Do we really have to deal with this software compatibility crap again?

[TurboCoder2022]

I guess I didn't realize how much of a compatibility issue using an ARM M1 MAC would really be. When my Intel refurb Mac burned up 60 days in, I figured I should grab the most updated model of the Mac Studio. And that was a mistake, it appears.

So I ran into a couple of issues lately with some past Windows software that I wanted to use again. To be fair, I didn't think I'd want to use the software back when I bought this computer back earlier in the year. But, now I do. Anyway.

Is there any possible way to force these programs to run on Windows 11 in the Parallels software?

Or am I screwed?

It was a really great thing to have Intel Macs that could run any software imaginable. Sigh.

 

[leman]

Macs are not made for running Windows software. You might have some success with emulators or virtualization but there is no guarantee. Choose your tools appropriately.

 

[dmccloud]

I guess I didn't realize how much of a compatibility issue using an ARM M1 MAC would really be. When my Intel refurb Mac burned up 60 days in, I figured I should grab the most updated model of the Mac Studio. And that was a mistake, it appears.

So I ran into a couple of issues lately with some past Windows software that I wanted to use again. To be fair, I didn't think I'd want to use the software back when I bought this computer back earlier in the year. But, now I do. Anyway.

Is there any possible way to force these programs to run on Windows 11 in the Parallels software?

Or am I screwed?

It was a really great thing to have Intel Macs that could run any software imaginable. Sigh.

Because Parallels is using Windows on Arm, there are limitations regarding what can and can not be run on the OS, regardless of which platform it is being used on. For example, games using versions of OpenGL above 3.3 or certain anti-cheat tools will not run. There are also known issues with many AV utilities which have not been updated for an ARM-based version of Windows. There are some additional limitations specific to Parallels and Apple Silicon, primarily related to virtualization & WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). One thing that was apparently addressed with Windows 11 on ARM was the ability to run X86-64 apps, as the Windows 10 version could only run 32-bit x86 apps.

 

[magbarn]

Macs are not made for running Windows software. You might have some success with emulators or virtualization but there is no guarantee. Choose your tools appropriately.

Honestly I've given up on Windows ARM/Apple Silicon combo as it's klunky at best and most of my windows software just doesn't run well if at all. I would look into getting another Intel Mac machine as those are dirt cheap now in the used market. Or go ahead and just use a dedicated windows machine which is what I do.

 

[TurboCoder2022]

Honestly I've given up on Windows ARM/Apple Silicon combo as it's klunky at best and most of my windows software just doesn't run well if at all. I would look into getting another Intel Mac machine as those are dirt cheap now in the used market. Or go ahead and just use a dedicated windows machine which is what I do.

Thank you all for the feedback (as well as yours, magbarn).

I should have just done that (stuck with Windows). I have a Windows 10 laptop to hold me in the interim so all is not lost. I still just have to pay off my M1 Mac Studio (and the POS intel iMac I got - which I admit was insanely awesome when I had it - that burned up within 60 days).

After that (probably after another year) I'll be able to build my own Windows PC again. I've used strictly my own hand-built Windows PCs since I last used Mac in 2012.

I just didn't realize that they decided to go back to the major major drawback of the Mac that they had before in software incompatibility.

 

[galad]

Did you try to run those programs in Windows 11 in Parallels?

 

[TurboCoder2022]

Did you try to run those programs in Windows 11 in Parallels?

Yep. It comes up with a window saying "Error 0x0000...blah blah blah..." no matter which compatibility modes I select or emulation modes I select.

 

[jz0309]

I guess I didn't realize how much of a compatibility issue using an ARM M1 MAC would really be. When my Intel refurb Mac burned up 60 days in, I figured I should grab the most updated model of the Mac Studio. And that was a mistake, it appears.

So I ran into a couple of issues lately with some past Windows software that I wanted to use again. To be fair, I didn't think I'd want to use the software back when I bought this computer back earlier in the year. But, now I do. Anyway.

Is there any possible way to force these programs to run on Windows 11 in the Parallels software?

Or am I screwed?

It was a really great thing to have Intel Macs that could run any software imaginable. Sigh.

so it's been 3 years since the M Macs were released - why is this a surprise, now?

 

[TurboCoder2022]

so it's been 3 years since the M Macs were released - why is this a surprise, now?

Because I was an idiot and didn't research enough before I purchased. And I thought it wouldn't be a big deal.

I also wanted a higher quality display.

 

[Ethosik]

What are the programs?

 

[BrianBaughn]

I'd still be rocking my 2014 dual-boot Hackintosh if it hadn't died. I'm happy with my Mac Studio but I miss playing Fortnite via Windows on the hackie.

 

[TurboCoder2022]

What are the programs?

Lotto Pro and Launch Box.

 

[Queen6]

No easy answers those looking to move Apple Silicon need to research before taking the dive. If heavily invested in x64 applications better to source a well loved 2nd Mac.

Q-6

 

[Queen6]

Because I was an idiot and didn't research enough before I purchased. And I thought it wouldn't be a big deal.

I also wanted a higher quality display.

An honest soul, hopefully the community can offer help Took a while to see if the performance benefits of Apple Silicon outweighed the smaller footprint of apps. Today I only have one app that runs under Rosetta the rest are native to Apple silicon.

