Need Windows XP On A MAC - Also Need Modem

R

rosco

Gawd
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Jun 22, 2000
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I am working with someone who switch from Windows XP to a MAC about a year ago. They had to keep their ancient Windows XP machine though because they use one piece of software that only run on XP.

So, I figured it wouldn't be a big deal to somehow convert that XP machine to virtual and then run it as a virtual machine on the MAC. However, one extra requirement they have is that the virtual XP machine will need to be able to access a modem to be able to dial out.

So I would like to know if any of you guys have worked with any of the various virtual machine software that will allow access to an external modem connected to the MAC inside the XP virtual machine.

Thanks for the help.
 
Don't know what virtualization platform you would run on the mac, but if you can use virtualbox, it allows passing in serial port(s) from the host.
 
No serial ports on the MAC. Some kind of pass-through is going to be a requirement though.
 
Are you just using the Apple USB Modem? It should work fine passed through with any of the 3 major Virtualization packages (VMWare Fusion, Parallels, VirtualBox).
 
I'm a sucker for Fusion, love it, and with Nick Weaver's UberFuser..it's even better, however i'm hearing Parallels is great as well, especially for the snooty Retina folks:p
 
I guess which modem to use is another question I have. Does it need to be Mac AND XP compatible? Or can it pass through if it's only XP compatible?

I don't have a modem right now so I would need to purchase one.
 
rosco said:
I guess which modem to use is another question I have. Does it need to be Mac AND XP compatible? Or can it pass through if it's only XP compatible?

I don't have a modem right now so I would need to purchase one.
Click to expand...

You can pass through a device that is incompatible with the host OS. The guest will see it as a directly connected USB device. As long as the guest has drivers for the hardware, it should work.
 
Vader said:
I'm a sucker for Fusion, love it, and with Nick Weaver's UberFuser..it's even better, however i'm hearing Parallels is great as well, especially for the snooty Retina folks:p
Click to expand...

We're not snooty...we're just better than you.

Yeah..pass through the USB device. Works fine. Do it all the time with a USB/Serial adapter for console cables with Fusion.
 
Am I missing something here ? Why use Virtualization at all. Run Win XP natively on your Mac with Bootcamp, period end of story.
 
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