There are a few other useful new features with version 5, such as OS X multi-processor support, optimised user interface speed and the ability to revert to a saved Windows state - which could be useful if you're doing software testing or working in a school computer lab. The applications we tested, including Microsoft Office tools, all worked fine. Virtual PC shares the Mac's Internet connection and supports the popular PC network protocols, allowing you to access corporate data and printers, for example. When you roll the mouse pointer into the PC space, it becomes the PC mouse. Control of hardware like CD-ROMs and networking is accessed through icons around the margins of the PC window.
The PC environment is seamlessly integrated with the Mac, allowing you, for example, to cut and paste or drag and drop files between Mac and PC environments. Once you've got Virtual PC running - it runs as a window on the desktop, or takes over the screen if you tell it to - Connectix's clever design comes to the fore. Virtual PC does much of the ugly work for you, and since the hardware is simulated, there aren't any problems with recognising graphics cards, networking equipment and the like. Installation is surprisingly painless, given that you are performing the equivalent of a clean Windows installation. However, Connectix says that the OS versions are different enough that each version of Virtual PC is tweaked to make that particular Windows software run faster.
#Virtual pc for mac review install#
Each comes with a complete Windows CD, but we were able to install non-bundled versions of Windows without any trouble. Virtual PC 4 users can upgrade for about £69. The DOS version costs £69, the Windows 98 and Windows XP Home Edition versions are £139, and the Windows 2000 version is £179. Each version of Virtual PC comes with a preinstalled OS.
#Virtual pc for mac review mac os x#
The biggest advance with Virtual PC 5 is the addition of Mac OS X support, which is combined into a hybrid installer that works natively in either OS 9 or OS X.Īt its core, Connectix Virtual PC isn't a Windows emulator rather, it's a PC emulator, which means it runs almost any Pentium-ready operating system, including Windows and Linux, on your Mac. However, performance issues are still a concern.
The software is easy to use, stable, cleverly designed and runs different versions of Windows, including XP. Connectix's Virtual PC for Mac is an inexpensive and effective way of running those essential applications that just haven't made it to Apple's platform, and version 5 now supports OS X natively.
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