Macbook Pro Running Windows

[monty]

At work we have to use a macbookpro, but unfortunately some of the software is available in windows version only.

We run windows within the MAcOS (Vmware), so we can still send a CTRL ALT + DEL to Windows by way of the pull down menu.

However, we sometimes have some nework issues when running Vmware, so would actully prefer to run windows nativeley, as dual boot to avoid those problems, and get some performance boost as well.

Question is, how do we then send those typical windows commands for which the Mac keyboard does not have buttons? Would there be a little Windows program giving a pull down menu or something like that, I know on the full mac keyboard you can map the extra function buttons (13 and up, through the keyboard drivers included in bootcamp) but obviously the macbook pro doesn't have those!

Any tips?

Thanks!!!

[Nawak]

If this could help.

http://lifehacker.co...ows-key-mapping

Edited December 20, 2010 by Nawak

[nikster]

What are those VMWare networking issues? I am having some myself, VMWare client sometimes just doesn't go through the VPN. Only on Wifi which is odd.

[kpmsprtd]

What would happen if you plugged in a USB Windows keyboard? I would certainly give that a try to see if it works.

[nikster]

BTW it should just work, there are several pages on the topic on Apple's website, here's the one for the MacBook Pro keyboard:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1220

Bootcamp drivers make it so keys are mapped to windows keys.

The general overview is here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1167

[monty]

What are those VMWare networking issues? I am having some myself, VMWare client sometimes just doesn't go through the VPN. Only on Wifi which is odd.

Basically the vmware LAN in Windows not letting any traffic through. With the Mac's physical port bridged to vmware's virtual port in windows.

Works perfectly 3 times out of 5, the other two need reboots of windows to get it going. Pretty annoying!

[monty]

BTW it should just work, there are several pages on the topic on Apple's website, here's the one for the MacBook Pro keyboard:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1220

Bootcamp drivers make it so keys are mapped to windows keys.

The general overview is here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1167

Yeah, have that, but it doesn't work with Windows combination keystrokes like ctrl+alt+del probably because the delete is already the fn+del combo on the macbook pro keyboard...

Unfortunately the windows soft we run (for programming logical controllers) is rather buggy (yeah, I know, but most hardware manufaturers, especially industrial, do not seem to create any software outside MS$ ), often needing the process manually stopped for which the ctrl+alt+del is pretty handy ...

[nikster]

Allright this is actually discussed all over the internet, some quick Googling revealed several possible solutions for Ctrl-Alt-Del on Windows:

1 - Apple says it should be Ctrl-Alt-fn-Del as fn-Del is the Windows Delete key. - however the consensus seems to be that that doesn't work. It's supposed to be in BootCamp 1.1 and up.

2 - Use the windows utility remapkey (start -> run -> remapkey) which is part of this freee Microsoft toolkit: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=9d467a69-57ff-4ae7-96ee-b18c4790cffd&DisplayLang=en

3 - Use CMD-u to bring up the on-screen keyboard

4 - Use an external USB keyboard

Looks like these are your options. IMO #2 is the best, just remap the keys with remapkey...

For just shutting down the task you could also bring up the Task Manager by right clicking on the taskbar, then leave it running and kill the process from there. I mean I don't know how often you have to do this but back when I did a lot of killing of tasks I always used the Task Manager rather than Ctrl-Alt-Del...

Edited December 22, 2010 by nikster

[negreanu]

I mean I don't know how often you have to do this

It's windows not Mac OS X so would guess about 3 times per hour.

[monty]

I mean I don't know how often you have to do this

It's windows not Mac OS X so would guess about 3 times per hour.

On the spot there :)

Although admittedly it's that particular application which hangs, not the OS....

It's just that a shitload of hardware manufacturers (and I mean industrial things, not home toys) are still sticking with support only for windows, no Mac, Linux or whatever.