I just got my new Mac and I need to install ACT!

/in , /by

You opened the matte-finished, white apple box to see that beautiful aluminum laptop with the glassy glowing apple logo.  Congratulations, you have your first Mac.  Isn’t it pretty?  If you are coming from the world of Windows there is a quick learning curve, but it’s well worth the effort.  We get a lot of calls asking, “Now that I have my Mac setup, how do I get ACT! on it?”  Short answer is you can’t, well… sort of.

No version of ACT! will run natively on the Mac, but there are a few options that allow you to run an “instance” of Windows.  This also lets you run some of your more familiar applications like Microsoft Office, QuickBooks and ACT!.  Internally, we have the most experience with a product called VMWare Fusion.  Essentially it allows you to install Windows on your Mac and run it like it’s just another Mac application.   I have seen the price of VMWare Fusion as low as $59 and as high as $99.  So, if look out there you should be able to find a pretty good deal.

Once you have the software, you have to create a “Virtual Machine” or VM.  The VM is just a term that is used to describe the Windows instance.  It sounds all technical, but it is really pretty simple.  You have to own a copy of Windows to be able to install on the VM.  The first step is choosing which version of Window you need.  We have had the most success with Windows 7 Professional.  It can be either 32bit or 64bit, if that’s an option for you.  Your new Mac will support 64bit, and it’s a little faster, so that’s probably your best choice.

I can’t go into all of the details of the installation of Windows in this post, plus VMWare has some pretty rockin’ tech support on their website.  If you run into issues they are there to help.

Once you have Windows up and running, all you have to do is follow the ACT! installation instructions that the TrilogyCRM Support Team sent you.  If you need them again, just email support@trilogycrm.com and they will send you a PDF that you can follow.

The great thing about having a Mac and being an ACT! user is that you can run everything you need from the same machine.   I can have my graphic applications on the Mac side, and all of my business tools on the Windows side.  That’s actually exactly how my beautiful aluminum Mac laptop is setup right now.