my programs on the windows side i never use it. Also, I tried office 2011 for mac trial and it still sucks so that won't do the trick. I was planning to call Adobe to transfer my license but they want major $$$ for that so I won't be going that route either. Should I just forget the mac side? It really doesn't do much the windows 7 can't match. It s cute I guess but thats about it. ideas?

VMWare Fusion



(fixed your title for you also)

For you to be in the Mac side and open a Windows program you would have to be running some type of virtualization software (Parallels, Fusion, etc.) AFAIK.

I am currently using Parallels but also have an older version of Fusion. I don't spend a great deal of time in Windows though. What do you not like about Parallels?

Well it took me a day on the phone with India, to get my office reactivated with parallels Adobe was not even doable you have to buy another program! Parallels looks at all licensed programs as being installed on a different computer. even when it is successfully installed in bootcamp. Huge hassle!

Parallels is not quite as slick as VMWare Fusion. With Fusion, you can literally encapsulate an existing Windows machine into a VM and port it right over to your Mac. So, everything runs exactly as it would on the old machine, even programs that had some form of product activation. I know Parallels has a program called 'Parallels Transporter' that is supposed to accomplish the same, but I haven't ever used it.

As far as the usefulness of OS X - I'm kind of confused as to what you were expecting when you bought a Mac. For me, OS X is the entire point. If you're just going to run Windows full time on your Mac, then you've just got a really expensive, but very pretty Windows box. Yes, virtualization and running Windows in Boot Camp can help to make the transition easier, but at some point, if the goal is to get away from Windows and the hassles associated with it, then you're going to have to bite the bullet and purchase the Mac equivalents of the software you want to run.

I'm especially perplexed by your comment about Office for Mac not living up to your expectations - what exactly do you find missing (aside from Access)? The Mac version, while differing in minor ways in terms of UI, pretty much matches the Windows version for major features.