I knew Macs were too good to be true
March 11, 2011 2:02 PM Subscribe
Help! I am a poor graduate student and largely computer-ignorant Mac user and I need to use software made only for a Windows operating system!
I am starting a course in two weeks that requires me to run SAS, a statistical analysis software, on my computer. Of course I have a MacBook (running OS X 10.5.8) and SAS doesn't work for Macs. I do have BootCamp already on my machine. The IT department has suggested that I either borrow a laptop that has a Windows operating system, or purchase Windows for my Mac. Once I have a machine with a Windows OS, I can get SAS free of charge from my university.
Assuming that borrowing another machine is not an option, what is the cheapest way for me to accomplish this? Where can I get Windows cheaply? If a friend has Windows start up discs will they work on my Mac?
I am starting a course in two weeks that requires me to run SAS, a statistical analysis software, on my computer. Of course I have a MacBook (running OS X 10.5.8) and SAS doesn't work for Macs. I do have BootCamp already on my machine. The IT department has suggested that I either borrow a laptop that has a Windows operating system, or purchase Windows for my Mac. Once I have a machine with a Windows OS, I can get SAS free of charge from my university.
Assuming that borrowing another machine is not an option, what is the cheapest way for me to accomplish this? Where can I get Windows cheaply? If a friend has Windows start up discs will they work on my Mac?
You could purchase the Windows 7 Professional upgrade directly from Microsoft under an academic license. Yes, it's the upgrade version, but you can still install it on a system that has never had a Windows install using a simple workaround (see Google).
posted by roomwithaview at 2:15 PM on March 11, 2011
posted by roomwithaview at 2:15 PM on March 11, 2011
How often do you have to use this software? I remember needing to use the on-campus computer lab for specific applications as much as once a week. It wasn't as convenient as working on my own machine, of course, but I've found that trying and make Windows software run well on a Mac is more frustrating and time consuming.
Is the school computer lab an option for you?
posted by nadise at 2:23 PM on March 11, 2011
Is the school computer lab an option for you?
posted by nadise at 2:23 PM on March 11, 2011
Does you course demand SAS or could you consider using R instead? R is a free statistics package and there are versions for Mac. It does not have the pretty GUI that SAS does and it might frustrate you slightly at first if you don't like the command line way of interacting with it, but it's very capable and there is oodles of online help and documentation.
posted by slow graffiti at 2:35 PM on March 11, 2011
posted by slow graffiti at 2:35 PM on March 11, 2011
I also had to run SAS when I was in grad school and I did it on my iMac by running Parallels Desktop (you still need a copy of Windows, too). What Parallels does is let you run Windows in a window (or full screen) on your Mac at the same time you are running Mac OS X... so basically, for a simple way to explain it, it turns Windows into an app that your Mac runs.
It's really awesome, because then you can do everything else you need to do on your Mac while SAS is running, instead of having to reboot into Windows every time you want to run SAS. Plus you can save a state in Paralles that lets you bring up SAS almost immediately, just as if it was running on your Mac, so that you never even have to reboot Windows when you quit it. Yes, it will cost you more money than using BootCamp (I think Parallels is about $80, but maybe less if you are a student). But it is WORTH IT. Best investment I ever made in software while in school.
posted by buckaroo_benzai at 2:39 PM on March 11, 2011
It's really awesome, because then you can do everything else you need to do on your Mac while SAS is running, instead of having to reboot into Windows every time you want to run SAS. Plus you can save a state in Paralles that lets you bring up SAS almost immediately, just as if it was running on your Mac, so that you never even have to reboot Windows when you quit it. Yes, it will cost you more money than using BootCamp (I think Parallels is about $80, but maybe less if you are a student). But it is WORTH IT. Best investment I ever made in software while in school.
posted by buckaroo_benzai at 2:39 PM on March 11, 2011
(And to respond to another commenter, I would NOT recommend trying to run or learn R. It will just frustrate the hell out of you. Much easier to just go with Windows + Parallels + SAS and be done with it. Time is money, and Parallels is money well spent.)
posted by buckaroo_benzai at 2:40 PM on March 11, 2011
posted by buckaroo_benzai at 2:40 PM on March 11, 2011
Look at Virtual Box instead of Parallels its free to use. Using boot camp will frustrate you as well.
