When got an iMac in December 2006, I looked for a way to sync all of my Outlook data to Apple’s iCal and Address Book applications. I describe my first success with this in the following article: Keeping a Pocket PC, Outlook, iCal, and a Palm in Sync.
But, trying to keep all of the data in sync has been a frustration. It is so easy to wind up with duplicated or deleted appointments, tasks, and contacts. It has been so much of a frustration that I gave up on it for a few months, but have recently become interested in it again.
I have been considering some alternatives, including using the new Plaxo service (which I signed up for) and a hosted exchange (which I will soon sign up for).
But, another alternative is VMware Fusion, which, so far, seems to completely eliminate my syncing woes. It does not do this by providing a sync solution, but it eliminates my need to even bother with iCal and Address Book on the Mac: It lets me keep Outlook open on my iMac while I am using my iMac. The following screenshot shows what this looks like:
To enable my T-Mobile Dash to sync with Outlook via the VMware Fusion interface, I first had to uninstall the Missing Sync software from my iMac: it kept trying to grab the sync focus from the Dash and wouldn’t let ActiveSync have a chance at it. But, after uninstalling it, I just plugged in my Dash to a USB port, and ActiveSync came up within the virtual window and did its thing. And, of course, when I want to update Outlook on my laptop, all I have to do is sync my Dash to it. Hence, I am able to use Outlook without ever leaving my iMac, and I am able to take the data from there and sync it to my laptop when desired.
What I love about VMware Fusion so far:
- I can run Windows and Mac simultaneously, whereas I had to reboot into Windows when using Apple’s Bootcamp.
- It is not a power hog. I have a widget that lets me monitor CPU usage, and I do not see any extraordinary usage when running VMware fusion.
- It was easy to setup and even let me use my existing Bootcamp partition.
- I can actually copy and paste from Windows apps directly into Mac apps. This required the additional installation of VMTools, which installed super quickly and at no charge.
- It’s cheap. By purchasing it while it is still in the Beta Stage, you can get it for 39 US dollars, vice the 79 that it will cost when released.
My only disappointment was that the setup did require that I go into Windows, via the Bootcamp partition, to make a few changes. This was required because running VMware Fusion without those changes would not allow use of a mouse within the Windows Virtual Machine, making it useless. However the changes were fairly simple. They are detailed in this thread. There is a slight error in the instructions, though, so I reprint a corrected portion here:
c:\Windows\Driver Cache\i386> expand sp2.cab -F:intelide.sys . c:\Windows\Driver Cache\i386> expand sp2.cab -F:i8042prt.sys .
Within the subject thread, look for the post by jim.gill that has the above code in it (his code misses one semicolon). Note that the dots at the end of each line are important. That thread also provides a registry file tweak that you can download and double-click. Then, just reboot into the Mac, run VMware and it will work great. It is slow on its first run, but after that runs normally.
So, if you have an XP or Vista partition on your iMac, this is definitely something you should look into. If you don’t have a partition but have been thinking of adding one, VMware Fusion would still enable you to set one up. It will let you set up a Linux partition, too, if desired.
Finally, VMware Fusion works just as well on the Leopard operating system as on Tiger.
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Thomas: thanks for letting me know about VMware Fusion!
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