Running windows on a Mac

There are two ways you can handle the issue of running a windows system on your Mac. There are positives and negatives for both systems and there are some keys to understanding which system best suits your needs. One solution lets you divide your hard drive so that you have virtually two machines in one and the other lets you run a virtual machine within the environment of your OS X.

The people at Apple knew in advance that Mac users would want it all so they have made things as easy as possible for us. Their free solution is;

BOOT Camp.

The Mac 'Boot Camp' system requires you to partition your hard drive so each operating system has it's own space. This technique requires re-booting, a definite switching between systems and you either work in Windows or Mac mode. Boot Camp is a free system supplied by Mac. More on this later.

The second solution is to run your virtual machine from the Mac desktop via appropriate supporting software.This gives you access to windows right from your Mac Desktop and you can even copy from one program and paste to the other via your clip board.

We will look at both of these alternatives and help you to decided which way you need to go.

These are two programs that enable you to run the Windows operating system from within your Mac OS X Lion. Both programs are relatively cheap to purchase and they are not that hard to install.

I must admit being a first time Mac owner I was a bit dubious of how "easy" the installation was going to be, I was preparing for the worst. I rang and emailed my brother several times to get precious information and then I reassured my self that it was going to be ok as I had the Apple Care Plan and back up supper of Apple IT. To my amazement I really didn't need any external help at all.

The Parallels software with it's supporting documentation on the installation procedure was easy to understand and accurate. I just followed the directions and the prompts and there it was, up and running. My brother, he's a bit smarter than I found it easy with his VMware Fusion as well. I felt that the money I paid for this software was well worth it and at the end of the day the cost is tax deductible.

One thing everyone really needs to know is that your new Virtual Windows machine is just as vulnerable to cyber attack and hack on your Apple as it was on your PC. You must and I repeat must get Internet security and virus protection for your Windows on Mac. You cannot as of this time purchase a software solution that will cover both systems in the one package, much to my frugal dismay. You must purchase Security software for each Operating System. Another cost but once again a tax deduction.

Parallels suggests Kaspersky but you can purchase any software that is compatible with your chosen version of Windows. If you are still running PCs in your home or business then you most likely have a licence for multiple computers for one user etc. If not when you go to purchase them take that option.

Perhaps you just want to have your PC in your Mac but you don't' have to use it frequently, you might not need to cut and paste from one system to another or to be that integrated. Then BOOT Camp is for you. Apple provide a good help system for BOOT Camp and it is relatively easy to find on your system.

1) Go to Finder
2) Choose Applications
3) Choose Utilities
4) Choose Boot Camp assistant
5) Print the installation and setup guide as you will not have access to them during installation
6) Click next and follow the instructions on the installation guide.

That is all I can tell you as I did not choose this path. I need to be able to run Windows and OS X Lion simultaneously for my work. Have fun and remember if the proverbial does hit the blades you can always get help from Apple. You did get your Apple Care Plan when you purchased your Mac didn't you??