Given up on PC

Calista · 06-15-2009, 05:52 PM

Just bought a MacBook - had used Apple in our elementary schools but it has been a while.....Apple store suggested "Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac" to use Windows for some real estate stuff I do - and then the "Office Mac" home and student for my son and I. Not quite sure I understand why I need the Parallels Desktop - and that I should also install the "Windows XP". So, approx. $250 later, I guess I have it all. Necessary? And if so - what do I install first? Thanks!

appatight · 06-16-2009, 12:15 PM

well if your real estate stuff is windows applications then you are going to need windows. That's when parallels comes in. It is a virtual windows machine running on your mac. There is also a free option out there called Q for mac and you can install a virtual windows machine. Office for Mac may frustrate you if you don't have the patience. So I say if you have to absolutely use windows then just get Q install windows and install Microsoft Office on there.

sinclair_tm · 06-19-2009, 10:12 PM

I use Openoffice on my Macbook, and it works great, and free, but what I have seen from Office for Mac, it is similar to Office for Windows, but I admit it has been a while since I used it last. Parallels allows you to run Windows within a window on your Mac. What you will do is install Parallels, and then when you run it for the first time it will walk you through the steps to make a virtual PC, and at some point ask for a Windows install CD. Once it is done, it will look like a Windows PC is booting up in a window on your Mac, and it will act just like Windows within that window.

ShosMeister · 06-23-2009, 07:35 AM

You will probably need the Parallels for your real estate apps. A friend of mine is an agent here in Maryland and when I helped her get her laptop, I suggested a Mac since she's not a power user and we needed Paralles to get her applications to run even though some of them were web based.

Anyway, I would also suggest looking at Open Office. If you have already purchased MS Office, that's fine, you can use both and have the convenience of working with the application you know and learning (although the curve is very small) Open Office. You can google it and download it for free.

As for installing first, I'm guessing you are referring to Parallels? Then install the application first. It will then allow you to setup a virtual hard drive for Windows. You don't need a huge drive as you won't be doing much there. I have it running on my MacBook and have the virtual drive set to 10GB and so far it's fine. Once you have the drive setup, you can then start the virtual machine with the XP CD in the drive. It should then boot up to allow you to install XP onto your new virtual drive.

Hope that helps a bit.

06-15-2009, 05:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
Calista Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1 OS: MAC OS X 10.5.6	Given up on PC Just bought a MacBook - had used Apple in our elementary schools but it has been a while.....Apple store suggested "Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac" to use Windows for some real estate stuff I do - and then the "Office Mac" home and student for my son and I. Not quite sure I understand why I need the Parallels Desktop - and that I should also install the "Windows XP". So, approx. $250 later, I guess I have it all. Necessary? And if so - what do I install first? Thanks!

06-16-2009, 12:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
appatight Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 39 OS: Mac OSX 10.5, Windows XP SP 2, Ubuntu, Fedora Core 8	Re: Given up on PC well if your real estate stuff is windows applications then you are going to need windows. That's when parallels comes in. It is a virtual windows machine running on your mac. There is also a free option out there called Q for mac and you can install a virtual windows machine. Office for Mac may frustrate you if you don't have the patience. So I say if you have to absolutely use windows then just get Q install windows and install Microsoft Office on there.

06-23-2009, 07:35 AM	#4 (permalink)
ShosMeister Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harpers Ferry, WV Posts: 400 OS: OS X 10.4.x	Re: Given up on PC You will probably need the Parallels for your real estate apps. A friend of mine is an agent here in Maryland and when I helped her get her laptop, I suggested a Mac since she's not a power user and we needed Paralles to get her applications to run even though some of them were web based. Anyway, I would also suggest looking at Open Office. If you have already purchased MS Office, that's fine, you can use both and have the convenience of working with the application you know and learning (although the curve is very small) Open Office. You can google it and download it for free. As for installing first, I'm guessing you are referring to Parallels? Then install the application first. It will then allow you to setup a virtual hard drive for Windows. You don't need a huge drive as you won't be doing much there. I have it running on my MacBook and have the virtual drive set to 10GB and so far it's fine. Once you have the drive setup, you can then start the virtual machine with the XP CD in the drive. It should then boot up to allow you to install XP onto your new virtual drive. Hope that helps a bit.