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Messages: What Members Are Asking On-Line

by CI Staff

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Windows Programs on Mac

I have an iMac that I would like to be able to use for occasional financial look-ups. MSN doesn’t like it and won’t let me see some of its graphs. I also use Morningstar’s Principia, also Mac unfriendly. Is there a program that is able to handle Windows programs on a Mac? Has anyone reported their experience with it? If so, I’d like to get in touch with them. I left a message on the CI message board Sept 12, but have seen no reply.

—G.M.
via E-mail

CI Editors respond: Connectix (800/950-5880, www.connectix.com) markets Virtual PC for Mac, which allows users to run Windows-based software and Internet tools on Macintosh systems. Virtual PC pricing depends on the version of Microsoft Windows that is included with the package. You can buy Virtual PC along with Windows 98 Second Edition, ME, 2000, and XP Home or Professional. You can also buy Virtual PC with PC-DOS alone if you already hold a license for a version of Windows or another operating system such as LINUX. Prices range from $129 for the PC-DOS version to $249 for the XP Professional and 2000 versions.

A number of our Stock Investor subscribers are using Virtual PC on Macs with no apparent problems. We do not foresee any problems with running Morningstar’s Principia on Virtual PC as long as the version of Windows you install meets the system requirements. The latest version of Virtual PC does have some hefty requirements, so make sure your iMac can run it.

The system requirements are presented here. You shouldn’t have any problems using Web sites that have integrated ActiveX controls, such as CNBC on MSN Money, as long as you are using an Internet browser within Windows. Also note that the Windows programs are going to run slower on Virtual PC because of the translation effort between the code destined for the Wintel (Windows software/Intel processor) and the Mac OS and its PowerPC processor.

System Requirements:

  • Mac OS 9 or later—Any native G3 or G4 Macintosh with a CD-ROM drive
  • Mac OS X version 10.1.5 or 10.2.1 (Jaguar) or later—Requires a minimum 500MHz native G3 or G4 Macintosh with a CD-ROM drive The following specs are required to run each guest operating system:
  • PC-DOS: 260MB disk space, 96MB RAM for OS 9, 160MB RAM for OS X
  • Windows 95: 1GB disk space, 96MB RAM for OS 9, 192MB RAM for OS X
  • Windows 98: 1GB disk space, 128MB RAM for OS 9, 192MB RAM for OS X
  • Windows Me: 1GB disk space, 160MB RAM for OS 9, 192MB RAM for OS X
  • Windows NT4: 1GB disk space, 128MB RAM for OS 9, 192MB RAM for OS X
  • Windows 2000 Pro: 2GB disk space, 192MB RAM for OS 9, 256MB RAM for OS X
  • Windows XP: 2GB disk space, 192MB RAM for OS 9, 256MB RAM for OS X

Managing Foreign Currencies

As a member of AAII for many years, I have read with interest each article on portfolio management tools—including the recent one regarding on-line portfolio management tools in your list of top investment Web sites (September 2002 AAII Journal).

I hold shares in multiple currencies, often in the same trading account, and have been looking unsuccessfully for a portfolio management system that can work with multiple currencies. I noticed that in all of your portfolio management tool reviews the idea of multiple currencies is never mentioned, despite the increasing importance of international diversification for risk management. Are there stand-alone or on-line tools that handle this?

—B.B.
via E-mail from Australia

CI Editors respond: You may wish to take a look at the Global Investor version of Captool (www.captools.com). Captools offers three versions of their top-rated portfolio management program—Individual Investor ($249), Global Investor ($499), and Professional Investor ($1,999 to $5,000). We typically review the Individual Investor version since it handles the securities, transactions, portfolios and reports that most of our members utilize.

The Captool Global Investor version builds upon the Individual Investor framework, allowing users to identify a currency for a given security and maintain portfolios with securities denominated in multiple currencies.

Some of the features in the Global Investor version include:

  • Support for international date & numeric formats
  • Multi-currency portfolio capability
  • Currency revaluation utility
  • User label and header customization



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