So I have, and LOVE my MacBook, however I'm noticing that I occasionally NEED microsoft OneNote for a client, as well as need Internet Explorer (ick!) for a website a client uses. There is not a work around for this problem. I'd rather not use Parallels and run Windows on my MacBook (I don't want to risk viruses and other issues).

I'm thinking about going out and buying a NetBook, do you think it's a good idea. I have a second monitor in my office and I'm hoping that I can hook it up if i need to work on it for long periods of time.

My other thought is to get a mini mac and put parallels on it so I at least have my "safe" little MacBook. The mini Mac will cost quite a bit more so I'm leaning towards the netbook.

What do you think?

We have two mini notebooks and I can't stand them Seriously - they are so small and so buggy. We bought two Asus EEEs last year and they've been a nightmare. Surely there are other brands that are less buggy/more viable but even so my biggest complaint is that they keyboard is really not work-friendly. It's teeny - very quaint but not at all productive.

There are so many laptops now that you can get for super cheap - I've seen lots of ads for Dell and HP for basic laptops for less than $500. If you're not planning to run a lot of software on it I would recommend going in that direction for your Windows machine.

Looking forward to hearing what you decided to do to solve this dilemma!

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I run Windows 7 in Boot Camp on my Macbook Pro. My main transcription contract uses macros in Word 2003, and they only work in Windows. It's aggravating, but I deal with it because they pay really good. I run AVG antivirus, and have never had a problem with it.

I have a netbook. It's sitting in the case I bought it on top of my TV. The keyboard is way to small for any productive work, the screen is tiny, and it's really, really slow. It was around $300 when I bought it last year. I bought my son a laptop the same day, full size keyboard, screen, etc. for $500. Personally, if you don't want to run Windows in Boot Camp, then I'd go with the full size laptop.

I have a Mac and an HP. Of course the MAC is amazing, but I ran an HP before I go the MAC. HP is very user friendly clean on the download and update process. I would get an HP for your other operating system.

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Shellea Montgomery:daisy:

I love my Mac - it just works - and I spend a whole lot less time on technical troubleshooting. When I was employed, I had the absolute top of the line Windows desktop product with all the latest bells and whistles (including RAID SSD). It was fast, but it required a technician with five Microsoft certifications to work out all the bugs. On the business side, I did purchase a Windows 7 notebook. The primary reason is that I tend to train/talk better with the product in front of me and I want to keep up my corporate business skills. The Microsoft Office suite in Windows is very different from the Mac currently. Although Mac Office 2011 will be adding the ribbon. Still, it is not the same as using the Windows version. I have found the Mac Office 2008 version extremely buggy. The other option is to load Windows on to the Mac, but I have personally avoided it.

I know this reply is a little late coming, but I do have a solution for you. I too have a need to run proprietary Microsoft programs/ OS. I have used Parallels, a virtual machine application that lets have a completely separate computer on one machine, for a while now and I am happier with it than any other virtual machine software. It is easier to use than booting into a separate OS, like using Boot camp. I am currently using the new Parallels 6, this let me install Windows 7. I know this brief, but I hope it helps.

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Charlotte