Running .NET/VB Programs on a Mac!

Introduction​

Okay so after a day of having been a member here I've noticed more than one post on whether or not Visual Basic, and .NET Framework "Programs" work on Mac. Short answer is: they don't.

But don't lose hope! If you have a Mac and bought it some time AFTER January 10, 2006, you're in luck!

In 2006 Apple transitioned to Intel chip technology, bringing about numerous benefits for the likes of you!

So if you aren't quite sure when you bought your Mac and you want to check if you're running an intel processor do this:
- Click the apple in the upper left hand corner of your screen
- Click about this Mac
- A box should pop up. Next to 'Processor' will be the chip you're running. Make sure it says Intel somewhere.

Choosing a Virtual Machine​

Now that you have determined whether or not your Mac is equipped for this task, it's time to pick what's called a Virtual Machine. You will choose one of three tools: VMWare Fusion, Parallels Desktop, or Apple's Bootcamp.

VMWare Fusion 3.1 ($79.99) -

Parallels Desktop 5 ($69.99) -

Apple Boot Camp (Free) - http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/ (FAQ/System Req./Installation Guide)

Each software has its benefits and downfalls. If you want to be running programs on the side while you use your Mac software I would recommend VMWare Fusion because it performs better in certain benchmarks than Parallels. But if you're going to be running programs for a long time, or want your buys to be as low as possible I would recommend installing Boot Camp and dual booting Windows.

The benchmarks and comparisons of all three options can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple–Intel_transition

Setting up a Virtual Machine​

Now that you have chosen the software you want to use, and installed it, it's time to setup Windows!

If you have a genuine cd + key for any version of Windows, from XP - 7 you'll be fine. All you have to do is pop your cd in, open it with Parallels or VMWare and enter your auth. key.

If you don't, I recommend finding a less than genuine copy somewhere on the web as it works just as well.

Adding a Virtual Machine to VMWare/Parallels takes less than five minutes to do and you'll have a working cheating machine up in no time flat. Depending on how fast your computer is, some Windows applications can actually run pretty much as fast as they do natively.

Now all you have to do is download the necessary DLL's and other gobbledygook necessary to run your desired program, stick it wherever it's needed, open up your program, and VOILA!

You're running VB/.Net programs with no problem!

I hope you enjoyed my very first Neo Friends guide! There will be more to come.

Please, if you have any questions, or would like to see pictures of any step please let me know and I'll do my best to answer/accommodate your needs.


-Nico

CREDITS FOR INFORMATION​

www.VMware.com​

www.parallels.com​

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple–Intel_transition​

http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/​

THIS IS 100% MY WORK. DO NOT REPRODUCE WITHOUT PERMISSION​

NOTE: I don't recommend using Boot Camp unless you can absolutely 1000% back up your whole drive before you partition. A lot of times the way the Hard Drive is partitioned isn't compatible with Boot Camp Assistant so you have to reformat it before you can partition it. Sometimes you get lucky and don't need to do any extra mumbo-jumbo but it's a gamble and I'd back up my files if I were you.

 

This is 100% my work, in my Intro post I said my name was Nico. If possible could I change my username to that?

Thank you for the compliment! :]

Personally I love my Mac, and love Windows 7 on it. But it has its downsides

 

Thanks, Lightning! I edited the last bit and added links to where I got my info. The writing is all mine though

 

VirtualBox is also a very very good virtual machine. It's free and open-source. I use it all the time.
http://www.virtualbox.org/