I'm getting a MacBook Pro and plan to install Parallels to run Win XP. Should I ask the IT folks at my office to install two copies of MS office, the Windows version to run within the Windows VM, and the Mac version to run within MacOS? Or would this create conflicts? I guess what I'm confused about is whether I'll need two installations of MS Office in order to be able to use MS Office files both in Windows and in MacOS? Many thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions. regards, Abe Z.
There will be no conflict between the two installations. Store your files in the shared files directory so they can be accessed by either your Mac or Windows version of Office. I have both versions of Office installed. I can tell you after six months I don't use the Windows version at all. I find myself using Windows less and less all the time. Lew
You only need 1 copy, and given the poor performance (and compatibility) of the OSX version of office, I'd recommend using the Windows version. Plus the Parallels 3.0 features should really make it seamless.
I am using Office for Mac, and I have found very good compatibility with the Windows versions. With Version 3.0 of Parallels, coming this month, you can supposedly set a file type (say Word documents) to always open in the application of your choice, say Office on the Mac, or Office on Windows. (If I have this wrong, maybe a beta tester will straighten me out) There is definitely no need to have two copies.
If you install both versions when running Parallels 3.0 you will have to decide which of the two versions you wish to start up when you double-click a file. This is the case also for those who run OpenOffice in both Mac and Windows, or OpenOffice and MSOffice. Just something new to think about. My personal experience is the PowerPC version of MS Office running on an Intel Mac is no match for the Windows version running in Windows/Parallels.
