mac to windows

A

andyk68

Registered
Hi, I know this may be sacriligous to you all but, is it possible to replace a mac os on a apple pc with windows? The only reason i ask is that a friend bought a laptop cheap only to find that it has a mac os on it. As everything he knows and owns are windows related, he thought it might be wiser trying to convert the new one rather than the other way round.
 
Hi andyk68 and welcome to the forum.
Windows is actually just compatibel to x86 processors such as Intel and AMD cpus, while macos only supports powerpc processors. powerpc processors are not compatible to x86 and this is the reason windows will not run on your mac unless you use a software emulator such as VirtualPC. What mac is it your friend got? Maybe it will be powerful enough to run windows on VirtualPC at a decent speed.
 
Macs can't run Windows per se. Windows is coded for x86 processors. Now, there were versions of Windows NT 4 that ran on Alpha and PowerPC processors, but they were VERY slow when it came to running Windows apps since the operating system had to translate everything that was for x86 into code that the Alphas and PowerPC processors could understand. For the applications to run natively, they had to be compiled to run on PowerPC processors.

I would recommend Virtual PC, but without knowing what kind of Apple laptop it is or what Mac OS version it's running, it is very hard to say. Why don't you find out from your friend what model Mac laptop it is and what operating system is running on it, and we can proceed from there.
 
Right here goes. It is a I-Book G4, 1.2GHZ Power PC G4. 512k Level 2 Cache, 30GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive. Hope that helps.

@ Randman. You'll be the helpful member of this community then. :D
 
You could run Virtual PC on that machine, but seriously, if you want the laptop to run Windows, just get a Windows laptop. This isn't being fanatical or anything, but macs will always be emulating Windows. That's going to be slow, no matter what hardware you have. You iBook is going to be running at the speed of a 600 MHz machine when emulating Windows. You could get a PC laptop for cheaper than the Virtual PC license on eBay
 
That's going to be slow, no matter what hardware you have. You iBook is going to be running at the speed of a 600 MHz machine when emulating Windows
Click to expand...

Um. let me clarify that. I use the G5 in my sig. Even on that, VPC emulates a Pentium (not the lack of anything after. meaning Pentium ONE) running at about ~550 Mhz. It runs like a dog. I suggest your friend keep the laptop, and try out OSX before deciding it's a waste of time. It might just be the best decision he ever made.
 
he got a really nice piece of mac with that ibook. I second Randman with supporting him to switch. Actually what most of us adore most about macs is the operating system.
 
Yep -- and, I'm not trying to be derogatory or anything, but if he's a true computer nerd, he'll LOVE the fact that it's UNIX underneath, and he can do all the UNIX stuff he wants.

Switching from Microsoft to Apple may not appeal to some people, but switching from Microsoft to UNIX is definitely a big plus!
 
What kinds of activity does your friend want to use the laptop for? Before deciding to get a Windows laptop or learn to use the Mac, he should find out if what he wants to do will work just as well or better on the Mac. For example, if he's an amateur movie maker, the Mac would be a great choice because of iMovie and iDVD.

I'm also curious as to how you both managed to miss the big apple logo on the back of the screen... ;)
 
@ElDiabloConCaca. He's not a computer nerd, or he would'nt have missed the big apple on the box.
@Arden. Does that answer part of your question? And secondly he uses his computer for a lot of work related stuff. Everything we do at work is windows based so he wouldn't be able to take his work home, not a bad thing i might add.

@All. Anyone want to buy a Laptop?
 
What kind of work related stuff? If it's just office document, buy MS Office for the Mac and problems solved. If it's anything else, chances are high that there are Mac versions of the software he's using.
 
If he's looking for a laptop that will integrate completely with his work stuff, a PC laptop may be the way to go. However, I would second Viro's suggestion of investigating whether there are comparable/compatible software packages for the iBook... it's going to be tough to match the price and specs of the iBook with a comparable PC laptop.
 
andyk68 said:
@ElDiabloConCaca. He's not a computer nerd, or he would'nt have missed the big apple on the box.

@All. Anyone want to buy a Laptop?
Click to expand...

right.

I might be in the market for a NEWer laptop.
How Much?
Reply to: <zargondesigns@mac.com> to answer that $queston.

thanks.

sorry yooze guyze have to uze WinDoZe ;-(

zz
 
Sorry all about the "do you want to buy a laptop" bit, he's thrown me a curve ball and donated it to a charity auction in aid of the Tsunami appeal. A top gesture i'm sure you'll agree. However, i'm sure he only did it because he is too lazy to sort it out properly
 
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