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TICKET ARCHIVE -> imac 64 or 32 bit??

bigrand - May 1, 2008 - 9:03 pm

Hi, i have an intel imac 24" and would like to run vista 64 on it. does this imac support 64 bit operating system vista with fusion or parallels? i have 2 gb ram.

which would you recommend for an imac - parallels or fusion?

thanks

randy

DeltaMac - May 1, 2008 - 9:50 pm

Your choice between those two, and wanting 64-bit Vista, is only one. Parallels does not support any 64bit guest OS, so VMWare Fusion is the one for you. BootCamp also will support that, too, and you don't need to purchase any software, other than Windows, as Boot Camp is included with Leopard.

Just curious - what advantage would you hope to achieve with the 64-bit version of Vista, knowing that your iMac is limited to only 4 GB of RAM?
Will it be worth the effort?

- Dale

bigrand - May 1, 2008 - 10:14 pm

hi, i thought 64 bit was faster than 32 bit. isn't it?

which is easier to use to share files between mac and virtual machine - fusion or parallels?

thanks

randy

ps. i can't use bootcamp because i have already partitioned my internal boot drive with a 2nd osx partition, and it won't let me create a bootcamp partition after i have done that.

DeltaMac - May 1, 2008 - 10:34 pm

64 bit is sometimes slower, due to processor overhead, and other factors.
64 bit gives you the ability to access enormous amounts of memory, and your iMac can't provide enough memory for that to be worthwhile.
Your question about sharing files between the Mac, and a virtual OS would be better asked at the main forums on this site. That will give you more chance for your question to be seen.
I do know that Parallels makes sharing files very easy, just drag and drop to move files back and forth.
I have never tried Fusion.

- Dale