posted by jmsta at 3:26 PM on March 11, 2011
posted by jmsta at 3:26 PM on March 11, 2011
Not that BootCamp is hard to use but it's frustrating to reboot your computer into another operating system every time you want to use one app.
posted by jmsta at 3:27 PM on March 11, 2011
posted by jmsta at 3:27 PM on March 11, 2011
When ever I hear questions like this I always wonder the following: I have (and I assume I'm hardly unique in this respect) several older computers of the kind that people get rid of when they get new ones. They ran the software of 2002 fine and would run SAS. Why can't they be recycled? In other words, do you know anyone who is getting rid of an old windows machine?
posted by Obscure Reference at 3:30 PM on March 11, 2011
posted by Obscure Reference at 3:30 PM on March 11, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for all of the responses. I'm starting to come to the conclusion that I'll just need to buy Windows to make this work.
@odinsdream: the school will not be able to provide Windows for me.
@dfriedman: thanks for the tip. There are no hardware requirements but I checked and have enough available RAM.
@nadise: The entire course is basically about using SAS to analyze data, so I'd imagine every assignment will involve SAS. Even though it wouldn't be ideal I'd originally planned on using a school computer, but was told that class will not meet in a computer lab and I'll want to have a computer during class.
@slow grafiti: We will briefly cover R, but again, the course is basically a SAS course, so using a different software isn't the solution.
@buckaroo_benzai: Thanks for the suggestion. I've looked into VMWare and Parallels, and if I can find a relatively cheap way to deal with the Windows/SAS problem, I'll be all over one of those options.
@Obscure Reference: Thanks for that suggestion. Now to find friends who never made the PC/Mac switch...
posted by moshimosh at 3:49 PM on March 11, 2011
@odinsdream: the school will not be able to provide Windows for me.
@dfriedman: thanks for the tip. There are no hardware requirements but I checked and have enough available RAM.
@nadise: The entire course is basically about using SAS to analyze data, so I'd imagine every assignment will involve SAS. Even though it wouldn't be ideal I'd originally planned on using a school computer, but was told that class will not meet in a computer lab and I'll want to have a computer during class.
@slow grafiti: We will briefly cover R, but again, the course is basically a SAS course, so using a different software isn't the solution.
@buckaroo_benzai: Thanks for the suggestion. I've looked into VMWare and Parallels, and if I can find a relatively cheap way to deal with the Windows/SAS problem, I'll be all over one of those options.
@Obscure Reference: Thanks for that suggestion. Now to find friends who never made the PC/Mac switch...
posted by moshimosh at 3:49 PM on March 11, 2011
From 5 minutes of searching, it seems that no one can get SAS working with WINE, but the last thing I see about it is from like 3 years ago, so maybe it works now? Wine is free so it can't hurt to try.
posted by empath at 4:27 PM on March 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by empath at 4:27 PM on March 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
If a friend has Windows start up discs will they work on my Mac?
Microsoft goes to great lengths to ensure that you cannot do this easily. Windows has to phone home to be activated with a code, and if you try to activate two copies with radically different hardware it will not allow it. Moreover, if your friend has an OEM version of Windows (i.e. it came with the computer) as opposed to having bought a boxed copy of Windows at a store, then the key is likely tied to that specific machine.
So you either need to go full legit and buy Windows yourself so that you have a valid key, or you need to go full pirate and get your hands on an actual pirated version of Windows that has all of these annoyances surgically removed. Borrowing install disks won't cut it.
posted by Rhomboid at 4:40 PM on March 11, 2011
Microsoft goes to great lengths to ensure that you cannot do this easily. Windows has to phone home to be activated with a code, and if you try to activate two copies with radically different hardware it will not allow it. Moreover, if your friend has an OEM version of Windows (i.e. it came with the computer) as opposed to having bought a boxed copy of Windows at a store, then the key is likely tied to that specific machine.
