Any way to run IE over remote desktop etc?

Joined
Aug 28, 2004
Messages
234
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Hey everyone,

I got my 11" Macbook Air yesterday and love it. The only work application that I really need is IE though, our applications don't work on anything else as it's Siebel and needs some stuff in IE. I have Parallels but I find my battery takes a hit when using it even though I have Windows 7 set to only 512mb ram. I'm on my first battery charge so trying to kill it but I notice it will say like 3 hours 50 minutes remain, then after Parellels is running 5 minutes even doing nothing, it will be 2 hours 45 minutes or so. Again might be due to it being the first time killing the battery.

Anyway, what I was wondering was are there any providers or ways to run IE over a remote desktop? Almost like Citrix etc, so not where it's running the entire Windows desktop but just Internet Explorer? I know it can be done with Windows Server and terminal services etc but looking for something that a one user setup could do. Was wondering if anyone knew of even a hosting provider or something that offers this almost like OnLive Desktop, or any options. I don't mind paying for a solution just wanted to see if there were any options out there. Thanks!
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
Not a "Switcher" subject. Moved here to this forum where it belongs....

Anyway, what I was wondering was are there any providers or ways to run IE over a remote desktop? Almost like Citrix etc, so not where it's running the entire Windows desktop but just Internet Explorer?

Not that I know of. You're running it in Parallels via Windows 7 which is probably as good a way as any. You could try running it via a Boot Camp dual boot but that will suck space from your SSD which is likely space limited.

Perhaps someone else may have an answer so stay tuned.
 

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,745
Reaction score
2,071
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
Running IE in the VM is your best bet and if that's all you need Windows for, then sticking to the VM is good otherwise going the boot camp route means you are taking away precious space on your already limited MBA for Windows which you will boot occasionally..

You might want to see what the battery discharge rate is once Parallels is all up and the VM is happily running. I imagine the initial load of getting Windows up is tasking the CPU and thus reducing the load, but once loaded and idle, it might not be bad at all..
 
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Messages
7,163
Reaction score
275
Points
83
Location
UK
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini i5 (2014 High Sierra), iPhone X, Apple Watch, iPad Pro 12.9, AppleTV (4)
I agree with the above. A VM is the way to go.

You could remote desktop elsewhere as a solution but wouldn't that have security implications if this a commercial solution?

It also allocate more RAM to the VM. Having only 512mb will cause paging and even with an SSD will up your power requirements and disk use.

Might also be worth removing all non-essential startup processes and services from Windows 7, setting the background to black, change windows updates to manual and remove all but the required IE plugins. This way you minimise the CPU load in Windows.
 

vansmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
19,924
Reaction score
559
Points
113
Location
Queensland
Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)
Just an additional tip about the VM solution - Microsoft offers free "IE VMs" (for lack of a better word) here for Parallels, VMWare and VirtualBox.
 
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Messages
7,163
Reaction score
275
Points
83
Location
UK
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini i5 (2014 High Sierra), iPhone X, Apple Watch, iPad Pro 12.9, AppleTV (4)
Just an additional tip about the VM solution - Microsoft offers free "IE VMs" (for lack of a better word) here for Parallels, VMWare and VirtualBox.

I'd forgotten all about them. Great find.
 
OP
E
Joined
Aug 28, 2004
Messages
234
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Thanks all I will check these out. The issue (and reason I had it i switcher originally since I am switching), is that we use Windows 8 PCs and then run VMware to run Windows XP or Windows 7, because when we VPN into our corporate network to access certain tools, it takes you off the Internet, so by using VM we can access them as well. The problem is that the application we use in Internet Explorer is Internet facing so not on the VPN. So the reason I was checking was because I basically need 2 virtual machines running then, one just for the VPN and one just for IE.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top