Run Windows inside Mac OS X Video

Run Windows inside Mac OS X Video Transcript

You see this. No, that's not some kind of crazy WindowBlinds Theme. And it's not an abomination either. OK, that part's debatable. What that is my friends is Windows running inside of Mac OS X. It's very handy if you're making 'the switch,' or just want flexibility. I'm Tom Merritt from CNET.com and I'll show you how to do it on this edition of Insider Secrets. I've previously showed you how to run Windows on your Mac in Boot Camp. What I have here today is slightly different. It's called virtualization. Virtualization software actually pretends to be a computer and, in this case, it runs the whole Windows operating system as a program in OS X. The first thing you need on the road to Windows virtualization is a legal copy of Windows XP or Windows Vista. Next, you need to download a virtualization program. Two of the most popular are VMware Fusion and Parallels. Download your choice and install it in OS X. The next step is to install Windows into the virtual machine. But, as you saw earlier, I already installed Windows on a Boot Camp partition on this machine. If you have done this too, you need do nothing! Your virtual machine can run Windows off the Boot Camp partition giving you the option of booting solely into Windows if you wish. You do lose a few features though. So you have to decide whether the extra trouble of Boot Camp is worth the flexibility to boot solely into Windows. For me it was. It saved my life on CNET Live a couple times. Whether you're installing Windows as a virtual machine or running it off the Boot Camp partition, you will need to go through Windows Activation. Because Windows sees the virtual machine as a whole new set of hardware. If you've only installed Windows once, or never, activation should happen seamlessly online. But if you, like me, have played with more than one virtual machine plus Boot Camp, you may have used up your activations. Which means you may have to call Microsoft to activate. The automated system will ask you a few questions. You don't need to lie, just answer as if you've rebuilt the computer, replacing everything but the motherboard--like this: [[3:00 Please tell me how many computers have been installed with this copy of Windows XP. One ? Are you activating this copy of Windows XP for this first time? - No ? Did your computer have any significant hardware changes or repairs, like to your hard drive or processor? - Yes ? To confirm, how many computers have you installed with this copy of Windows XP? - One ? Please wait while I submit the additional information you've provided. Verified!]] Another note here for Boot Camp lovers. Make sure to install the tools provided by your virtualization software before you boot into Windows directly from Boot Camp. Otherwise you may end up in an activation loop. You may still have to activate online, but it should only happen once if at all. Also, Boot Camp or not, be prepared to reactivate Microsoft Office as well. OK! We finally have Windows rolling on our Mac. Kind of cool but it's all trapped inside that window. Let's set it free shall we? In Parallels there's something called "Coherence Mode" In VMware Fusion it's Called "Unity mode" Whichever one you're using, turn it on, and watch the magic. The Windows taskbar shows up on the bottom of your screen! That's why I moved my OS X dock to the side. Programs you run from Windows show up in their own Windows just like an OS X application. You can even cut and paste between Windows and OS X programs! Essentially, you have Windows and OS X running side by side. A few notes though, the Windows programs do a run a tad slower than the OS X programs. They're also limited to being in one monitor even if you have two monitors going. Although the Beta of the new VMware Fusion has added multiple monitor support. Also, if you're running off the Boot Camp partition, you have to shut down Windows from the Start menu before you close the virtualization program. If you're not using Boot Camp, you can take snapshots of the system and start from the same place next time you run it. That's just the tip of the iceberg of course, but enough to get you going. Don't forget that neither VMware Fusion nor Parallels is free. You can get free trials, but they each cost about $80 to keep. Oh and Windows isn't the only OS you can virtualize. You can also do Linux and other OSs. And no activation issues! That's it for this edition of Insider Secrets. Enjoy your new more flexible computing world.