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Take Control of Running Windows on a Mac, Third Edition
Find essential advice for running Windows on your Intel-based Mac!
Using an Intel-based Mac means you can choose the best of both worlds—running Mac OS X or running Windows, but what's the optimal way way to go about it? Cross-platform expert Joe Kissell has distilled untold hours of testing into this ebook to help you understand the pros and cons of Apple's Boot Camp versus virtualization software and to give advice and step-by-step instructions for installing either Windows XP or Windows Vista in Boot Camp, Parallels Desktop 4, VMware Fusion 2, and VirtualBox.
You'll also find out how to connect third-party peripherals and printers, share files between operating systems, avoid Windows malware, and back up a Windows installation. Plus, Joe looks briefly at running Windows software without installing Windows and at running Windows on PowerPC-based Macs.
Includes coupons worth 10% off VMware Fusion and $5 off Parallels Desktop!
I really enjoyed "Take Control of Running Windows on a Mac." It was very informative, easy to read, and not too complicated. —Brian Henson
Read this book to learn the answers to questions such as:
What are 15 things that you can do in Windows, but not on the Mac?
How can I get a copy of Windows XP or Vista that will work on a Mac?
How can I set things up so that Windows won't bog down?
How should I handle partitioning for my Windows installation?
How do I avoid and handle activation hassles?
Boot Camp is free with Leopard, but what are the pros and cons to using it?
How can I best run Windows with Boot Camp and virtualization software?
Should I run VMware Fusion, Parallels Desktop, or VirtualBox?
What's the best way to right-click in Windows?
How do I print from my Windows software?
How do I make my Bluetooth devices work in Windows?
What is FAT32, and why might it matter to me?
What are the coolest new features in Parallels Desktop 4?
What's interesting about the different views in VMware Fusion?
Book Info
167 pages
Version 3.0
Updated 18-Feb-09
5.2 MB download
ISBN: 193367153X
Free sample with Table of Contents, Introduction, Quick Start, and section starts.
About the Author
Joe Kissell has written numerous books about the Macintosh, including many popular Take Control ebooks. He's also Senior Editor of TidBITS, contributes frequently to Macworld, and previously spent ten years in the Mac software industry.
Apple's Intel-based Macs offer several excellent options for running Windows alongside, or even instead of, Mac OS X. This guide covers Apple's dual-boot software, Boot Camp, as well as third-party virtualization software (such as Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion) and solutions for running Windows applications without Windows itself. This book was written by Joe Kissell, edited by Caroline Rose, and published by TidBITS Publishing Inc.
Introduction
Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm a Mac fan through and through. As I type this, I can see six Macs within a radius of ten feet in my home office (and that doesn't count the Xserve I have sitting in a rack at a data center). I've written oodles of articles, books, and ebooks about Mac software, and for the past dozen years or so most of my income has resulted, in one way or another, from my work with Macs. If I had a nickel for every time someone referred to me as "the Mac guy," I could retire today.
And yet, although I've always been candid about my preference for Macs, I'm well versed in Windows, too; for years, I was deeply involved in developing and testing software for both platforms. Whether it's performing an exorcism on someone's virus-infected PC or walking a friend through a fiddly troubleshooting procedure over the phone, I know my stuff. Partly because I understand Windows so well, I'd always opt for a Mac if given the choice. But, like it or not, some things I want to do with my computer still require Windows. Even when working on something platform-neutral, such as a Web site, I want to be sure things look and work correctly on Windows.
On those occasions when I've needed Windows over the past few years, I've tried everything from running Virtual PC to visiting a library or cybercafe—everything, in other words, short of buying a Windows PC. That was the one step I hoped never to take, but other solutions were frequently awkward, slow, or otherwise annoying. Now, thanks to my Intel-based Mac, I can get the Mac OS X environment I love plus a fast, fully featured Windows installation, all in one box. I can even share files and network connections seamlessly between operating systems.
