I have been a fan of virtualization in computers for many years. I can't explain WHY, but I think it has something to do with being able to "have your cake, and eat it too".
There have been quite a few virtualization programs that have come and gone through the years. Packages such as the venerable DOSBOX, the elegant and free VirtualBox, and others such as VMWare, Qemu, and Bochs. Today, commercially available software such as Parallels, Boot Camp, and Microsoft's Virtual PC allow the Mac user to run full and complete "copies" of Windows within the Macintosh environment.
This is the "Holy Grail" for some. The biggest reason that many people don't switch to Macs completely is that they are concerned that software that ONLY runs within Windows will be lost and not able to be used. Parallels, Boot Camp, and VPC cure this "problem".
But...for a moment, think...has there EVER been a time that you WANTED to take a Mac for a test drive, but couldn't? Price too high? No Mac Stores around? OS X too alien an environment for the typical (no pun intended) Windows user?
With a few free tools, and some steps followed carefully, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard CAN run in Windows.
3) Decompress the OS X image from the compressed file. 7-Zip is perfect at this, and it is free as well.
4) Start VMware Player.
5) Click on "Open a Virtual Machine".
6) Browse for "Mac OS X Leopard.VMX" file in the location the newly decompressed files were placed. Select and press open.
7) That’s it. Start your Mac "Virtual Machine" by pressing Start/Play "Virtual Machine." It SHOULD boot and work fine.
The donor Mac that the image was built on is a Mac Pro.
Key points to consider:
-Since it is a virtual environment, it will run somewhat slower than if it were running natively. Keep in mind that if your HOST PC has limited resources, your "Virtual Mac" will provide you with DISAPPOINTING results. VERY DISAPPOINTING. (Don't even CONSIDER trying to try this if your PC has ANYTHING less than a 2 GHz CPU, 2 GB of RAM, and limited HDD space.
-The Mac image has been built to incorporate 1 GB of RAM for the Mac itself. You can adjust this as needed, but anything less than 768 MB will creep along. The more RAM, the better.
-Even if you HAVE a multi-core CPU, keep the settings at 1.
-Most people will want to change the User Name of the "root" account. The password is "PASSWORD".
-Chances are, your audio won't work. Mine doesn't, and my HOST PC, an HP D530 with Windows 7 Ultimate is HARDLY an econo-box computer. Such is life. Want audio? The USB integration from HOST to GUEST works flawlessly, so a USB (MISO-microphone in/speaker out) "sound card" will work.
-Some users prefer a smaller window when running a virtual desktop. I do, too. Here's how to change to a smaller footprint, IF DESIRED:
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