So you either need to go full legit and buy Windows yourself so that you have a valid key, or you need to go full pirate and get your hands on an actual pirated version of Windows that has all of these annoyances surgically removed. Borrowing install disks won't cut it.
posted by Rhomboid at 4:40 PM on March 11, 2011
I think odinsdream was pointing out that university bookshops can offer Windows at some absurdly low price compared to retail. See if your bookstop has a good deal for students.
posted by bsdfish at 6:04 PM on March 11, 2011
posted by bsdfish at 6:04 PM on March 11, 2011
Let me combine a few suggestions above to offer you the best solution I use
Use vmware and do an isolated installation of windows 7. (you will get a choice between making it seamless or using the 'isolated' setup which will involve dragging and dropping files from one desktop to another desktop as opposed to sharing the desktops. Do isolated because some programs do not do well using a shared resource for running files.
Instead of drag and drop you can always use dropbox between that windows installation and your mac os x which will auto update the files for you - saves the drag and drop headache. (use symbolic links on mac os x - check lifehacker for those)
As far as getting cheap versions, most of the software companies prefer you use their software even if it is pirated because they know that you will be hooked to them - I'm not promoting piracy nor am I providing a justification - just a recent observation from a news article.
Virtual box will allow you to bypass vmware purchase and buying an upgrade edition from an educational academic software license web site will get you windows 7 upgrade for $35. (As per the previous user who stated it, I have not experimented with converting the upgrade to the full version but that might be the best legal way to go.
posted by iNfo.Pump at 12:01 PM on March 12, 2011
Use vmware and do an isolated installation of windows 7. (you will get a choice between making it seamless or using the 'isolated' setup which will involve dragging and dropping files from one desktop to another desktop as opposed to sharing the desktops. Do isolated because some programs do not do well using a shared resource for running files.
Instead of drag and drop you can always use dropbox between that windows installation and your mac os x which will auto update the files for you - saves the drag and drop headache. (use symbolic links on mac os x - check lifehacker for those)
As far as getting cheap versions, most of the software companies prefer you use their software even if it is pirated because they know that you will be hooked to them - I'm not promoting piracy nor am I providing a justification - just a recent observation from a news article.
Virtual box will allow you to bypass vmware purchase and buying an upgrade edition from an educational academic software license web site will get you windows 7 upgrade for $35. (As per the previous user who stated it, I have not experimented with converting the upgrade to the full version but that might be the best legal way to go.
posted by iNfo.Pump at 12:01 PM on March 12, 2011
What state is your school in? While you school may not offer an edu discount, another organization (techhead.org) that represents schools in your state may be able to.
Is there a "virtual lab" on campus you can connect to via RDP? In short, you can connect to a windows computer (with SAS installed on it) via an application on your computer and run the software remotely in a window as if you had VMware or Parallels installed.
If you do buy Windows, make sure you don't just buy any version. SAS will not run under some versions of Windows 7. Take a look at the SAS requirements.
posted by pwb503 at 11:59 AM on March 13, 2011
Is there a "virtual lab" on campus you can connect to via RDP? In short, you can connect to a windows computer (with SAS installed on it) via an application on your computer and run the software remotely in a window as if you had VMware or Parallels installed.
If you do buy Windows, make sure you don't just buy any version. SAS will not run under some versions of Windows 7. Take a look at the SAS requirements.
posted by pwb503 at 11:59 AM on March 13, 2011
FYI right now Parallels is on sale with a bunch of other Mac apps. It's part of a bundle for $50 for all 11 apps. Normally Paralles is $80 just by itself.
MacUpdate Promo
posted by buckaroo_benzai at 7:57 AM on March 16, 2011
MacUpdate Promo
posted by buckaroo_benzai at 7:57 AM on March 16, 2011
As a student through Microsoft's Dreamspark program you can get Windows Server 2003 free assuming you can make SAS run on windows server 2003 that and VirtualBox is a $0.00 solution that will get you up and running. Its like cracking walnuts with a sledge hammer but it will get the job done. I've been very happy with VirtualBox on OSX its easy to install and use.
posted by jmsta at 7:23 PM on March 16, 2011
posted by jmsta at 7:23 PM on March 16, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
You also should ensure that you have sufficient RAM on your laptop to run Windows under Bootcamp. To figure out how much RAM your computer has, go to the apple icon in the upper left-hand corner and select "About this Mac". Anything less than 1GB would likely be a problem.
Does your course specify hardware requirements to run SAS?
posted by dfriedman at 2:12 PM on March 11, 2011