New user questions: re install and setting memory amts

[pomfritz]

I will be migrating from a pc to a MBA, June 13, 4GB Ram and 256GB SSD

I have an ISO USB drive for Win7 and an activation code. This is from a prior computer no longer using it.  I want to load this OS first in Fusion and then migrate my programs/files from the PC.  Is this possible or does Fusion want to move the OS from the PC too?  Just want to have a clean install of the OS so would rather not migrate the PC's OS as I want to keep it with the PC to sell.

I will be using the Win7 VM for work, including Outlook, Quickbooks, an Insurance Agency Mgmt program, Adobe Acrobat as the main items with some misc ones that open now and again.  Not sure how much memory both phys and RAM to allocate.  I read that VM will use a std setting unless I am running a lot of graphic intensive stuff, which I am not.  I'm hoping the 4GB is enough and from what I read earlier it seems like it should be.

Also I have a bunch of pics and music that I would rather not have in the VM but rather have the Mac use these files. This will also help keep my WM files smaller.  Do I import over to the VM and then move into the MAC space? 

Is it actually smooth to move between the VM and Mac programs?  What I am trying to get at is I can switch some of my lesser work related programs from PC to Mac.  I would prefer to become more of a MAC user but not sure if this is a good idea or not.

I also have a separate display that I could give each program room on each screen.  Is this still possible if I use the 2nd monitor with VM?

Looking forward to the conversion and hope it goes off as planned.

Thanks!

[Coach300]

Once you have Fusion installed on your MBA, you should be able to create your own Virtual Machine (VM) and you can set that up as small as you can get away with if you install Windows from scratch and then add just the apps and documents that you need. While Fusion would allow you to port an existing computer into a new VM, said VM would be as large as the PC system was. Freshly installing Windows would allow you to start small, and you can allow that file to grow dynamically as needed.

I have a 4GB MBP 2010 that runs Windows 7 pretty well, on just one processor core and 1 GB allocated to it. As far as memory settings: I would first set it to the smallest recommended setting and increase it as necessary. OS X Mavericks needs memory to actually run Fusion and other Mac apps.

You would do better to have your music, photos, and other documents that don’t have to be used in your VM ported on to a flash drive off the existing PC, then move them to the appropriate folders on your MBA. Otherwise they’ll be a part of a larger VM.

Learn the multi-finger gestures that the Mac offers. When I have Fusion running, I usually use Full Screen mode and use a four-finger swipe left or right to move to a different “Space” (Mac speak). One Space is the VM, and each other space is whatever happens to be in that space. You’ll find that you can have different windows for the same Mac app in different spaces (for example, I have a Space where just this web page is open, together with a TextEdit [Wordpad for Mac] where I’m composing this lengthy reply, while I have other TextEdit windows in a separate Space and I have other Safari (browser) windows open in other spaces as well as other apps, like Mail. Perhaps a good use of Spaces (see Mac info on Exposé) will obviate a need for a second monitor, but that's your call.

Once you start using an app on a Mac you’ll probably stay Mac unless it’s a Windows-only app, like the Bowling League/Tournament apps I use.

I will let others comment on multiple displays. I have the Spaces thing going pretty good and have no need for multiple displays, anyway.

Good luck! Very good to be asking these questions ahead of time; feel free to post updates or follow-up questions.

Oh, and one additional tip: In your VM, you can do Control-C to copy to your clipboard, and go to a Mac app and hit Command-V to paste the Windows content into your Mac app. The Command key on the Mac will double as your Windows key on the PC, and Option = ALT.

[pomfritz]

Thank you for that response!