virtual pc, access, office, Mac

I am both new to computers and Mac. I am confused about the best way
to use Virtual PC7 in my situation. Which is: I am going back to
college after 30 years of construction to work towards an accounting
degree. I will need to use Access and Office 2007 throughout my studies. I have a 2.1GHz
PowerPC G5, 700MHz, 2.5 GB RAM memory, 250 GB hard drive.

The question is - What is the best approach to using Access and Office
2007?

Example one: Use Virtual PC with XP Professional with Office Professional 2007 which includes Access?

Or

Example two: Install Office 2008 for Mac (which does not include
Access) when it comes out and use Virtual PC7 with stand alone Access?

Or
?
Any advise will be appreciated.

JaminJanet

JaminJanet said:

I am both new to computers and Mac. I am confused about the best way
to use Virtual PC7 in my situation. Which is: I am going back to
college after 30 years of construction to work towards an accounting
degree. I will need to use Access and Office 2007 throughout my studies. I have a 2.1GHz
PowerPC G5, 700MHz, 2.5 GB RAM memory, 250 GB hard drive.

The question is - What is the best approach to using Access and Office
2007?

Example one: Use Virtual PC with XP Professional with Office Professional 2007 which includes Access?

Or

Example two: Install Office 2008 for Mac (which does not include
Access) when it comes out and use Virtual PC7 with stand alone Access?

Or
?
Any advise will be appreciated.

JaminJanet

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, Access was only ever made available for the Windows version of Office. So, if that's a prerequisite, you'll need to install Virtual PC, with Windows XP and Office 2003 (or 2007 if that's what they require).

Depends.

If you need Access to interoperate with the other Office apps, then you might want to run them all in VirtualPC.

If you're just using each by itself, then you'll want to run the Mac versions as much as possible. VirtualPC is terribly slow.

If you'll be spending a lot of time in Access, VirtualPC may not even be a viable option. An Intel Mac with Parallels, or even an actual PC, would be much less frustrating.

And keep in mind that colleges usually recommend that you have software, even though you might never need it. The standard software package at my school included, among other things, Matlab, Maple, Autocad, Acrobat, and a web-design application. I never needed any of them. (And never bought them.)

I'd suggest you buy only what you'll be using for a given semester...and only after you get the syllabi that explain what you'll be using.