Running Windows Programs

What is the best software to use to run Windows Programs on my Mac?

I particularly want to run Proshow slideshow software by Photodex and they recommend VMWare Fusion.

I have Windows Vista, but would it be preferable to buy the latest Windows version?

You can use VMware fusion. A lot of the forum members that run windows like Parallels. You could also use Bootcamp which comes with OS X and allows you to dual boot.

I would definitely go with Windows 7. It is much more stable. I just never was a Vista fan - too many potential issues.

Lisa

MarkWebb said:

What is the best software to use to run Windows Programs on my Mac?

Click to expand...

Please read:

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/ru...4239-running-windows-mac-switchers-guide.html

- Nick

Thank you both.

Lisa & Nick - I'm no longing running Windows (my experience stopped w/ Vista & XP), but I opened my USA Today this morning and there was a feature article on the upcoming release of Windows 10 (July 29 according to This Blog).

So for the OP's consideration, best to run an older and more stable version of Windows (and possibly upgrade to Windows 10 after it has been out a while) or to wait and just 'jump in' w/ the new release? Of course, this will depend on the OP's immediate needs for having to run Windows and the programs being used. Thanks for any comments. Dave

According to Microsoft, Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for licensed owners of Windows 7, or 8, or 8.1.

I am for one quite shocked they have not gone the whole hog and called OS X!

Yes, Windows 10 (or Windows X - for Harry ) will be a free upgrade for licensed Windows 7, 8 & 8.1 copies. What Microsoft did was insert in their updates a small file that will be triggered to start offering a free upgrade to Windows 10 on eligible PCs.

Microsoft will not allow a person to download it, create a USB install drive and do a clean install. It is being offered like a normal update. I predict there will be some real issues. You think the wailing and complaining over Yosemite issues was loud - wait until Windows 10 hoses a bunch of Windows 7 or 8 installs - and it will. Windows is notorious for upgrading and leaving all kinds of trash that ultimately bogs the PC down.

Bottom line - I will wait before deciding if I will upgrade or not.

Lisa

Ok lets get this started there are several choices.

1. is wineskin it converts windows software to macintosh software so it can run natively on any mac.

2. is virtual box which is a free virtual pc solution no need for vmware fusion or the 100.00 price tag.

i recommend windows 7 not 8 and do not even bother with 8.1 i would just wait and go to windows 10 in oct.

Thanks for the info. I think I will stick with XP - that will do what I want.

Hey **, as usual nothing is easy unless you pay for all the latest versions of everything!
I would like to use Windows XP on my iMac as it is adequate for my purpose.
Boot Camp Assistant wont help me with this as the Mac only supports Windows 7.
Can I setup Windows without any expense to run as a Virtual machine on my iMac?

Take a look at VirtualBox to see if it meets your needs,

Thank you that looks like it might do the trick?
It would appear that installing Virtual Box takes care of partitioning the disk etc to use Windows.

If I want to install a programme to run in Windows is it just a case of opening Windows and then installing the software, and it will install to the Windows partition?

I haven't tried it with Virtual Box but that's pretty much the way it's done with Parallels and Fusion. You launch the virtual machine and get Windows up and running then run the installer just as you would in Windows.

MarkWebb said:

Thank you that looks like it might do the trick?
It would appear that installing Virtual Box takes care of partitioning the disk etc to use Windows.

If I want to install a programme to run in Windows is it just a case of opening Windows and then installing the software, and it will install to the Windows partition?

Click to expand...

MarkWebb, don't take it wrong, but words are important, particularly in the tech world, so I am going to correct a few things in your post. I don't use Virtual Box, I use Parallels, but from what I see, Virtual Box operates the same way. First, VB does NOT partition the drive. What it does is to create a virtual drive, that is, a file that when VB is running, it makes it look like there is a real drive or real partition into which WIndows has been installed, and from which it is running. However, it is NOT a true partition, it's just a file. When you install a program to run in Windows, the boot process from VB will create a faked series of responses to the boot process of Windows to make it think that it's really running in a PC with a hard drive, but what it has is just the interface. VB handles all the real reading/writing to the file that is the virtual drive. When you shut down Windows, all those Windows files go back into the file, usually compressed to save storage, and if you looked at the drive structure in OS X, you won't see a windows partition because it never existed. That is the magic of virtualization!

So the better way to say your last sentence would be, "If I want to install a programme to run in Windows is it just a case of opening Windows and then installing the software and it will install to the Windows virtual drive?" And the answer to that would be, "Yes, that's how it works."

Sorry for the pedantic lesson, but as I said, in technology the proper use of words is important.

Thanks for that Jake.

Not sure if I should be posting questions about Virtual Box, but I would really appreciate some help.
I have installed VB and the extension pack and Windows XP. I have enabled the USB Ports in settings in VB but I cant get Windows to recognize a USB stick.

Resolved it now.

Realised that the USB wont be recognized by VB if it is registered on the Mac. Ejected on the Mac and VB now picks it up.

Thanks for posting back with the answer. I should have suggested this yesterday, I haven't used Virtual Box but Parallels behaves in much the same way. When I insert a disc it asks whether I want to use the disk on the Mac or PC side.

I have found that having installed VB and Windows XP it slows my machine considerably so I have decided to abandon the idea.

I deleted Windows from within VB and moved VB to trash in the Utilities Programme.

Will this remove the partition and revert my Mac to as it was before installation of VB and Windows?

I think that gets rid of everything except a few small preference files which shouldn't cause any problems. Someone who uses VirtualBox can confirm for sure but what you've done should get rid of everything that was taking up space.