How do you run Windows on your Mac?

[NickFitz]

Just to make sure I understood that last part... I can install BootCamp and create a W7 partition, and then I can have the choice of booting natively into Windows at system startup, OR loading that partition as a VM from within OSX? That sounds pretty neat.

Yes

You can also import your BootCamp partition as a standalone VM, though of course then changes in one won't be reflected in the other.

Here's the docs (seems to be v7, but I'm not sure it's changed at all in v8): Use Boot Camp with Parallels Desktop

[sm02fly]

This sounds like an obvious 'no' but are VM images cross-compatible at all between any of these tools... if I want to test several it would be lovely not to have to re-install Windows every time!

On another topic, my laptop has no optical drive, and all my copies of W7 are on CD/DVD. Is there an easy way using my Windows desktop to get an electronic copy I can stick on the Mac via network/USB?

You can install via USB, you just need a optical drive on another machine to read it and then stick it on the USB as an ISO. You could do it across the network, but I always prefer having it physically connected if possible.

If you use bootcamp to setup Windows then VM Fusion will allow you to import it and create a VM from it. I'd be amazed if Parallel could not do the same. This should allow you to experiment and decide if you need to be able to boot up Windows as a VM.

As far as I am aware, it is very difficult (or impossible) to create a bootcamp OS from a VM.

I run 2 Macs, one with W7 and one with W8. Created them both as bootcamps then imported into VM Fusion. Unless you use it regularly it is quite expensive to just avoid rebooting into the bootcamp.

[d000hg]

Thanks very much to all who replied, this has been really helpful. For now I went with the Parallels 8 trial as the built-in W8 trial seemed the quickest way to get up and running. I'm really very impressed with it, my 3D app is running as fluidly as it did when I had BootCamp installed years ago. And the "Like a Mac" option to run Windows apps directly on the Mac desktop is remarkable - is this something the other options provide too?

I can certainly see Parallels being worth the cash if I need to do this more frequently, though I'll make a note to try the open-source VirtualBox when I have more time.

Thanks again!

[Sysman]

I can certainly see Parallels being worth the cash if I need to do this more frequently, though I'll make a note to try the open-source VirtualBox when I have more time.

I have found the Mac implementation of VirtualBox not as solid as it is in Windows and Linux flavours - difficulty with copy and paste between client and host, for example.

Unfortunately my copy of the Parallels trial expired before I got Win 8 but I have more or less decided to go for it anyway.

[rob s]

I went with fusion because at the time, the BYOD policy needed disk level encryption and Fusion offered VM-level encryption (which was acceptable to the policy) and Parrallells didn't. My OH has just got a brand new imac and is a SQL/.net dev and thinks Parallells works better for graphics and dev builds*


*I don't know the exact details of this, it's all pretty much voodoo to me but I can get specific info if necessary