Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac 7.0

17 Nov 2004 15:21

Microsoft's Virtual PC for Mac 7.0 is slow and a bit expensive, probably because it includes a Windows licence. But it's cheaper than buying and maintaining a real PC -- even a low-end one.

Installation is a two-step process. First, run the Virtual PC installer, then restart, and install Windows XP Professional. In fact, you can install multiple versions of Windows (if you have copies) by setting up different virtual machines; you can then choose which virtual machine to start up. This is useful for Web and application developers who need to check for compatibility across different versions of Windows.

Launch Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac 7.0, and you're greeted by a standard Windows XP desktop, which you can run in a window or in full-screen mode. Within a separate Virtual PC Settings window, you can modify the virtual level of RAM and VRAM, the virtual machine's networking settings, and more.

The main feature of Virtual PC is that it is, indeed, a PC. Everything you can do on a PC, you can do in Virtual PC -- almost. Microsoft originally promised video-card support for version 7.0, but that fell by the wayside before release. Instead, Virtual PC for Mac 7.0 emulates an old video card with no more than 16MB of VRAM. The result is that any graphics-intensive task will run slowly. Running Windows Media Player on Virtual PC 7.0 is worthless, even on a dual-processor 2GHz Power Mac G5 with maximum RAM. Printing, however, is seamless -- just click Print, and Virtual PC uses your Mac's default printer.

All emulators run slowly. On our top-end Mac G5, Virtual PC for Mac 7.0 is usable, although it feels like moving underwater. Windows, for instance, are slow to resize. Some games, such as Homeworld, are playable despite a few mouse-compatibility issues. But Doom 3 won't even install. On a new Mac, Web browsing is viable, if not snappy.

Microsoft's Virtual PC for Mac 7.0 Web site offers email support, troubleshooting newsgroups and a knowledge base of helpful answers to support questions.

Story URL: http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000001048,39174102,00.htm