Q-6

 

[Ethosik]

Lotto Pro and Launch Box.

Hmm....looks like common names. I see Lotto Pro is on the App Store, but its a common name so it might not be the same.

Launch Box, if I am seeing the right one, appears to be an emulator and that can introduce some difficulties going through multiple layers.

I see Launch Box has an android version, have you tried running an Android emulator with this application?

 

[TurboCoder2022]

Hmm....looks like common names. I see Lotto Pro is on the App Store, but its a common name so it might not be the same.

Launch Box, if I am seeing the right one, appears to be an emulator and that can introduce some difficulties going through multiple layers.

I see Launch Box has an android version, have you tried running an Android emulator with this application?

It's not in the app store. If you search on Google, it's a standalone Windows software. I've had it for a while and just wanted to re-activate it for fun.

Thank you for the information on LB. I will try that!!

 

[Ethosik]

It's not in the app store. If you search on Google, it's a standalone Windows software. I've had it for a while and just wanted to re-activate it for fun.

I see many options, but assuming its the top result on Google at least there is a disclaimer.

Lotto Pro is not compatible with phones, tablets, or Apple computers.

It also supports Windows XP so it would likely have an old codebase which makes sense why there are issues when you attempt to use Parallels. Unfortunately the ARM translation on Windows is not as effective as Apple's Rosetta 2.

 

[thenewperson]

Is QEMU not an option for this software you need? Can’t say I’m familiar with it as I haven’t installed it on my machine but I have seen people use it for Intel Windows emulation.

 

[haralds]

I have been using Parallels Desktop with Windows 10 and 11 on Arm since the M1 was released. For the applications I have used, I have seen excellent compatibility and performance. My main areas of use have been:

• Software development including Visual Studio and Python
• Productivity apps including MS Office
• Linux compatibility layer
• Games from Steam and GOG

Your applications look to be outliers. Surprised about Lotto Pro not working on ARM, since it is retail software.
There is a full range of emulators compatible with macOS AppleSilicon such as DOSBox, OpenEMU, Dolphin, Cemu, etc.

 

[canadianreader]

I guess I didn't realize how much of a compatibility issue using an ARM M1 MAC would really be. When my Intel refurb Mac burned up 60 days in, I figured I should grab the most updated model of the Mac Studio. And that was a mistake, it appears.

So I ran into a couple of issues lately with some past Windows software that I wanted to use again. To be fair, I didn't think I'd want to use the software back when I bought this computer back earlier in the year. But, now I do. Anyway.

Is there any possible way to force these programs to run on Windows 11 in the Parallels software?

Or am I screwed?

It was a really great thing to have Intel Macs that could run any software imaginable. Sigh.

Check these out

How to run Intel Windows apps on an M1 Mac

I tested a 2005 x86 version of Palm Desktop on an Arm version of Windows on an M1 Apple Silicon Mac. But seriously, folks: You can go ahead and enjoy running x86 Windows applications on your M1 Mac. Just be prepared for it to stop working at any time.

www.zdnet.com

Arm64EC for Windows 11 apps on Arm

Learn how Arm64EC empowers you to build and incrementally update apps that benefit from native performance on Arm devices, without interrupting your current x64 functionality.

learn.microsoft.com

 

[v0lume4]

I hope you figure out a way to run your software @TurboCoder2022. ARM is one of the reasons Apple lost me as a customer with their laptops.

Were you able to get your money back for that dead refurb? It lasted only 60 days?

 

[snak-atak]

Or go ahead and just use a dedicated windows machine which is what I do.

I do the same thing. Got a cheap Lenovo laptop which sits quietly in the corner of my home office. I RDP into it from my Mac Studio when I need to run a windows program. Granted I’m not playing games but it gets the job done and I don’t have to worry about compatibility or paying monthly/annually for virtualization software.

 

[bobcomer]

Is QEMU not an option for this software you need? Can’t say I’m familiar with it as I haven’t installed it on my machine but I have seen people use it for Intel Windows emulation.

It's extremely slow and not all that stable.

 

[ArkSingularity]

I do the same thing. Got a cheap Lenovo laptop which sits quietly in the corner of my home office. I RDP into it from my Mac Studio when I need to run a windows program. Granted I’m not playing games but it gets the job done and I don’t have to worry about compatibility or paying monthly/annually for virtualization software.

Same here. Bought a refurbished Thinkpad T490 for about $300 from Amazon, and it does everything I need to do.

How is the RDP performance in terms of networking latency and so forth? I've been considering doing something similar, but I'm on WiFI and don't know what to expect as far as general stability of the connection.

 

[snak-atak]

Same here. Bought a refurbished Thinkpad T490 for about $300 from Amazon, and it does everything I need to do.

How is the RDP performance in terms of networking latency and so forth? I've been considering doing something similar, but I'm on WiFI and don't know what to expect as far as general stability of the connection.

Ethernet is the way to go if your setup permits it. I will admit that wifi periodically drops, but not often which is why I have it plugged directly into my router. Sorry I don't have any numbers to measure network latency, but my experience has been pretty good with this setup.