Running windows on a Mac

[NancyA]

I am going to be competition chairman for our local club.  The software they use only works on a PC.  I do have some options but wanted your thoughts on running Parallels & Windows on my MacBook Pro 2018, intel core i9, 32 GB memory, intel UHD graphics 630, OS Catalina.  My brain tells me no but the previous person that was chairman said she used it and it worked fine.  

Another option is the club buys a new PC laptop.  They have an older one but the video guy uses it .  Yes, I do have a desktop PC in the house that is my husbands but I will need to take it to meetings.

Side questions, is it time to update to OS to a newer version and if so which one?

Thanks for your input!

Edited October 4, 2022 by NancyA
added info

[Brian]

Catalina is a very stable OS at this point, and is the OS that I'm running, if that tells you anything. Unless you have a brand new Mac, with brand new iPhone, AppleTV, iPad, Apple's Speakers, and use Apple's software (and ecosystem,) you really aren't missing much upgrading to a more modern OS. Plus, you run the risk of Photoshop acting weird if you upgraded. So I'd stay where you are.

Now, using a Virtual PC is something you can do, and I've done it in the past. All you need is software such as Parallels, or the one that I used, VirtualBox, to create a Virtual Machine. What this does is takes a chunk of HD storage and builds a virtual computer in that area. You open the software and "Turn On" the Virtual Computer and it boots in a separate Window. You then purchase something like a copy of Windows 10 or I'd recommend buying a copy of Windows 10 Pro.  Microsoft should send you some sort of info to download the ISO file, or give you the ability to create a Thumbdrive of some sort. I'd have a 16GB Thumbdrive handy, or even a 8GB should still work.

After you get your Windows Thumbdrive created, you then install the Virtual Machine Software and then tell it to find Windows 10 on the Thumbdrive. It's pretty straight-forward and here are some YouTube Videos Demonstrating the Process. If you want to run Parallels, that's fine. I just like free.   Virtual Box is free, but I'm a Nerd, so I don't mind the extra stuff that is required in setting up free software. I'd just create at least a 128GB Partition for Windows 10. So that's a 128GB chunk of HD space on your Mac. Keep in mind, you need room for all of the Windows Updates and Swap File, in addition to the software that you are planning on using. So if you only have 500GB of HD space on your MacBook, this might be an issue as 128GB will be removed from the MacOS. You "Could" create a 64GB Virtual Machine, IF you are only using it for this single software application. But you still have to stay on top of your Windows Updates. 

Oh, just in case you are wondering if you could install Parallels or some other software on a External HD, I would not recommend it. At all. In fact, you are on your own with no help from me if you try going this route.  

Now, should you just buy a Windows computer? That's an option as well, but at a higher price-point. $200 for Windows and $100 for Parallels, if your software is basic enough and doesn't require more than 8GB of RAM, $300 is cheap compared to a new Windows Laptop. That said, if you want more than 8GB of RAM to be used by Parallels, you are looking at the annual subscription versions to get more horsepower. In which case, I like VirtualBox because I can tell it how much RAM I want it to use for Windows. But VirtualBox will require a separate download for driver files, so like I said, it's a bit more technical and doesn't hold your hand as much.

Finally, the other thing you can do is head towards a local computer shop that sells used laptops. You might find a deal.

 

[Brian]

@NancyA I just tweaked the Forum's settings. You should be able to respond in this thread now. Could you do me a favor and give it a try? TIA!

[NancyA]

The latest update to PS says I need 11.0 or later which is not Catalina that I'm running.  I searched to see if you had given any update on this as to what you are going to do but couldn't find anything.  I'm waiting until you post that it is time to update the OS and to what VS in order to use the latest PS update VS of 24.0.

Thanks!

[Brian]

If you want the latest version of PS, you need Big Sur at this point. Apple is forcing software companies to push people along. If you have a older Intel Mac, I’d probably go with Big Sur at this point and time. 
 

But hold off until I get back from vacation next week. Running this forum from my phone is tough. 

[Brian]

On 10/20/2022 at 2:51 PM, NancyA said:

I searched to see if you had given any update on this as to what you are going to do but couldn't find anything.  I'm waiting until you post that it is time to update the OS and to what VS in order to use the latest PS update VS of 24.0.

 

OK, now I'm back from Vacation and I'm in the same boat. I'm still on Catalina and Apple is forcing software developers to "Move Along" to other operating systems. I have heard mixed reviews on which OS to upgrade to and at this point, I am thinking about upgrading my 2017 iMac to Big Sur next. The latest-and-greatest Mac Operating Systems really want a M1 or M2 CPU. But before I upgrade, I'm finishing a Wedding that I'm currently editing and clearing out any other important things I need to do BEFORE I attempt upgrading. Why? Because there is a chance that this upgrade will screw up things and then I will be dealing with computer issues AND trying to edit a Wedding / Delivering Files to Clients.

I know the FOMO is strong, but in all honesty, unless you like using the really fancy new tools in PS, which require beefy video cards, you aren't missing much. Levels are still Levels. Layers are the same, etc., etc. It's just people think they are missing something HUGE if they don't have the latest and greatest version. To be completely honest, PS CS6 is all one "Needs." LOL! There is a very good chance that Version 24 won't like your current video card and you will be forced to use Version 23 anyways.

I will warn you, this is a one-way proposition. If Big Sur screws up your computer, so-be-it. No going back.

In order to upgrade, YOU WILL NEED TO USE THE SAFARI WEB BROWSER ONLY, no Firefox or Chrome on this one, this web page's links only work with Safari.

Copy and paste this link into Safari: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211683

It will take you here:

Simply click on the Big Sur 11 link and it will open up the App Store:

Click Get and let it do it's thing. I would close out EVERYTHING while doing this. No FB, No E-mail. No Netflix. After upgrading, see if there are any updates for your various programs, especially CleanMyMac X. You want to be on the latest version with software like that.

 

[NancyA]

I'm going to sit with PS 23 for now.  It does what I need and with my other external issues I don't need more issues or maybe I should do it, let it crash and buy a new computer LOL.  Just kidding!  For now I'm happy with the OS I have.

Thanks for your help!