Using mac Hardware for Windows

[noah_swanson]

Please help me squelch this one...

We have some concerns with our current Windows Ultraportable-Laptop. Someone proposed to use a MacBook Air to boot Windows 7. I need to find out what support issues we'd run into between Apple and Microsoft. I found on the Bootcamp FAQ that apple doesn't provide technical support for installing, using, or recovering Microsoft Windows; Apply only supports the bootcamp utility. Does anyone have any more Apple or Microsoft articles that would indicate this is unsupportable? We don't support Dual Boot, so that is out.

Obviously we can all see the natural issues we would run into, but this battle needs to be won by politics and support agreements.

Any information is helpful.

Thanks,
Noah Swanson
Imaging Specialist
Enterprise Desktop Services
Phone: 309-765-3153
SwansonNoah at johndeere.com

[donmontalvo]

We're revisiting our VM strategy for Mac users. I noticed the Parallels announcement today, but they have horrible support. VMWare Fusion is likely going to be our solution (we have huge investment with VMWare so getting prompt support is not an issue).
Nichols, Jared - 1170 - MITLL jared.nichols at ll.mit.edu wrote:

A question that will likely come up is how we will handle (charge) for support of these VMs. So wondered, how are you guys handling MAC Addresses on these VMs...are you tracking them?

Don

[jarednichols]

As far as I'm aware, once Windows is installed, Microsoft will support it. Apple supports BootCamp but not installation of Windows. So you've got a support gap there. If you have install problems, you're on your own.

j
---
Jared F. Nichols
Desktop Engineer, Client Services
Information Services Department
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
244 Wood Street
Lexington, Massachusetts 02420
781.981.5436

[#4]

We have macbook airs running windows 7 and I would highly recommend against it. Anytime firmware updates come out you never know if they are going to work with the windows side. We constantly have the airs in our office trying to solve problems that have no documentation. I recommend you take a look at the Samsung 9 series we have far less problems with those.

Lee Sandler | Technology Support Specialist | o:612.215.9812 | m:612.810.7093 | lsandler at oco.com
OLSON: CONNECTION IS ALL THAT COUNTS | www.oco.com

[rmanly]

Seems curious that you are willing to support a Windows only Mac but not a
dual-boot one...the former is much more difficult to deal with. Firmware
updates etc.

Ryan M. Manly
Glenbrook High Schools

[Matt]

Bootcamp IMHO should never be used in a Business environment. It was originally developed for switchers. As man have pointed out Firmware, Drivers, Updates etc aren't always readily available.
--
Matt Lee, CCA/ACMT/ACPT/ACDT
Senior IT Analyst / Desktop Architecture Team / Apple S.M.E / JAMF Casper Administrator
Fox Networks Group

[jarednichols]

Windows in a VM is much more supportable
---
Jared F. Nichols
Desktop Engineer, Client Services
Information Services Department
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
244 Wood Street
Lexington, Massachusetts 02420
781.981.5436

[Matt]

Agreed a Million percent.

Its also a good idea to keep an open dialog with client about you Windows Teams Update schedule so that the VM's are getting updated regularly. Remember we "may not get viriuses" but we can still host and transmit them.

--
Matt Lee, CCA/ACMT/ACPT/ACDT
Senior IT Analyst / Desktop Architecture Team / Apple S.M.E / JAMF Casper Administrator
Fox Networks Group

[jarednichols]

Right. Our VMs are treated like physical boxes on the network. SCCM manages them, patches them and everything. It works out pretty well. Once it's deployed, we don't have to worry about it on our end.

j
---
Jared F. Nichols
Desktop Engineer, Client Services
Information Services Department
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
244 Wood Street
Lexington, Massachusetts 02420
781.981.5436

[Walter]

Same here, but we use LANdesk for Windows. But Mac users requiring Windows run them inside Parallels, VirtualBox or VMware Fusion.
--
Walter Rowe, System Hosting
Enterprise Systems / OISM
walter.rowe at nist.gov<mailto:walter.rowe at nist.gov>
301-975-2885

[jarednichols]

We have NAC that handles all MAC registration and tracking on the network.
---
Jared F. Nichols
Desktop Engineer, Client Services
Information Services Department
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
244 Wood Street
Lexington, Massachusetts 02420
781.981.5436

[berryjohnson]

I am also agree with @jarednichols Apple supports BootCamp but not installation of Windows.