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| Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac 7.0 [OLD VERSION] | ![Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac 7.0 [OLD VERSION]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21EAZJ72S8L._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | From: Microsoft Software
Category: Software
List Price: $129.99
Buy New: $89.00
You Save: $40.99 (32%)
New (1) Used (1) from $89.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 3650
Format: Cd-rom
Platform: Macintosh
Media: CD-ROM
Edition: Standard
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 7.5 x 2.4
MPN: 982683
Model: S65-00387
UPC: 805529760899
EAN: 0805529760899
ASIN: B0002NT16E
Release Date: December 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: New Software
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 21-25 of 25 | | « PREV | | |
 Better than expected - saved me hundreds of $$ April 22, 2005
40 out of 41 found this review helpful
Based on the negative performance reviews - I almost didn't give Virtual PC a chance.
I'm a recent convert to Mac, having spent the last 14 years in PC/UNIX environments. Doing graphics and web development now, I had hoped the move to Mac would be fairly painless - and it has been, with one exception. Two programs that I use significantly are PC-only, and after months of searching, there's just simply not anything on OSX that has the comparable functionality.
And, when testing browser compatibility it's just as arrogant for Mac designers to ignore testing on the PC browsers as it is for PC designers to ignore the Mac browsers.
So, I was faced with three choices: 1) have a standalone PC for these programs, 2) have a PC but going through a KVM so I could use just one keyboard/mouse/monitor to switch between, or 3) use Virtual PC.
Number 1 was out because I just don't want a completely separate setup - and don't have the room. But I was heavily leaning towards #2 simply because it seemed "right" to have my two Windows programs running on a Windows box. Plus most of what I had read on Virtual PC made it sound like it would be unusable - it was just too slow.
(Un)fortunately, my #2 option above was proving to be a costly affair. A new PC, plus either a DVI switch or a new dual-input monitor was looking to be in the $500+ range. And there were limitations with that too - like no direct interaction between the two machines, not being able to use the Mac and PC at the same time, etc.
So, for $129 I decided Virtual PC 7 was worth the shot (I already have a Windows 2000 license from a previous system). The complete setup on my Dual 1.8 G5 (2GB Ram) took about 2 hours. And I was skeptical at best - I've used emulators before and they suck.
Wow, was I pleasantly surprised! Not only does stuff (like networking, shared folders and printing) just seem to work, but the performance is perfectly fine for what I'm doing. I can see where someone who was expecting true "Windows" top-level graphics performance would be upset, because you don't get instantaneous screen redraws all the time, and after a heavy graphics-laden screen redraw the cursor may be slow to move for a second. This could definitely make things like game-play and Photoshop problematic.
But for most programs, and if you're only running 1 or 2 at a time, the VPC responsiveness is pretty impressive - especially considering it's an emulator. It is definitely very usable - typing has no delay - and it never really feels sluggish that I've been able to tell. On average, VPC seems to take about 25%-30% of CPU resources when I'm doing something in it, but if it is sent to the background, it only takes about 1-3%. That's nice.
If your goal is to use VPC to run Windows on a Mac, you may well be disappointed. If your goal is to use VPC simply as a way to run a needed PC program on the Mac, then I think you'll be impressed.
One note. Once you've got your VPC up and running, copy your VM document somewhere as a backup. That way if you ever need to "reinstall" your Windows OS in VPC, you can simply drag this copy in for a clean "install" without having to go through the real 1 hour + OS install.
 Ugh! I'm saving my money for Mac software April 4, 2005
13 out of 16 found this review helpful
I made the switch to a Mac G-5 OS X about 13 months ago. I added the Virtual P.C. 7.0 on my Mac, because I had some Microsoft only programs that I could not afford to replace in the Mac equivalent or didn't have time for the learning curve.
I am on a 80G hard drive with 512 mb of ram... so it's a pretty powerful machine.
The Virutal P.C. 7.0 is "o.k." It does what I need to do and that's about it. The software runs about as good as it does on a p.c. (and that's not saying much). It's slow, printing is horrendous (don't even bother printing from the Virtual P.C.) and crashes just like on a p.c.
I think Microsoft would have done better to create Mac versions of their software (like they did with Office) (i.e. Frontpage and others) rather than try to pacify Mac users with Virtual P.C.
I give it about a 5 out of 10. It's o.k., does what you need it to do if there are no other options, but other than that, I'm saving my money for Mac software.. (i.e. Dreamweaver)
Handy application for niche needs March 2, 2005
Setting aside the licensing (bundling with/without various OS configurations), pricing (continuing upgrades), and performance issues compared to older versions (if you have a G5, you don't have a choice), VPC 7.0 is, without doubt, one of the handier tools you can have in your software arsenal.
As long as you have plenty of disk space (to create the virtual PC hard discs) and plenty of available RAM (the more you can allocate to the guest system, the better), it's practically as good as having a second PC without the hardware.
Some of the niftier features include:
- ability to 'grab' floppy/CD images without having the actual physical media (use runtime Linux OS iso images without having to actually install, test out BeOS to see what OS X could have been like, etc.)
- ability to run multiple OS environments without having to disrupt your existing OS X environment (reboot, shutdown, reset your virtual machine with a click)
- saved state of guest OSes so you don't have to shut down and can pick up from where you left off
Some caveats:
- installation of guest OSes can sometimes be painfully slow, especially on slower Macs
- while Windows OSes seem to be OK, running alternative operating systems such as Linux will have trouble syncing system time after restoring from saved state
- less than ideal PC performance for any high-end computing (especially compared to Virtual PC 2004 on Windows which is quite fast)
 Not bad January 18, 2005
50 out of 52 found this review helpful
I wasn't sure when I bought this item. I have been a Windows user for ever, but bought an iBook a few years ago, and got hooked on the iPod, iTunes, and you name it in the Mac world. I have been pretty happy, except of course, for the fact that there were a few programs that I could not use on the Mac.
The Virtual PC was one option, or I could own both a Windows PC and a Mac. The last thing I wanted to do was have my stuff distributed between 2 computers, so I figured I would give the Virtual PC a try. After reading the mixed reviews, I was not expecting the best.
Well, its not bad..! Its slow, but then, so is Windows. Actually, in some regards, my Microsoft Money program works faster in Virtual PC than it did in Windows XP!
I use it on a Powerbook with 512MB of Ram. Like I said, not bad. Dont expect the stars - if you want to play games, why do you need to do it in Virtual PC?
The Perfect Solution for Mac Designers December 23, 2004
48 out of 51 found this review helpful
As web designers who work exclusively on the Mac platform, we have found it difficult sometimes to view the way designs behave and appear to a PC user since we do not have access to a PC. With limited desk space and resources it doesn't seem practical to purchase a PC, Virtual PC 7 for Mac has helped solve this issue.
We run G5s here in the studio and this program is a savior. Not only does it free up room from extra hardware it allows us to view our work as 95% of the world would see it.
Though at times it's not as lightening fast as I would hope it to be, it is quick enough, does what we need it to do and makes our job much easier.
I would recommend this product to any G5 user looking to add Windows to there Mac environment arsenal.
Robert Pfeifer | Creative Director
http://www.effusiondesign.com
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