The previous version of Parallels was a bit limited, specifically with respect to its handling of the USB ports. I have been told (by the company ads and by a friend who has tried it) that the recently released version is much improved. (Though, of course, you have all of the issues of a Windows machine, such as continual virus paranoia, frequent system patches, etc.) You do need a properly licensed version of XP or Vista or whatever your preferred flavor is. You would also want to be sure that the MacBook had plenty of hard disk space, or plan on using a fast external - the more space you allocate to the Windows partition, the happier Parallels and Windows will be. The price here is $60-80, often included for "free" if you buy a Mac from one of the mail order outfits (MacConnection, etc.) One slick thing about Parallels is that the Mac OS and Windows can simultaneously use the same internet connection. I could be browsing/ googling with Safari on the Mac while the Windows window, running Exchange, was downloading my mail. At work I had to get a special "patch" put into the organization's firewall to allow this, but at home on my own net it was no problem. I have found another solution/ work-around to allow me to get to my mail and otherwise use the Windows-exclusive stuff I need to use - I occasionally log in to others' workstations - so I haven't taken the time to upgrade to the new Parallels. If the pain of my workaround gets larger than the expected pain of doing an upgrade/reconfiguration of the network/ reinstall of Windows, then I'll go back to Parallels.
stan On Apr 18, 2007, at 4:22 PM, Bob W wrote: > The children of one of my friends want a laptop, and more particularly > they want a MacBook. My friend knows nothing about computers, but she > needs to be able to run Windows software for a course she'll be taking > later this year. > > What extras are required to be able to run Windows software on a Mac, > and what is the performance of Windows software like when run this > way? > > Thanks, > Bob > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
