First, just want to say hello to Corrine. You were of great help when I was diagnosing my laptop a few years back.
Here is my current situation, and yes, I need some expert advice. I work as a professional editor using Microsoft Office Pro on my Sony VAIO for the MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files. I also use Outlook for my mail program, both at the office and at home.
Although I will still be using my VAIO (Windows 7, intel CORE i5) at the office, I want to get back into Apple Macintosh for use in my home. My office has agreed to purchase me a new "late 2013 MacBook Pro Retina 15" with all the available upgrades (2.6GHz quad-core intel Core i7 processor, 16GB memory, and 1TB onboard storage).
I realize that Microsoft offers a version of Office for MAC, yet it is not "quite" the same as running my Office Professional on the VAIO using Windows 7 OS. I have read online that people have complained about the MAC version of Office, and how it is very buggy compared the Windows OS versions. I have also read that I can use "bootcamp" in the new MacBook Pro to create a partition to load Windows 8.1 OS as an alternative OS to the MAC Mavericks.
So, I suppose my concerns/questions are these:
1) Have any of you loaded Windows 8.1 on a partitioned MacBook Pro Retina 2013, and how does it run? Good? No glitches?
2) Is it easy to load Windows 8.1 on the MacBook using bootcamp?
3) What, exactly, will I need to purchase/do accomplish all of this? I presume a new purchase of Windows 8.1 in disc form, and also a new copy of MS Office Professional 2013 (?) in cd form as well.
Any and all advice greatly appreciated!
John
Hi, John. Thank you for the kind words. It is very special that you remembered us after two years! I don't have any experience with bootcamp but there are a couple of people here at LzD who, as I recall, are familiar with bootcamp. I will point them here.
Hi John,
I never used Bootcamp because I wanted to be able to use Windows off and on throughout the day and rebooting for that really sucks (IMHO).
My answer was to use VirtualBox and two friends have gone with VMWare and one other is using Parallels.
I love VirtualBox for my needs. But for a work environment, you might be better off with VMWare Fusion (http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion). I am not thrilled with the upgrade path on Parallels (http://www.parallels.com/) (at least they were slow on the uptake to supporting newer versions of MacOS X). I also didn't like the licensing terms for the money on Parallels.
I have not installed Windows 8 on VirtualBox (https://www.virtualbox.org/) (however the website (https://www.virtualbox.org/) says Windows 8 works on VirtualBox as a guest), so maybe others could give info on that.
If I were to do this whole thing you are trying to do, I would get an OEM Windows 7 from NewEgg or Amazon personally to install in VirtualBox or VMWare Fusion -- I know they work great!
VMWare works very well as well. Even got an old flight simulator working on it with old hardware stick and intense graphics needs that wouldn't work on VirtualBox for a client. This was on an iMac.
No matter which way you go, you will have to keep Windows secure and updated.
Awesome on the 16GB RAM, you will be in heaven even with Virtualization in VirtualBox or VMWare Fusion.
Just my two cents.
Others will have to talk about Bootcamp. I just didn't like having to dual boot. It's annoying enough on other computers where I dual boot. I just wasn't gonna go there. But each to their own.
I wish you luck however you go! If you have any other questions I will do my best to help.
Quote from: Corrine on March 26, 2014, 03:45:01 PM
Hi, John. Thank you for the kind words. It is very special that you remembered us after two years! I don't have any experience with bootcamp but there are a couple of people here at LzD who, as I recall, are familiar with bootcamp. I will point them here.
Hi Corrine, Thanks much for your prompt reply. Also, a big thanks to LilBambi for your informative recommendations.
I'm very excited to try a MAC again (my first, and last MAC was a '95). The only drawback with trying a MAC again -- and it is a major concern for me -- is the fact that both my office and home editing businesses require MS Office, hence my post here for advice. I did a ton of reading about bootcamp, running Windows on the MacBook via partition, etc., and in the final analysis I have decided to have my secretary just order the MS Office for MAC (home & business edition).
My fingers are crossed very tightly that it will run smoothly on my new MacBook, and that my clients won't experience any problems opening or viewing files that I edit via that software on their Windows machines; I.e., I hope that Office for MAC looks, responds, and saves just like the Windows Office Pro that I'm used to using. If not, I will have to do a work-around solution, whether that be partitioning the MAC drive to run Windows 8, etc.
Once again, thanks so much for the replies! Most greatly appreciated. :rose: :rose: :rose:
With that aside, I would also like to have someone here at LanzDown take a look again at the Sony VAIO (2010 laptop) that I am still currently using. I don't expect anything major, yet I have noticed over the past few months that when I boot up the screen freezes on the MS Windows logo before the log-in screen becomes available. It now happens approximately 60-80% of the time. Each time it does happen, I have to do a hard shut down via the "on/off" button, and when it re-boots it goes to the black screen with white script that asks if I want to repair/check disc, or start normally. I did try the repair/check option once, and it didn't fix anything and I had to do another hard shut down. Now I just select "start normally" and it always brings up the log-in screen and off I go. Obviously something is amiss, yet I have no idea what. I hope it's not my hard drive getting tired and signaling that it's close to failure.
Any thoughts?
I will create the logs needed to check this machine and past them into a new post.
Thanks again!! I trust the advice that I get here at LanzDown. Great folks, and great site!
Hi John,
My pleasure! :mitch:
Do you have Office for Windows 2007, 2010, 2013?
If 2013, there may be some minor differences.
