Many people fear switching to Mac from PC because “I have to have Windows for this one program.” I know the feeling. I must use Windows XP for my Express Digital software. This software is what I use to publish photos to the web, receive orders, proof orders, then submit them to the lab for printing. There are other ways of doing this, but none as seamless as using Express Digital Darkroom. You would think that with as many photographers as there are out there, Express Digital would get with the program and release a Mac version of their software.
For those of you in the same boat as me, you have several options of using Windows XP or Vista (if you must) on your Mac. For all options, you must supply your own legal copy of Windows. If you are installing Windows XP, it must be SP2 or later.
The first option for running Windows on your Mac is using Boot Camp, which comes as a feature of OS X Leopard. Installation could not be easier. Simply start the Boot Camp Assistant (in Finder>Applications>Utilities>Boot Camp Assistant), print the directions in case the installation does not complete, set your Boot Camp Partition size and choose FAT32 or NTFS. If you choose FAT32, you can read/write from OS X Leopard without buying additional software. After taking these steps, place the Windows CD in the drive and install Windows. Starting Windows XP is as easy as restarting the computer and holding the option key until it asks which operating system you wish to start. This is how I installed Windows on my Macbook.
The second option is using software called VMware Fusion. I currently have the 30 day trial software on my Macbook Black and I like it. If you have installed Windows on your Mac using Boot Camp, Fusion will automatically import your Boot Camp installation. The advantages of using Fusion are that you do not need to restart to boot Windows. Open VMware Fusion and select “Start up guest.” Windows will now start at the same time you are running OS X. You have the ability to use printers that are already installed on OS X Leopard and not have to reinstall them. You can use the common Mac keyboard shortcuts because Windows is running inside of OS. I have not tried it yet, but Fusion has the ability to let you run native Windows applications such as Media Player and Internet Explorer in OS X. As I said before, I have been trying this software for about two weeks, and I am thinking seriously about buying it.
Another option is software called Parallels. Parallels is another Virtual Machine software for running Windows, like fusion. I have had no experience with Parallels, but many people use it and love it. From what I understand, Parallels was the leader in running Windows on Macs. Only recently have viable alternatives emerged. If you have any experience with Parallels, leave a comment on what you like and why to use it. I am just listing that it is an option.
You do not need to be afraid of switching for fear that you will not be able to run your old programs, or visit an Internet Explorer only website. I was a little hesitant to switch to Mac base on one website that I must use requiring only IE and my photo ordering software only running on Windows XP (the lab that I use has a huge request on their site urging people to not use Vista because of problems). I have been looking at alternatives to the photo software, but the website is run by the State of Ohio for submitting EMS Data (I am a Paramedic) and I have tried using Firefox with user agent switching, Opera, Safari, and Chrome browsers, none of them work, so IE is my only option. Fortunately, I am able to run Windows on my Macbook without any trouble to use these two items. As soon as I am done with these, I shut down Windows and do not need it for weeks again.
Do you use another program to run Windows on a Mac? Let me know what you use and why. What do you like and dislike? I love computers, and I only recently switched to Mac. I write on this blog with mostly questions that I had at one time, or questions that some friends who switched ask me.