Running a macbook through a PC

Hello,

What I'm wanting to do is pretty simple. I have a Macbook Pro and I'm about to buy an HP Pavillion Slimline desktop. I want to use my Macbook Pro to run Logic, and I want to use my PC's monitor, keyboard and mouse to control Logic (mainly because of the nice 20" monitor). I realize I could just hook up an external monitor, but doing so would require that I buy a USB mouse and keyboard. Basically, I want to save space and cash. Any ideas?

Thanks,

-E

Well you're not actually trying to run the macbook "through" the pc. That sounds more like some kind of remote access of the macbook or something. What you want is just simply to control multiple computers through the same keyboard, mouse, and monitor. What you need is a good KVM switch that supports both mac and pc. I did a quick google search and tons of links came up. Here's an example IOGEAR - GCS634U - MiniView USB KVM Switch with audio and cables There's others out there though so you might want to shop around to find the best for your needs.(especially if your mouse and keyboard are ps2 connections as I think this particular KVM uses usb peripherals)

Sounds as though you just need a KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) that matches your video input (DVI or VGA). IOGEAR makes some pretty good units for a reasonable price.

mirthmaker said:

I have a Macbook Pro and I'm about to buy an HP Pavillion Slimline desktop. I want to use my Macbook Pro to run Logic, and I want to use my PC's monitor, keyboard and mouse to control Logic (mainly because of the nice 20" monitor). I realize I could just hook up an external monitor, but doing so would require that I buy a USB mouse and keyboard. Basically, I want to save space and cash. Any ideas?

Click to expand...

Well, as regards connecting the display, you could use ScreenRecycler - here's a tutorial on what it is & how it works:

Use Your Old Mac As A Secondary Display [Video How-To] | Cult of Mac (It says Mac there, but the software is available for both Macs and Windows PCs, and is fully cross-compatible)

As regards the keyboard & mouse issue, I would suggest that you'd be better-off using the MBP's own internal Macintosh keyboard, rather than trying to use a Windows keyboard (ok, some of the conversions are easy enough to remember, like "Windows Key = Command Key", but it's still kind of counter-intuitive and will most likely decrease your productivity); and while I can see why you might want a mouse it still seems a waste not to make use of your MBP's multi-touch trackpad.

If you really do want a mouse, it's possible the one you get with your PC might be USB - meaning you could simply hot-swap it between the PC & the MBP - & even if it's not you can buy a perfectly good, albeit basic, USB optical mouse for less than the cost of a large fast food meal these days!