Getting away from Windows more and more

I have Parallels software that allows me to run Windows 7 on my MacBook while I'm running the Mac OS. However, because Windows LOVES to say "Not Responding" when I need it most, I've been avoiding starting up Parallels with Windows as much as possible. I actually remote into another PC to run Windows-only software. My MacBook runs so much better.

I recently bought QuickBooks for Mac to replace the Windows version just so I could avoid using Windows for just one more program. I really like it except my Payroll website "Intuit Online Payroll (formally Paycycle)" won't successfully export into the Mac version because I have some of my wages as a Cost of Labor instead of an expense. The Windows version was cool with it. I'll figure out a workaround.

Parallels virtual Windows environment

When I bought my Mac, I actual never had to give up anything from the Windows world.  I installed Parallels, a software that allows you to run Windows applications side-by-side with Mac applications.  You install Windows on a virtual computer that Parallels creates.  I installed Windows 7 (64 bit version).   Most of my problems still come from the Windows side but it is good for websites that only run on Internet Explorer and applications that only run on Windows.  I'm trying to move everything over to Mac but for those programs that are only on Windows, it is great to have an option to run it right alongside my Mac applications.

What caused me to buy a Mac after all

Nathanael Brubaker, at Coleson Foods (where I now work), got a Macbook Pro.  He didn't tell me much about it but I knew that he was able to boot to Windows.  Jeff Lingle, from Sequoia Technology (the company that supports our servers) bought a Macbook Pro and told me a little bit about his.  He also told me about some cool software called Parallels, where you could run Windows applications at the same time that you ran Apple software.

A good friend, Christina Ross (another employee at Coleson Foods), bought a Macbook.  She REALLY liked and kept telling me how much I would love it.  I  also had bought Christina a copy of Parallels for Christmas but she ended up not needing it.  It got me thinking that I would hold onto the copy IF I got a Mac.  She also mentioned that a friend of hers told her to tell me that the Mac operating system was based on Unix.  I already knew that but it made me think about how robust Unix was in multiuser and multitasking abilities.  I think Christina pushed me over the edge in what I had been considering since Nathanael bought his Macbook.

However, I remembered my negative experience several years before so I went to www.apple.com/findouthow/mac and watched every PC to Mac video tutorial, actually every 'beginner' tutorial on the website.  That helped me to learn about the dock, how to size windows, finder, system preferences and other features.

I ended up looking for Macbook Pros on craigslist.com and found someone  down in Pueblo who seemed to have taken good care of his.  We negotiated and I got my Macbook Pro 15" with iWork09 and iLife09.  Since that time, I converted my downloaded copy of Office 2007 over to Office 2008.  I've also installed Parallels and Windows 7 (64 bit version), which I run in Coherence or Crystal mode.  I never had to give up anything that I liked in Windows and I get to use the amazing software on the Mac platform.  It is the best of both worlds.