Aloha, All!
Well, I broke down and finally bought an Intel Mac! Since posting my first message, about a month ago (http://communities.vmware.com/message/829703), I opted for a desktop instead of the MacBook Pro, I'd mentioned back then. I'm now the proud owner of a new 24" iMac, 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme, 4GB RAM, 500 GB HDD, running OSX (10.5.2), which I must say, dwarfs my G4 PowerBooks.
My question/request is for all you richly experienced VMF users out there to please opine as to the absolutely ideal installation & setup of VM Fusion (VMF) to run Window XP Pro along with Mac OSX (10.5.2).
I've attempted to describe below most of my user needs/parameters. I already have all the software mentioned below, but have not yet installed VMF, or set up Boot Camp; i.e., at this point, only running Mac OSX. However, I don't know whether it's better to set up the Windows VM from a Boot Camp partition, create the Windows VM from "Easy Install", or go with some other installation & setup approach (if it exists and is better suited to my needs).
Therefore, please feel free to be as open and creative in whatever suggestions you believe would be helpful, which will be sincerely appreciated:
I plan to use the Windows VM, primarily to be able to use Dragon Naturally Speaking Pro v.9 (DNS Pro) voice recognition software (I'm disabled veteran, and I need to use it). Many of you know that Nuance makes DNS only for Windows.* I'm a relatively longtime DNS Pro user, but only in a Windows XP Pro environment & PC platform; i.e., not on my Macs, or VMF.
I'll be using DNS Pro mainly for MS Office 2003 Pro for Windows XP (till I upgrade soon to Office 2007), mostly to be able to then move those files into Mac OS X, for final editing and use in MS Office 2008 Expression Media version for Mac. I'll also dictate e-mails, using DNS Pro, again, mostly to then finalize and use after moving them into Mac OS X. To a limited extent, I would also like to use DNS Pro for simple menu commands within the Windows VM.
Nearly all my other work; e.g., Adobe Creative Suite apps, other graphics, iTunes, etc., etc., will be done in Mac OS X.
Bottom line is that it's the capability to use Dragon's voice recognition for composing files in MS Office for Windows, and e-mails, along with ability to quickly and efficiently drag/drop those files into Mac OS X that will be my primary needs.
Okay, given all that, I would sincerely appreciate your recommendations and suggestions on what you think is THE absolutely ideal installation & setup to run VM Fusion and Window XP Pro to meet those parameters. If you need any more info from me to offer your advice, please just let me know, and I'll be happy to oblige!
Mahalo Nui Loa (Thank You Very Much)!
HJ
*P.S. By the way, after years of using DNS, made only for Windows, and comparison use to iListen, and ViaVoice for Mac, regrettably, the Mac OS voice recognition apps, just cannot even come close to DNS. So, while some beneficent soul might be tempted to suggest iListen, or ViaVoice, thank you for your thoughtfulness, but they just don't work for me as well as DNS.
Well, I broke down and finally bought an Intel Mac! Since posting my first message, about a month ago (http://communities.vmware.com/message/829703), I opted for a desktop instead of the MacBook Pro, I'd mentioned back then. I'm now the proud owner of a new 24" iMac, 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme, 4GB RAM, 500 GB HDD, running OSX (10.5.2), which I must say, dwarfs my G4 PowerBooks.
My question/request is for all you richly experienced VMF users out there to please opine as to the absolutely ideal installation & setup of VM Fusion (VMF) to run Window XP Pro along with Mac OSX (10.5.2).
I've attempted to describe below most of my user needs/parameters. I already have all the software mentioned below, but have not yet installed VMF, or set up Boot Camp; i.e., at this point, only running Mac OSX. However, I don't know whether it's better to set up the Windows VM from a Boot Camp partition, create the Windows VM from "Easy Install", or go with some other installation & setup approach (if it exists and is better suited to my needs).
Therefore, please feel free to be as open and creative in whatever suggestions you believe would be helpful, which will be sincerely appreciated:
I plan to use the Windows VM, primarily to be able to use Dragon Naturally Speaking Pro v.9 (DNS Pro) voice recognition software (I'm disabled veteran, and I need to use it). Many of you know that Nuance makes DNS only for Windows.* I'm a relatively longtime DNS Pro user, but only in a Windows XP Pro environment & PC platform; i.e., not on my Macs, or VMF.
I'll be using DNS Pro mainly for MS Office 2003 Pro for Windows XP (till I upgrade soon to Office 2007), mostly to be able to then move those files into Mac OS X, for final editing and use in MS Office 2008 Expression Media version for Mac. I'll also dictate e-mails, using DNS Pro, again, mostly to then finalize and use after moving them into Mac OS X. To a limited extent, I would also like to use DNS Pro for simple menu commands within the Windows VM.
Nearly all my other work; e.g., Adobe Creative Suite apps, other graphics, iTunes, etc., etc., will be done in Mac OS X.
Bottom line is that it's the capability to use Dragon's voice recognition for composing files in MS Office for Windows, and e-mails, along with ability to quickly and efficiently drag/drop those files into Mac OS X that will be my primary needs.
Okay, given all that, I would sincerely appreciate your recommendations and suggestions on what you think is THE absolutely ideal installation & setup to run VM Fusion and Window XP Pro to meet those parameters. If you need any more info from me to offer your advice, please just let me know, and I'll be happy to oblige!
Mahalo Nui Loa (Thank You Very Much)!
HJ
*P.S. By the way, after years of using DNS, made only for Windows, and comparison use to iListen, and ViaVoice for Mac, regrettably, the Mac OS voice recognition apps, just cannot even come close to DNS. So, while some beneficent soul might be tempted to suggest iListen, or ViaVoice, thank you for your thoughtfulness, but they just don't work for me as well as DNS.
