I have heard wonderful things about Parallels - until I read the forums here. I have a doctor who needs a VERY stable environment. He wants to run Windows and Mac on te same Apple laptop. It is currently configured with Bootcamp. He really would prefer not to have to reboot when he wants access to one system or another. But above all he has to have stability. So I am looking for guidance and warnings so that I can make an informed decision. Lise Quinn [email protected] Dept. Of Neurology UW
In order to answer your question properly, can you be more specific as to what exactly it is that he uses Windows for? Is it a Windows only application, does it involve networking, how often does he switch between the Mac OS and Windows and so on.
Windows Usage My doctor needs to run scientific and statistical programs on the Windows side. He will be using Vista preferably. He will be using a USB printer ( HP 2100) on both sides. MacBook Pro 17" TFT Display (1680 x 1050) 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GB (2 x 1 GB) DDR2 SDRAM / 160 GB HD / 8x Super Drive / ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 He will need network support on both side and would switch back and forth frequently throughout the day. Lise Quinn [email protected] Dept. Of Neurology UW
Two of your basic requirements are the ability to switch back and forth between the two systems frequently and stability. Parallels Desktop for Mac enables you to switch between Mac OS X and Windows very easily without rebooting. As far as stability is concerned there are a number of considerations. Firstly, I would not use Vista. Vista is a new operating system and will have its share of issues just by virtue of being new. That basically leaves you with the choice of Windows XP or Windows 2000 both of which support USB and functionally are quite similar. XP has a better looking user interface than Windows 2000 but this come at a performance penalty so many people turn off the XP enhancements. Doing this basically leaves you with a larger and slower version of Windows 2000 so I would use Windows 2000 as the operating system under Parallels. Do a clean installation of Windows 2000 under Parallels and install only the scientific and statistical software in Windows. The simpler the installation is, the better the stability of Windows will be.
I would say your requirements are a good use for Parallels. Parallels will allow fast convenient switching. You will want to set up your printer using Bonjour for Windows (available free from Apple). This will allow Windows and the Mac to both print to the same printer with minimum hassle. You should be aware that there is a new version of Parallels coming out this month (Version 3.0) that is supposed to support Vista even better than the current release. With a core 2 duo and the applications you are running, performance will not be an issue. I think your Doc would be happy with Parallels. In fact, he will soon be showing all his friends. There is a mode called "Coherence Mode" which lets his statistical applications appear to be just another window on the Mac desktop.
I have the exact same system that I purchased about 2 weeks ago. It is my first Apple, and I too needed a stable system after having multiple problems with IBM and Dell. I run mostly Windows software, and am starting to experiement with some Apple software. We need to start doing some video shooting and editing, and will use the MacBook Pro primarily for that. Having used Windows since version 3.1, I must say I was surprised at how well it ran as a virtual machine on the Apple. I did upgrade my system to 3G of RAM so that I could allocate 1.5 G to Windows in Parallels, and that has helped. I am a heavy Windows user, running multiple programs simultaneoulsy, so I really abuse my systems. So far, it has peformed OK. I do have Windows XP Professional, and I would NOT recommend Vista at this time for reasons others have already stated. The scientific and statistical software the Dr. needs to run should work fine, if they are not graphics intensive and you don't need to use any USB devices outside of a keyboard, mouse, and printer. Good luck. Brian
