# New IMAC---PC Software



## linskyjack (Aug 28, 2004)

Now that the new Imac has been announced, I wonder if anyone knows if it will run PC software. I have a huge collection and would hate to have to buy new software for the Mac.


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## Yankee Rose (Jul 14, 1999)

There is always VirtualPC. If you must, you must. 

http://www.apple.com/macosx/applications/virtualpc/


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## linskyjack (Aug 28, 2004)

Wont work for me---emulators don't really run well when you are running programs that make huge demands on your processor. Someone told me that I might possibly be able to partion the Imac disk and run a duel boot system---That would be much better. I will wait until people have a chance to play with it.


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## macguru (Oct 9, 2005)

First use the ipartition software.....

http://www.coriolis-systems.com/iPartition.php

Then make a big enough partition for your windows XP software....suggest buying the 500GB hard drive option in the custom configuration on apple.com for the iMac. 2gb ram is a good option also like 256mb vram option. will put it at 2k purchase likely.

Install windows xp on second partition..........should go okay.:up:


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## macguru (Oct 9, 2005)

if necessary may further format the resulting empty partition for the windows xp side with disk tools to a windows compatible format


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## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

Just because the processor is now intel doesn't mean that windows will run on the hardware. Processor is only part of the game; there is also the rest of the system and bus architecture. I would actually expect Mac to not provide a compatible architecture; if it is compatible you'll see plain white box Macs pretty quickly.


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## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

Actually, VirtualPC will probably run a lot better on an Intel based Mac. The emulation layer will have to emulate the hardware that Windows wants to see, but the executable Windows code can run natively without being translated into a different assembler. Should be a lot faster.

Also, Linsky, don't knock emulators in all cases. I run VMWare in Linux and have Windows 2000 running pretty much all the time - sometimes two or three copies of it simultaneously when I need to - and it runs so well that you cannot tell it isn't a native Windows environment, except for the fact that the display is slow. Fast enough for everything but games, but still slow relative to native Windows.

I doubt that virtualPC will do as well on a Mac because of architectural differences (after all; Windows and Linux run on the same hardware), but it probably will be quite good.


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## linskyjack (Aug 28, 2004)

This might be of interest---http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=28900


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## macguru (Oct 9, 2005)

Yes Phil Schiller admitted Macs will be able to load Windows XP on another partition I was simply providing the means to do so while keeping the Mac software intact


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## macguru (Oct 9, 2005)

....apparently a different bios is used in the Intel Macs a 64 bit version disallowing 32 bit versions of Microsoft os from being loaded...details are here......

http://www.windowsitpro.com/windows...rticleID/49045/windowspaulthurrott_49045.html


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## macguru (Oct 9, 2005)

According to recent postings on a number of Windows and Mac sites, Windows XP currently can't boot on the Mactel machines because of Apple's use of the EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) in place of the standard BIOS, or Basic Input/Output System. What's needed is either a refreshed version of Windows XP, Windows Vista (which will support EFI), or an EFI hack. My money is on the last option arriving in a week or two.


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## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

macguru said:


> According to recent postings on a number of Windows and Mac sites, Windows XP currently can't boot on the Mactel machines because of Apple's use of the EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) in place of the standard BIOS, or Basic Input/Output System. What's needed is either a refreshed version of Windows XP, Windows Vista (which will support EFI), or an EFI hack. My money is on the last option arriving in a week or two.


So....

Is Apple about to repeat the mistake that IBM made back around 1980?

Clone Macs with reverse engineered BIOSes...

Firmware hacks to make an Asus board run OS-X...

Hmmm...


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## macguru (Oct 9, 2005)

News Update, Jan. 12: More from Macworld Expo
See below if you missed yesterday's reports

iEmulator to be the first to put x86-native Windows
on Intel Macs. January 12, 2006 -- Next month iEmulator.com will ship a new version iEmulator that will run Windows on the new Intel-based Macs. This will be the first piece of software to enable Windows to run on the Intel Macs.

In iEmulator 1.7.9, the x86 processor will no longer be emulated and will no longer translate between PowerPC and x86 instructions. A spokesperson for the developer told us that native access to the Intel processor will result in large performance gains for running Windows.

"Initial testing is going quite well, and the performance increase is stunning," said Richard Peters of iEmulator.com

Although the processor is now native, not all emulation is eliminated in this release. The PC BIOS, video hardware, and Ethernet card will still be emulated in version 1.7.9.

The 1.7.9 release will be a free upgrade to iEmulator owners.

Currently, there is now way to run Windows on the first-generation Intel Macs, making them less Windows-compatible than PowerPC Macs: x86 emulators won't run in Rosetta and the lack of a PC BIOS gives Windows no way to boot natively at this point in time.


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## macguru (Oct 9, 2005)

further good news......
Some clues on legacy operating system compatibility with EFI might be found in Intel's EFI mini-site, specifically the part about a new compatibility framework ( http://www.intel.com/technology/framework/ ) that it created recently. From page four. ( http://www.intel.com/technology/framework/overview4.htm )

"For IA 32 systems, the Framework loads itself above the 1MB real-mode memory boundary to accommodate an optional Compatibility Support Module (CSM). CSM implementations can be tailored to platform requirements. A typical CSM is approximately 60KB (~38KB compressed) of firmware that is specific to each Participating Vendor and is based on that Vendor's latest BIOS code base. A contemporary implementation of the Framework on a PC includes a CSM for supplying services to operating systems that do not boot using EFI and for supporting legacy option ROMs on add-in cards. For legacy boot the Framework initialises the platform's silicon and executes EFI drivers. Then control is transferred to the CSM, which supports the legacy OS boot."

So, as long as Apple has included a Compatibility Support Module, Intel-based Macs should be able to boot XP.

It seems unlikely that Apple would have left this out. It has already said it isn't doing anything to prevent Windows from booting on a Mac.


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## [email protected] (Nov 11, 2005)

NO! Just plain no. absolutely not. Virtual PC is garbage, save the money and get a cheap PC to run the software you like so much. I believe iEmulator will be a joke too.


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## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

macguru said:


> It seems unlikely that Apple would have left this out. It has already said it isn't doing anything to prevent Windows from booting on a Mac.


 If windows will boot on a mac, then OSX will boot on a generic "plain white box". Probably.

I wonder if Apple is making a mistake. Seems that Mac, to remain distinct, will need to have some hardware in their box that OSX won't run without, but that will be ignored by Windows. Is there any such thing?


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## macguru (Oct 9, 2005)

Currently Apple uses an EFI type ROM instead of BIOS as well as a TPM module chip a "trusted platform module" which allows the OS to "verify" it is on an Apple Mac at bootup. What the hackers are doing is patching the OS installer and operating system once installed to ignore the trusted platform module and flashing the BIOS into an EFI interface. In the long run white box makers can make their own Macs, buy a copy of OS X 10.5 Leopard ( or download a patched 10.4.4 or later installer) as currently Apple does not offer for sale any version of OSX for Intel. Legal hurdles will make sure that no one may sell Mac clones (even reverse engineered) or any Mac except Apple BUT the individual will be able to build his own white box. Without a valid Apple computer Apple will offer no technical support as Apple registers their own serial numbers when the OS is installed. Caveat Hacker.......
....unoficially Apple is aware that a few hacked white boxes will be unavoidable but will grow the platform just the same.


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