[Maflynn]

Now that VPC is getting into people's hands, is there anyone here using it here?
I'd like to know the responsivness as compare the previous versions, how is it overall, does xp run on it better or should I stick with win2k.

I've been waiting for 7.0 for my G5, but now there may be a need to run it on my PB. The older versions on my PB were tolerable but with MS having control of this now, is it better/worse?

Mike

[The Godfather]

Does USB work in VPC7? I don't mean mice, printers and flash drives. I mean USB devices that OSX has no drivers for, like made-for-PC-only Microchip programmers.

[addiecool]

I personally found no improvement above 6.0 on my Dual 800 with 1 GB RAM with 10.3.5. The only thing faster is when you save a pc state. Otherwise I am finding it hard to know whats new...

I also found no such thing as graphics acceleration. Everythings the same as 6.0. As waste of money for me atleast.

[slboett]

In the "PC Setting" you can allocate more VRAM to the virtual PC. It helps, but I am so damn glad I use a Mac after about 10-minutes with that crappy XP.

SB

[iluvmypowerbook]

hhmmmm I wonder though if VPC 7 will be essential when Tiger is released? Will VPC 6.1 still be valid then?

[mac freak]

VPC is totally obsolete. For like $50 more, one can buy a supercheap PC that's easily 10x faster.

[slboett]

Or what I do in the office is use M$ RDC to connect to my POS XP PC. It's free, fast, and gets the job done...

SB

[thefamousmred]

Originally posted by mac freak:
VPC is totally obsolete. For like $50 more, one can buy a supercheap PC that's easily 10x faster.

But can you use that supercheap PC on an airplane? Buying a PC laptop doesn't help much either; carrying two laptops around is a giant pain (been there, done that).

VPC's not obsolete for everyone.

[torifile]

Originally posted by slboett:
In the "PC Setting" you can allocate more VRAM to the virtual PC. It helps, but I am so damn glad I use a Mac after about 10-minutes with that crappy XP.

SB

You can do this in 6.1 too.

[torifile]

Originally posted by slboett:
Or what I do in the office is use M$ RDC to connect to my POS XP PC. It's free, fast, and gets the job done...

SB

Not the same thing. I do this too sometimes but there are times I need to use VPC (local files, syncing my PPC, etc). Both have their purposes.

[slboett]

Originally posted by torifile:
You can do this in 6.1 too.

Never used iust - we went from 5 to 7...

SB

[slboett]

Originally posted by torifile:
Not the same thing. I do this too sometimes but there are times I need to use VPC (local files, syncing my PPC, etc). Both have their purposes.

I understand that...

SB

[rtbarry]

It is pretty amazing on G5, except for the fact that it is still... Windows....

Pbook still struggles with running XP, but screen refreshes are noticably better. I imagine Win2K (which is what we typically used before) will be very usable on a fast Pbook.

But back to G5, install went pretty smooth and SP 2 is what you start with. We mostly use Windows to check our webdev work, and for a few weird proprietary applications for certain customers. This allows us to get our work done, without investing in and maintaining the separate shitboxes and associated KVMs we've normally had to keep around.

It is really freakish to see WinXP on a beautiful 23" HD Cinema Display!

[icruise]

I just got VPC7 today, with Office 2004 Pro. I'm not yet sure if there is much of a difference between 6 and 7 in terms of performance or functionality, but one thing that bothered me was that I couldn't just use my old VPC machines from version 6 -- they had to be converted and in several cases (because VPC7 uses different hardware than 6) this screwed things up. For example, Windows 98 wanted the original CD-ROMs to install drivers, but I have no idea where they are. I think I may keep VPC6 around for using my pre-Windows XP OSes.

[herbsman]

i'm not sure about the other people, but vpc7 runs surprisingly good and it's better than version 6. i've got a 1.33 pb w/a gig of RAM, and it runs better than vpc6 w/win2000. i must have missed some setting because i was hoping to install win2000 but it went ahead and installed the xp that it came with (office pro) and so i just went with it. pretty nice

[iluvmypowerbook]

Originally posted by herbsman:
i'm not sure about the other people, but vpc7 runs surprisingly good and it's better than version 6. i've got a 1.33 pb w/a gig of RAM, and it runs better than vpc6 w/win2000. i must have missed some setting because i was hoping to install win2000 but it went ahead and installed the xp that it came with (office pro) and so i just went with it. pretty nice

I really only use VPC 6.1 with XP to test sites I've developed in OSX using Macromedia. It's laggy but gets the job done.

You say say VPC 7 is running pretty nice on your pBook can you be a little more specific please? Can you do some kind of comparison with VPC 6.1?

