- May 19, 2011
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I'm a long-time Windows user turned Linux user for enough years that it's probably a permanent change, however I have some ties to Windows that are unlikely to change at any point soon. I am aware of WINE and I use it for one app in Linux but I don't trust it for say MS Access, and I've tried Xara 10 with it but it failed to run. I have a few VMs set up in Linux:
Windows 2000: I rarely use this.
Windows XP: My copy of Microsoft Access 2000 is installed here, I prefer it to newer versions when doing Access development work.
Windows 7: My most often-used VM. My copy of Office 2007 is installed here, as is Xara 10 (I use this for advert design mostly), a paid-for copy.
Windows 10: I initially used this for some experimentation, since then I bought a very cheap copy of Office Pro Plus 2021 which is handy to refer to as a "modern" copy of MSO, but also I like the 'Quick Assist' app that comes with Win10/11 for quick bits of casual remote access work on customers' computers without licensing worries (e.g. TeamViewer).
One of my concerns is the speed of data backups. With larger OS footprints in VMs, the longer the backup takes to run, and every time I run one of these VMs then its data file will have been updated. Another concern is whether I'm holding onto an old version of Windows without good reason, and to be fair a newer version of Windows is more likely to be of use to me going forward.
Archiving/deleting the Win2k VM is a no-brainer, maybe. I suppose if it just sits there doing nothing then it's not being transferred to the backup up each time?
I could get rid of the XP VM and install Access 2000 alongside another copy of Office in one of the other VMs, but I guess my concern probably originally was creating some kind of FrankenAccessStein setup where database applications work on my computer but no-one else's (or maybe vice versa).
My Win7 VM is my preferred Windows environment partly because Win7 is my favourite Windows version and partly because it boots faster than any of the other VMs.
Migrating stuff to at least the Win10 VM (or even make a Win11 VM so I have a Win11 setup easily to hand if a customer rings me with a "where's this option" quick question) makes some sense, consolidation etc, but it is a bit slower than the Win7 VM.
Thoughts?
Windows 2000: I rarely use this.
Windows XP: My copy of Microsoft Access 2000 is installed here, I prefer it to newer versions when doing Access development work.
Windows 7: My most often-used VM. My copy of Office 2007 is installed here, as is Xara 10 (I use this for advert design mostly), a paid-for copy.
Windows 10: I initially used this for some experimentation, since then I bought a very cheap copy of Office Pro Plus 2021 which is handy to refer to as a "modern" copy of MSO, but also I like the 'Quick Assist' app that comes with Win10/11 for quick bits of casual remote access work on customers' computers without licensing worries (e.g. TeamViewer).
One of my concerns is the speed of data backups. With larger OS footprints in VMs, the longer the backup takes to run, and every time I run one of these VMs then its data file will have been updated. Another concern is whether I'm holding onto an old version of Windows without good reason, and to be fair a newer version of Windows is more likely to be of use to me going forward.
Archiving/deleting the Win2k VM is a no-brainer, maybe. I suppose if it just sits there doing nothing then it's not being transferred to the backup up each time?
I could get rid of the XP VM and install Access 2000 alongside another copy of Office in one of the other VMs, but I guess my concern probably originally was creating some kind of FrankenAccessStein setup where database applications work on my computer but no-one else's (or maybe vice versa).
My Win7 VM is my preferred Windows environment partly because Win7 is my favourite Windows version and partly because it boots faster than any of the other VMs.
Migrating stuff to at least the Win10 VM (or even make a Win11 VM so I have a Win11 setup easily to hand if a customer rings me with a "where's this option" quick question) makes some sense, consolidation etc, but it is a bit slower than the Win7 VM.
Thoughts?
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