Which Windows on Intel Macs?

On 31/08/2007, at 7:12 AM, mlist.sun233 wrote:

> I would like to use some design software that is not available on
> Macs. The software comes with a USB cable that connects to knitting
> machines.
>
> Can anyone let me know if Windows 2000 which came with my earlier
> version of Virtual PC (ie the last version before Microsoft bought
> the software) will work fine as an installation without being
> wrapped by VPC? (also, if anyone knows, will USB connections work).
>
> I also have a standalone Windows 98 (with an earlier Virtual PC)
> and a later XP Pro which, alas, is integrated into VPC so I cannot
> install it separately.

Do not even bother with Windows 98. USB support was appalling. It
is also no longer supported by Microsoft. This means they are no
longer making new Windows Updates, although all the old ones are
currently available. This is BAD if you are planning on using your
Windows install on the internet.

USB support was significantly better under Windows 2000, but Windows
2000 was primarily designed to be a business OS and as such is a
little bit user un-friendly (This was the main reason I liked it).
It too is no longer supported.

Windows XP has very good USB support and would be my recommended
version. We have several Intel Macs here at work running XP under
parallels or boot camp. The only problem we have had is with one
machine where the users would log out of OS X before they had shut
down the parallels XP install. This led to a corrupt registry and
windows not starting. Windows XP is still a currently supported OS
with new updates being produced monthly. Also, unless you really
need Pro (ie you're running a network with more than 10 or so PCs)
buy Home. It is usually significantly cheaper.

Windows Vista is still very new and has been known for poor driver
support with some hardware. Before you buy a Vista install make sure
that your knitting machine is supported. Also make sure that the
software will run, several core pieces of software that I use almost
daily will not currently run under Windows Vista and so I have been
forced back to XP. This is fine if you are covered by a campus
agreement or similar but could be problematic if you are buying the
software yourself.

You'll need to run XP or later if you want to use Bootcamp. I think
Parallels is more forgiving but I can't find the list of supported
operating systems on the Parallels website after a quick look.
Parallels can be funny about attaching USB hardware to the guest OS
(ie Windows) instead of the host OS so if possible I'd recommend you
run Bootcamp. Bootcamp also has the advantage of being free-er than
Parallels

HTH

Jason

On 30 Aug 2007, at 8.12 pm, mlist.sun233 wrote:

> Can anyone let me know if Windows 2000 which came with my earlier
> version of Virtual PC (ie the last version before Microsoft bought
> the software) will work fine as an installation without being
> wrapped by VPC? (also, if anyone knows, will USB connections work).
>
> I also have a standalone Windows 98 (with an earlier Virtual PC)
> and a later XP Pro which, alas, is integrated into VPC so I cannot
> install it separately. And Microsoft says I cannot upgrade into a
> standalone, I have to pay the full price.

I believe both Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion can import virtual
machine images directly from Virtual PC, without needing to reinstall
Windows, so whether you're able to install Windows on its own should
be less of an issue.

I don't know anything about USB support in Windows 2000, though. My
guess would be that if anything is supported, it would be USB 1.1 only.

David

On 8/30/07, mlist. sun233 <mlist.sun233dsl.pipex.com> wrote:
> I am just about to upgrade to an Intel Mac (probably a MacBook Pro 15in). I have looked at the prices and the varieties of Vista and don't like any of them, but I would like to use some design software that is not available on Macs. The software comes with a USB cable that connects to knitting machines. The cable will work on 1.1 and 2.0 USB connections.
> Can anyone let me know if Windows 2000 which came with my earlier version of Virtual PC (ie the last version before Microsoft bought the software) will work fine as an installation without being wrapped by VPC? (also, if anyone knows, will USB connections work).

Another option worth checking out is Crossover from CodeWeavers.
http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxmac/ They've packaged WiNE into
a commercial product. It doesn't support every app but it might
support yours and download/trial is free, so you can check it out. I'm
not affliated with Codeweavers or anything, just tried them out
because I've become addicted to Eve-Online and didn't want to have to
reboot my Mac to log in... ;-)

I'd recommend that you give Windows 2000 a pass unless you're
confident you can handle any problems on your own, because it's no
longer supported by M$. Definitely want to avoid having it on the
internet.

Best of luck.

Christopher Appell
Plone Consultants, Inc.

> I believe both Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion can import virtual
> machine images directly from Virtual PC, without needing to reinstall
> Windows, so whether you're able to install Windows on its own should
> be less of an issue.

Re: Importing Virtual PC images. Be careful. It may be possible in
some situations to do this, but it is not for the faint of heart!
And in most cases not possible. Here is a post on the VMware Fusion
user conference:

 >I have been using Virtual PC on my G5 for quite some time and would
love to be able to import it to VMWare on my Mac Pro. Is this possible?

Did your copy of Windows come with Virtual PC or is it a separately
licensed copy? If the copy of Windows you're using is the copy that
you bought with VPC, legally, you can not transfer that license to
any other non-VPC system including Microsoft Virtual Server,
Parallels or Fusion. In this case you purchased Windows at a
substantial discount with that restriction.

