Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac 7.0

Those of you who have used Virtual PC 5 (running Windows XP, home) know that in OS X the speed was prohibitively slow. Hence, I had to switch operating system from OS X for Mac functions to OS 9 to use Virtual PC. I used Virtual PC on an iMac G4, 800 MHz, 512 RAM. I did not try Virtual PC 6 because reviews that indicated there were no significant increase in speed over version 5. Virtual PC 7 in OS X appears to be as fast or faster than Virtual PC 5 in OS 9. Windows users should not expect XP to run as fast as your old PC. Buyers should be a Mac based user with an occasional need to run Windows programs. Be aware that installing Virtual PC 5 with Windows XP is incompatible with OS 10.3. Therefore, using the upgrade to Virtual PC 7 and extracting XP from the old combined Virtual PC 5/XP disks will not work. Solution: as long as you have a license to XP (provided with Connectix combination Virtual PC 5 + Windows OS) you can call Microsoft and request a replacement XP OS disk ($30 with shipping & tax); then install the separate Windows OS on Virtual PC 7. Remember: the directions/help with Virtual PC and Windows are not what you are used to with a Mac so, you should be some what conversant with PC functions.

I used Virtual PC 5 and 6 (when Conectix made it) and both were better than the 6.2.2 version from Microsoft. How do I know 7.0 is the same? It's Microsoft, that's why. I found the best way to use Windows is to not use anything from Microsoft. Instead, since OS X is built on UNIX, WINE is a better choice. It's free and much faster than VPC. The only thing is the OS X version, DARWINE, is still a beta. If you wish to try it out anyway (it's free), go to opendarwin.org. This is the same company that makes the Darwin core that powers OS X.