Not so much with 2010 or 2007 or earlier versions.
Office for Mac does have some minor differences in looks (mainly the icon you use to open them ;) ), but it is Office.
(https://www.landzdown.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.appleinsider.com%2Foffice2011.002.png&hash=b5257166be87070066fcef11e3cfeb513dc344e0)
From the following article about the UI for Office for Mac 2011 compared with 2008: Road to Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac: A New Hope (http://appleinsider.com/articles/10/04/30/road_to_microsoft_office_2011_for_mac_a_new_hope)
(https://www.landzdown.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwccftech.com%2Fimages%2Fnews%2FMicrosoft-Office-2011-for-Mac-gets-undressed%2Foffice-mac-2.jpg&hash=7895d11a8c879ff83e86ec3318412ee09a0a7d62)
from this article: Microsoft Office 2011 for MAC unleashed (http://wccftech.com/microsoft-office-2011-mac-unleashed/)
Both of these articles and the images were from when Office 2011 was coming out.
But, there is some really good news for Office for Mac 2011 users!
What Microsoft's Latest Office Moves Mean For Mac And iOS Users - appadvice.com (http://appadvice.com/appnn/2013/05/what-microsofts-latest-office-moves-mean-for-mac-and-ios-users):
QuoteMicrosoft is throwing a small bone to Apple users. No, Redmond hasn't announced Office for iOS. However, they have showered Mac users with some love. The latest update for Office for Mac 2011 puts it more in line with the company's more feature-rich Windows counterpart, Office 2013. In addition, the Mac software is now more immersed into the Office 365 ecosystem.
In many respects, Office for Mac 2011 14.3.4 looks to be a launching pad for more things to come. Firstly, it includes the Calibri Light font for the first time. Prior to this addition, Windows users often saw font substitutions when they received documents from Mac users.
The update also adds built-in support for SkyDrive, and SharePoint in Microsoft Word.
Much more in the article.
Do you use Outlook? The Pro version of Office for Mac is $219 instead of $139 or $149, but it comes with Outlook.
Importing Outlook .pst files from any version of Office from 2007 or later does work, btw.
Hi Fran,
Thanks a bunch for your replies and the links to the articles about Office for Mac. I will read them later today when I get home.
To answer your questions, the version of Office that I use on my Sony VAIO is Office Professional 2007. It's been working fine for years, and I suppose I've just been too lazy to upgrade to Office Pro 2010 & 2013. I should make a note to do that.
I've also been using Outlook (from that same 2007 software) for my mail. You mentioned the "Pro version of Office for Mac". Yesterday, I had my secretary order Office for Mac 2011 "Home and Office" version, as that appeared to be the best version without a yearly subscription. It comes with MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook. Is that the Pro version you mentioned for $219?
John
Yes, that is the version. ;)
Hi, John.
I just spotted this in Twitter and thought about you. Whether it is of interest now or not, it may be something for the future: How to Install Windows on a Mac With Boot Camp (http://www.howtogeek.com/186907/how-to-install-windows-on-a-mac-with-boot-camp/).
You can go from Office 2007 for Windows, export the pst and import it in Office for Mac 2011.
I have done it with 2007 and even one that had 2003 as long as I exported the .pst, then created a new .pst with the new format instead of the old format, then changed the main .pst to the new one, close the old .pst file and imported their data fresh from Outlook Express believe it or not. ;)
Then imported the .pst to Office for Mac 2011. The big thing you have to know up front. the import appears to just hang and appears to be locked. Just let it import for however long it takes. Might have to walk away if it's a huge .pst file. It will import in time. Be patient.
Quote from: Corrine on April 15, 2014, 11:04:16 PM
Hi, John.
I just spotted this in Twitter and thought about you. Whether it is of interest now or not, it may be something for the future: How to Install Windows on a Mac With Boot Camp (http://www.howtogeek.com/186907/how-to-install-windows-on-a-mac-with-boot-camp/).
Corrine, thanks so much!! , and thanks Fran for the additional info. :rose: :thumbsup:
Corrine, that's an excellent link. I must admit, I've been using Windows for so many years now that delving into my new MacBook is a bit of a "re-learning" curve. I've had my new Mac at home since last Friday, and all I've done so far is turn on the firewall, set up the AirMac Wireless, and then sit back and do LOTS of reading ( :wink: ahaha).
As for installing Windows via Bootcamp, I ultimately decided to
first try Office for Mac. My suspicion (and yours) was correct about the "Japanese DVD" being the incorrect version, and the correct English version should be here any day now. In the meantime, I'm still hauling my Sony home each night. My fingers are crossed that I'm going to be happy with Office for Mac, as it's vitally important software for my 9-5 job and my home business. The new MacBook is fully loaded (i.e., 2.6GHz quad-core i7, 16GB onboard memory, and 1TB flash storage), yet I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I want to go through the trouble of partitioning the MacBook's hard drive (via bootcamp) and run Windows 8.
One thing that I don't want to do is somehow "bloat" the laptop and make it run slow, because I'm also planning on installing the latest home-studio recording software. Yet maybe I don't have to worry about that.
Thanks again for the link and keeping me in mind!
John
You are very welcome!
Here's something else to look at 25 tips for running Windows better on your Mac - MacWorld (http://www.macworld.com.au/features/25-tips-for-running-windows-better-on-your-mac-116603/#.U1FQAOZdUXc)
For you if you ever go that way, and/or others who may visit this topic.