Q. How can I run Windows on my Mac?
A. Someone asked me this question a long time ago, and I did in
fact write an article on it. However
the world of PC/Windows emulation was shabby at best: slow, slow,
expensive, and did I mention slow? But things are much better now.
Today Mac users have several options, and they are all great.
Virtual PC
Virtual
PC 5.0 by Connectix is
the best solution for emulating Windows on a PC. As long as you
have the computer to support it, go with it. VPC5 requires 260 MB
of drive space to run PC-DOS (remember DOS?) and up to 2 GB on
your hard drive to run Windows XP, so it's probably a good idea to
clear some space if your hard drive is pretty full.
PC OS
|
Drive Space
|
RAM, OS 9
|
RAM, OS X
|
| DOS |
260 MB |
64 MB |
160 MB |
| Win95 |
500 MB |
96 MB |
192 MB |
| Win98/Me |
1 GB |
128/160 MB |
192 MB |
| WinNT4 |
500 MB |
128 MB |
192 MB |
| Win2K/XP |
1.5/2 GB |
192 MB |
256 MB |
| Linux |
1 GB |
128 MB |
192 MB |
VPC has many good points. My favorite, of course, is the fact
that it has been carbonized to run under OS X, so if you use
OS X, your best option is VPC5, because it's the only
commercial product that supports your operating system yet.
The price of VPC ranges from US$99 and up, depending on which
operating system you choose to go with it. However, in my opinion,
since they seem to charge outrageous amounts for their versions of
other Windows OSes than DOS in their OS Packs, it is probably
better to order the DOS version and install the other OS yourself,
if you know how. If not, it will probably cost you a good US$100 or
so more to have it preinstalled.
The next option is RealPC by FWB software.
RealPC
RealPC by FWB
software is good for someone who wants to be able to fool around
with any non-XP type of OS just for fun or doesn't really need a
whole lot of speed. RealPC 1.1 officially supports Windows 98
second edition and will run under Mac OS 9.
FWB's best point is the fact that it is only US$35.95 for the CD
version - and only US$29.95 for the downloadable version (plus
US$10 for any CD copies you'd like from them, but you might as well
just burn your own). Its requirements are somewhat much less than
VPC's.
Another good option for all of you who don't really want to even
pay at all is MacBochs, but be prepared for a challenge.
MacBochs
MacBochs is the
perfect emulator for anyone who really wants a challenge. It is an
open source project, which means you can download the code and edit
it yourself, and it requires Mac OS X. It has many downsides,
such as the fact that it has no sound emulation or CD-ROM support,
but the price is right (free), and it is, of course, OS X
compatible.
In the end, you really can get a lot out of your Mac when it
comes to running Windows, if you wanna do that kinda stuff.