Thanks

[The Godfather]

Are the USB bugs fixed?

[Unseelie]

Originally posted by Icruise:
I just got VPC7 today, with Office 2004 Pro. I'm not yet sure if there is much of a difference between 6 and 7 in terms of performance or functionality, but one thing that bothered me was that I couldn't just use my old VPC machines from version 6 -- they had to be converted and in several cases (because VPC7 uses different hardware than 6) this screwed things up. For example, Windows 98 wanted the original CD-ROMs to install drivers, but I have no idea where they are. I think I may keep VPC6 around for using my pre-Windows XP OSes.

I suspect that's because the emulated hardware is running a different BIOS now, likely to keep lockstep with Virtual PC 2004 for Windows.

If I remember correctly, you can get what you need from either your Windows 98 install CD, or if you have a version of VPC 3.0 that didn't ship with a 98 install CD, the second VPC disk should have the cab files you need.

[mdc]

i have a virtual pc story.

i am sitting in math class two weeks ago, this guy comes in to fix one of the projectors and then he ends up sitting in the front of the auditorium for the rest of class. i hear the apple startup chime and look down and he has a 17" powerbook.

i sat there watching him. he opened excel. i think he turned on every single toolbar that he could. tons of them all over the place. he did some excel stuff for a few minutes and then he boots up xp with virtual pc.

interesting. what could he need that for.

then get this. for the remaining +/- 45 minutes of class he did nothing on his 17" powerbook but play soliataire on virtual pc.

after class i walked by him and said, "nice powerbook" to which he grimly nodded and grunted.
i can't figure out if it was given to him by his company and he is a windows user or what.

[Walker]

I think the claimed 10-30% performance boost claim is mostly crap. Good grief, the system requirements are almost 30% higher than VPC 6 so the damn thing should run faster. Most of the speed improvements must be derived simply from being able to use the fastest G5 processors.

lw

[Cadaver]

Yes, it does seem that VPC 7 should really have been VPC 6.5 or something. Seems the only significant difference is G5 support.

Its annoying as hell, but it seems nearly all software vendors lately produce "new versions" for no other reason than to sell to unsuspecting or uneducated buyers.

If you've got a G5, then go ahead and buy VPC 7 (I probably will as one of my machines is a G5). But, if you don't, I just don't see any advantage over version 6.

[iluvmypowerbook]

Originally posted by Cadaver:
Yes, it does seem that VPC 7 should really have been VPC 6.5 or something. Seems the only significant difference is G5 support.

Its annoying as hell, but it seems nearly all software vendors lately produce "new versions" for no other reason than to sell to unsuspecting or uneducated buyers.

If you've got a G5, then go ahead and buy VPC 7 (I probably will as one of my machines is a G5). But, if you don't, I just don't see any advantage over version 6.

I agree, however do you think when Tiger is released it is more than likely we will all need to upgrade to VPC 7? I think it will be more than likely. Either that or M$ will release an update to VPC 7 (probably a year after) so that it will be compatible with Tiger.

[BkueKanoodle]

Originally posted by Cadaver:
Yes, it does seem that VPC 7 should really have been VPC 6.5 or something. Seems the only significant difference is G5 support.

Its annoying as hell, but it seems nearly all software vendors lately produce "new versions" for no other reason than to sell to unsuspecting or uneducated buyers.

If you've got a G5, then go ahead and buy VPC 7 (I probably will as one of my machines is a G5). But, if you don't, I just don't see any advantage over version 6.

Except that Us Macheads have beenscreaming for a new version of VPC for almost a year, and if MS had held out any longer, it woulded have added fuel to the conspiracy fire that Microsoft bought VPC to kill it. We're never happy.

[rhaps]

can someone tell me what is the build number of this final release.
I was at the Apple Expo, i would like to check if Microsoft build a bit since.

Thanks

[buffalolee]

How fast can VPC7 run a dual G5 mac? Does it "feel" like a Pentium 4 2.0 GHz? Are there any benchmarks?

[Unseelie]

Originally posted by The Godfather:
Are the USB bugs fixed?

Some, yes.

[Unseelie]

Originally posted by buffalolee:
How fast can VPC7 run a dual G5 mac? Does it "feel" like a Pentium 4 2.0 GHz? Are there any benchmarks?

Haven't seen any benchmarks yet. No, it's not a 2.0ghz P4, as they emulate a P2/P3.

[Big Mac]

Originally posted by buffalolee:
How fast can VPC7 run a dual G5 mac? Does it "feel" like a Pentium 4 2.0 GHz? Are there any benchmarks?

ROFL! Sorry, no such luck. Perhaps if we can wrangle some 4GHz G5s we'll get VPC performance at that level.