Do I need both bootcamp and VMWare fusion to run Windows or would either one work?

By Melissa Wagner, 22 October, 2013

Forum

macOS and Mac Apps

I have been poking around on this site trying to find the answer to this question and I must not be looking in the right place. I have my Windows 7 dvd and my mac book air. I will be getting the super drive shortly so I am trying to research the other software I will need in the meantime. I see that lots of people prefer either one or the other, but most people seem to have both and I am not sure if I need to worry about having both or not. I will need to continue using Windows because of my work and I don't necessarily need to be able to boot to Windows if I can just start the Mac normally and run Windows if I need to after the Air has already booted up. I plan to learn OSX and use it mostly except when I need Microsoft Word or Excel. I will install a Windows screen reader, i just don't know which one I will use y

Options

Comments

bootcamp or vm fusion

Hi! It depends on your needs, your skill level and your need for total independence. At first, I wanted to use both bootcamp and vm fusion, but it only took me a day or two to discover that the virtual machine was not for me. In my opininon, it was very slow and non-responsive, even using NVDA as a screen reader. When jaws was used, it ate up an authorization every time the vm was run. Chances are, some, if not all, of these problems could have been fixed, but I don't have that kind of skill, and neither does anyone I know. So, I had a friend set up bootcamp for me and I haven't looked back. If I had things to do over again, I would have made my bootcamp bartician larger than it is, but that's a whole different cann of worms. The bottom line is that you definitely don't need both. Just pick which ever one you think will best meet your specific needs. To me, though, another point in Bootcamp's favor is that it's free. Good luck, and I hope this helps you a little.

Bootcamp and/or Fusion

The easier system to initially install is Bootcamp; you will need sighted assistance and when you are finished you will essentially have two separate machines. Your Air can run under either the Mac OS or Windows. Bootcamp essentially lets you reboot the machine exclusively in Windows. To install Fusion, you will still need to fully install Windows first and then install Fusion on the Mac side. Fusion installs on the OS side and lets you run a virtual Windows machine while your Mac OS is running. This allows you to switch between Mac OS and Windows without rebooting (and you will have to switch from Voiceover to your Windows screen reader when you flip between virtual machines). For me on my Air, the reboot using Bootcamp only takes about 30 seconds. I don't yet have Fusion running the way I'd like it, so can't say which is ultimately better. It really depends on how often you need to run each system and how stable your Fusion installation is. Hope this helps.

agree with Bootcamp

Hello. I've found that VM Fusion is more trouble than it's worth unless you are a power user that needs to switch back and forth between the 2 operating systems. But if you can handle rebooting to use one partition or the other, Bootcamp, which comes with the Mac and costs nothing, will most likely get the job done for you just fine. I use Bootcamp and have gotten along just fine using my Air for both productivity and fun. Also, you can access the files on either partition from either partition. SO if you download files while using the Mac, you can still access them while booted in to Windows if you have an application that supports the desired file. That's about the only reason I would need to access one partition while booted into the other, and I can do that with Bootcamp. I hope this info helps.

Thank you all so much for the

Thank you all so much for the input. I think I am going to try bootcamp first and see how things go for me. I am enjoying all the helpful guides, posts, and podcasts on this site.