Achieving this state of computing bliss did require overcoming some time-consuming hurdles, however. For example, I had to figure out the pros and cons to using Apple's Boot Camp software versus third-party products such as Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion (and, eventually, how I could use both approaches with the same installation of Windows). Before support for Windows Vista appeared, I had to find a way to create a Windows CD that had Service Pack 2 already integrated, even though my boxed copy of Windows XP was manufactured before SP2 existed. And I had to make educated guesses about numerous configuration options that were documented poorly (or not at all).
Having wrestled with these issues and more, I'd like to save you that effort and offer you a set of easy-to-follow instructions. In this book, I tell you everything you need to know about your options for running Windows on a Mac, how to get around common annoyances, and what you should do to protect yourself from the big, bad world of Windows malware.
One thing I spend very little time on here is how to use Windows itself; I assume a basic familiarity with such features as the Start menu and Windows Explorer. If you've never used Windows before, you're bound to be somewhat disoriented, and in that case I recommend picking up one of the books listed in the Learn More section.
When I wrote the first version of this book, Intel Macs had been shipping for just a few months. Apple's Boot Camp software was in beta testing at version 1.0, and Parallels Desktop had only recently reached its final 1.0 release stage. Since then, Boot Camp has matured tremendously and is included as part of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion have both undergone tremendous improvements, and an open-source virtualization environment called VirtualBox has appeared. CodeWeavers has been selling CrossOver Mac, which enables some Windows programs to run without Windows itself. And, after Windows Vista received a less than stellar response, Microsoft set to work on the forthcoming Windows 7.
In the current version of this book, I assume you're running Mac OS X 10.5 or later, since that's now the minimum configuration that supports Boot Camp. Although much of the information I provide about virtualization software also applies to Tiger, only Leopard offers the full range of options for running Windows on a Mac.
The Windows-on-Mac situation will likely remain in a state of flux for the foreseeable future. As the facts change, I'll update this book with the latest information. You can stay on top of recent developments by clicking Check for Updates on the ebook's cover (if you don't have the PDF version of this book, you can contact us to get one).
Quick Start to Running Windows on a Mac
You need not read this book straight through; most people will pick one method for running Windows and read only the relevant sections. But be sure not to skip Decide How to Run Windows, which provides important background information.
Make initial preparations:
Find out whether adding Windows to your Mac is for you. Read Why Bother? for guidance.
Determine whether the best approach is to install Boot Camp or virtualization software (or both), in Decide How to Run Windows.
Regardless of which method you choose, your next step is to Collect the Ingredients you'll need to install and use Windows.
If you decide to go with Boot Camp:
Learn how to Install and Use Boot Camp.
Overcome common annoyances with mice and keyboards. Read Solve Input Device Problems.
Keep your data safe. Read Back Up a Boot Camp Volume.
If you choose virtualization software:
Learn the basic terminology and concepts about virtual machines. See Understand Virtualization Concepts.
Install and Use Parallels Desktop, Install and Use VMware Fusion, or Install and Use VirtualBox.
Protect your Windows installation against data loss. Read Back Up Virtual Machine Data.
Solve irritating problems:
Solve Printing Problems in Windows.
If you have a pre–Service Pack 2 Windows CD, bring it up to date inexpensively. Read Create a Slipstream Installer Disc.
Keep Windows safe from viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. See Protect Your Windows Setup from Malware.
Go further:
Learn about Wine, Darwine, CrossOver Mac, and Cider in Run Windows Applications without Windows .
Discover additional resources in Learn More.
Find out how to run Windows (sort of) on a Mac without an Intel chip in Appendix A: Windows on a PowerPC Mac.
What's New in Version 3.0
This new edition is a major revision that incorporates the latest information about running Windows on a Mac as of February 2009. The most significant changes are:
Updated the information about VirtualBox (see VirtualBox, p. 21, and Install and Use VirtualBox, p. 119) to cover the latest release
Completely revised the discussion of how to choose a version of Windows (see Which Version of Windows? on p. 27 and Retail or OEM Licensing on p. 29)
Overhauled Install and Use Parallels Desktop and other mentions of Parallels in the book to cover Parallels 4
Thoroughly updated Install and Use VMware Fusion to cover Fusion 2, and appropriately modified other mentions of Fusion throughout the book
Replaced Back Up Virtual Machine Data with new and improved advice
Heavily updated Protect Your Windows Setup from Malware , including a new sidebar Can Windows Malware Affect My Mac?