You can however sell that copy of VPC+Windows, then purchase a retail
copy of Windows for use with Fusion. In this case you would use the
Files and Settings Transfer Wizard in XP to migrate your files and
settings. Microsoft has an article on that here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/
crawford_november12.mspx

Using the Files and Settings Transfer wizard you will have to re-
install your Applications.

If you purchased the stand-alone Virtual PC and have a separate copy
of Windows, search the forums for "VMware Converter and Parallels".
You will be more successful if you have your VPC on the G5 running
and on the network to complete the migration. If you attempt to
migrate the VPC+Windows bundle, in addition to the legal side-step,
you may not be able to Activate Windows properly or pass Windows
Genuine Advantage security. Microsoft is deadly serious about
discouraging marginal/grey-area copies of Windows.

Regards,

Howard

on 8/30/07 12:12 PM, mlist.sun233 at mlist.sun233dsl.pipex.com wrote:

> Can anyone let me know if Windows 2000 which came with my earlier version of
> Virtual PC (ie the last version before Microsoft bought the software) will
> work fine as an installation without being wrapped by VPC? (also, if anyone
> knows, will USB connections work).

I have windows XP and Vista running on my MacBook Pro. I primarily use
Windows to check websites using Windows browsers and for work related
on-line applications that require Windows.

XP was imported from a Virtual PC image using Parallels and ran like a champ
from the beginning. (Is it possible to construct a meaningful English
sentence using the phrase "Windows XP ran like a champ"?) However, I never
tried to move the VPS image from the "wrapper" and run it standalone on a
Intel machine.

I am running Vista using Boot Camp and I hardly use it at all. It's a pain
to have to reboot and Vista is an ugly, cumbersome OS. XP is also ugly but
seems easier to use - perhaps this is because I'm use to it from work.
Waste of money.


Assuming that importing Windows 2000 using Parallels works as well as my
experience with XP (not a trivial assumption) I would recommend trying it
out.

Good luck,
Charlie Brown

Windows 2000 supports USB 2.0 with Service Pack 4 or later, assuming you are running Win2k on hardware that offers a USB 2.0 controller.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/819332

Might be something of a moot point in the context of virtualization since virtual engines often substitute their own standard peripherals and network drivers rather than struggle to Support.Everything

James Atkinson

On 31/08/2007 7:12 AM, "mlist.sun233" <mlist.sun233dsl.pipex.com> spake
thus:

> The software comes with a USB cable that connects to knitting machines.

Man, USB-enabled knitting machines, now that's just cool :) I was
fascinated by my mother's knitting machine when I was a kid; a USB-enabled
one of those would be fun :)

--
Nigel Stanger, Dunedin, NEW ZEALAND.
http://xri.net/=nigel.stanger

On 30-Aug-2007, at 13:12, mlist.sun233 wrote:
> Can anyone let me know if Windows 2000 which came with my earlier
> version of Virtual PC (ie the last version before Microsoft bought
> the software) will work fine as an installation without being
> wrapped by VPC? (also, if anyone knows, will USB connections work).

I really liked WIndows 2000, but I would recommend that you try XP
for this. First off, BootCamp supports XP and Vista, not 2000.
However, you might give Parallels or VMWare a try (I know Parallels
has a demo you can try for a couple of weeks which will let you know
if the sewing machine will work).

Stay far far away from Windwos 98.

I've installed Windows 2000 under Parallels to run software (Sentrilock) that communicates with a USB card reader. It works fine and, unlike XP, Win 2k doesn't need to register itself with Microsoft though it requires a serial number during the installation.

On Aug 30, 2007, at 2:12 PM, mlist.sun233 wrote:

> I am just about to upgrade to an Intel Mac (probably a MacBook Pro
> 15in). I have looked at the prices and the varieties of Vista and
> don't like any of them, but I would like to use some design
> software that is not available on Macs. The software comes with a
> USB cable that connects to knitting machines. The cable will work
> on 1.1 and 2.0 USB connections.
>
> Can anyone let me know if Windows 2000 which came with my earlier
> version of Virtual PC (ie the last version before Microsoft bought
> the software) will work fine as an installation without being
> wrapped by VPC? (also, if anyone knows, will USB connections work).
>
> I also have a standalone Windows 98 (with an earlier Virtual PC)
> and a later XP Pro which, alas, is integrated into VPC so I cannot
> install it separately. And Microsoft says I cannot upgrade into a
> standalone, I have to pay the full price.

I remember reading that there IS a way to get an Windows XP install
disk from Microsoft if you have VPC. I don't recall exactly where or
how, but there's a guy on this thread (near the bottom) who claims he
got a replacement disk for $28 from Microsoft. <http://
www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20060527175405403>

I've had good luck with Parallels converting VPC images (not quick,
but it worked).

--
meshuggener \muh-SHOO-guh-ner (''OO'' as in ''foot,'' not as in
''boot'')\ noun

: a foolish or crazy person