Should I buy a cheap laptop?

[duke main]

Here's my issue. I have a MacBook Air, which I like a lot. I'm in the process of applying for my reserve retirement pay from the US military. The application process requires a PC with IE8. When I was living in BKK I asked the mil guys in the embassy for some help and they kindly informed me it's not their problem so I think I need to struggle through on my own. Do you think I can get something serviceable for around 10,000 baht? I think my monthly pay is going to be over 100,000 so it's well worth the effort. Thanks in advance.

[Farangkie]

I previously had Windows running on my Mac with Parallels software. If you got some computer geek at Tucom to load it for you , when it opens up , it will do the trick.

 https://www.parallels.com/pd/windows-on-mac/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwta6tMCt8gIVI5pmAh3IMABzEAAYASAAEgKhdfD_BwE

Edited August 13, 2021 by Syco

[duke main]

Thanks for the suggestion @Syco. I wonder if I could download it myself without fucking it up.

[Farangkie]

1 minute ago, duke main said:

Thanks for the suggestion @Syco. I wonder if I could download it myself without fucking it up.

I did it myself, it was a bit tricky, but got a step by step guide on Youtube.

[Dutcher]

You can also make a dual boot setup, check out this article: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/dual-boot-windows-macos

But did you already try running that application process from your Mac? It might just work.

[duke main]

14 minutes ago, Dutcher said:

You can also make a dual boot setup, check out this article: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/dual-boot-windows-macos

But did you already try running that application process from your Mac? It might just work.

I did try with Safari and I couldn't get it to work.

[Dutcher]

1 minute ago, duke main said:

I did try with Safari and I couldn't get it to work.

Another option would be to try it with Chrome for Mac.

[southsidebruce]

I have a MacBook Air M1... I have Parallels and am running Windows 11 on it... you can't dual boot to Windows with the M1 CPU (bootcamp), but you can run Parallels... forget if it was difficult to install, but I have an IT background, so makes things easier for me...

[duke main]

26 minutes ago, Dutcher said:

Another option would be to try it with Chrome for Mac.

The instructions specify IE 8

[Dutcher]

5 minutes ago, duke main said:

The instructions specify IE 8

Well, it might still work with Chrome. But unsure. Maybe worth a try.

My thinking is that it’s less work to install Chrome on Mac and give it a quick try than to make a full install of Windows. But as they say in Thailand, up to you 

[Pattiaman]

I'm not sure if this is going to be helpful, but you could try installing a virtual machine. Install VirtualBox which is free, there are other options ie. VMware but that costs.  These are what are known as virtual machines and you should be able to install whatever operating system you want on the virtual machine. It might be slow and clunky depending on the memory on your Mac, but it should still work. Check instructions on YouTube. Hope it helps

[T-T-T]

4 hours ago, duke main said:

The instructions specify IE 8

IE8 is very old .. and not available anymore. They probably mean minimum of IE8. 

 min available is  IE11 and comes as part of the Windows 10 OS. 

but to help resolve your issue the Latest  Microsoft Browser is Edge which is now available for MAC OS . It has compatibly modes ( should be able to pretend it is IE8)  so that might work. 

Found this which might help How to Install Microsoft Edge on macOS - Microsoft Community. 

Edited August 13, 2021 by T-T-T

[article22]

Personally I would run:

https://www.virtualbox.org/

Easy installer, then get a (trial) copy of Windows installer ISO and install it using VBox.

https://www.howtogeek.com/657464/how-to-install-a-windows-10-virtualbox-vm-on-macos/

You don't have to register it as you can just delete the whole thing and start again if you want...or get a licence key off eBay.

It will also mean you have a safe area to run Windows apps if needed along with IE 8.

Best part is that everything is free, just requires time and patience...unless you want to put a Windows key in.

 

Very surprised that any website requires IE 8 nowadays, normally they say that but it will still run on something!

Try Chrome and Firefox first also as that would be the easiest option.

[Ben75]

Or you try a virtual windows desktop for the limited time you need it.

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/virtual-desktop

 

[ocka]

On 13/08/2021 at 16:48, duke main said:

Do you think I can get something serviceable for around 10,000 baht?

I bought the cheapest new Lenovo (Ideapad 110S) laptop in Australia for 7,000 baht.   It came with Windows 10 installed, and has been perfectly OK for   email,  web sites and video streaming.  It's been to Thailand with me twice.  I had to use Internet Explorer to log on to hotel WiFi, and it worked OK.

Not sure what you would pay in Thailand,  but your 10,000 baht suggestion sounds reasonable.

[duke main]

I downloaded parallels desktop. It seemed to function ok but when I tried to submit a form it wouldn't go through, not sure if the problem was with windows or the mil pay site. I need to talk to someone in finance at my former base to sort it out.

[duke main]

Well, I talked to the mil pay brain center and it looks like I need an actual pc after all. The guy I talked to assured me there's no way to make the mil software work on an apple machine even with parallels. I think I can get something workable for around 10,000 baht.

[gatorade88]

Surprised it wouldn't work inside parallels. It is just a website right? IE8 is super old. You'd need something like Windows 7 for IE8.

[duke main]

6 hours ago, gatorade88 said:

Surprised it wouldn't work inside parallels. It is just a website right? IE8 is super old. You'd need something like Windows 7 for IE8.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's possible to make parallels work for my situation. I lacked the knowledge and/or will to keep on banging my head against the wall. So I went to Tukcom and bought an Acer laptop for 11,000 bt. I'm a nerd, but not the kind that knows a lot about computers.

[seaman]

Just an advise : dont forget to make the backups if necessary !! and not only every 2 months !

I dont know if you have a SSD for this price, but if broken, there is very less to recovery it ... no as the HD in the past