Updated the entire book, including most of the screen shots, to use the new Take Control look and feel
I bought the ebook, but where are the coupons?
After you download and unzip your ebook, open it in a PDF reader (typically Apple Preview or Adobe Reader). You'll find the coupons near the end. If you are buying Parallels Desktop, read the next question!
I used the Parallels coupon, but how do I get rid of the extended download option in the Parallels cart?
You can remove the extended download option by clicking its corresponding X graphic. Presumably, you are "x-ing" out the option. Be sure the correct total for saving $5 off the $79.99 purchase price of Parallels Desktop ($74.99) shows in the first screen of the cart before advancing.
How up-to-date is this book?
The book was last updated in February 2009. It covers Windows XP and Windows Vista. (Although the book discusses Windows 7 in passing, it doesn't fully cover Microsoft's latest operating system because as of publication time, it was still in beta testing and none of the methods for running Windows on a Mac fully supported it. We plan to cover Windows 7 more fully after its final release.) Although much of the material will work for readers using Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, it assumes that its readers are using Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.
Ask a Question
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For those users who have downloaded the Release Candidate (RC) of Windows 7, VMware has announced that it works great in the current version of Fusion, even though it's not yet officially supported. (I can confirm this, having tried it on my own Mac.) Because Fusion hasn't been updated with complete Windows 7 support, you need to follow a few extra steps, explained in this blog post, to get the Windows 7 RC working happily in Fusion.
Joe Kissell, author of this ebook, has also written a separate Take Control title that focuses entirely on VMware Fusion, Take Control of VMware Fusion 2. Not surprisingly, both ebooks have some content in common. If you're a fan of Fusion, I recommend checking out the Team Fusion blog, part of the VMware Web site, which has just begun running a series of short excerpts from Joe's VMware Fusion ebook. The blog also has interesting insights and tips about Fusion, including handling driverless printing not working after applying a recent Apple security update.
Whether you want inside information about the creation of Take Control of Running Windows on a Mac, or you want to hear tips and tricks about the topic, tune in to MacVoices podcast #952. In this podcast, host Chuck Joiner chats with author Joe Kissell about solving keyboard and mouse issues, and mirroring folders between the Mac and PC environments. They also discuss virtualization versus Boot Camp, Windows partitions, Windows backups, and more.
Now that running Windows on a Mac has become commonplace, you might think that it's also become easy. Alas, the gods of technology have yet to make it so, and making Windows run smoothly can still make you want to rip your hair out. Of course, this fact also keeps Mac writers like Joe Kissell busy, and, taking advantage of Joe's unstoppable curiosity, we've just released his latest ebook, Take Control of Running Windows on a Mac, Third Edition, with coverage of the latest versions of VMware Fusion, Parallels Desktop, VirtualBox, and Boot Camp.
The 167-page ebook helps you figure out which virtualization software makes sense for you, round up the necessary hardware and software, make any obligatory preparations (like partitioning with the right format - FAT32, anybody?), and get it all working right with hardware drivers installed, printers printing, anti-virus software patrolling the perimeter, and so forth. Joe also gets into the details of sharing files between Mac and Windows installations, making the most of the snazzy new features in the latest versions of Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion, creating functional backups of your Windows installation, and generally getting on with your life while using Windows. To make the $10 ebook even more valuable, it comes with coupons for $8 off VMware Fusion and $5 off Parallels Desktop.
Since this book covers all the options for running Windows on a Mac, those of you who are using or plan to use VMware Fusion will probably be happier with Joe's Take Control of VMware Fusion 2, which is also available for $10 and which also comes with a coupon worth $8 off the purchase price of Fusion.
If you already own a previous edition of Take Control of Running Windows on a Mac, be sure to check your email for a discount update offer, or find the update offer by opening the ebook and clicking the Check for Updates button on the first page.
Joe Kissell has written numerous books about the Macintosh, including many popular Take Control ebooks. He's also Senior Editor of TidBITS, contributes frequently to Macworld, and previously spent ten years in the Mac software industry.