We installed RealPC on a variety of PowerPC-based Macs to see how well-suited different models were. This is an improvement over SoftWindows' confusing, multiple-window interface. Insignia has also simplified the Preferences dialog: You can set all preferences from a single dialog, much as you can with VirtualPC. Although RealPC only includes MS-DOS, the documentation does a very good job explaining how to install and use Windows 3.x or Windows 95. If you plan to add additional software such as Windows, you should create a volume of at least 200 Mbytes.

As with other emulation packages, you must specify the size of the virtual volume you want created.

If you plan to run Windows or Windows 95 with RealPC, Insignia recommends at least 24 Mbytes of RAM and 200 Mbytes of available disk space. You can install Windows 3.x or Windows 95, but these licenses must be purchased separately. RealPC will run on any PowerPC-based computer running System 7.1.2 or later it also needs at least 16 Mbytes of RAM and 40 Mbytes of disk space. (Connectix recently shipped Virtual PC for PC DOS is aimed at the same market.) Its environment includes only MS-DOS 6.22 and a CD-ROM filled with some popular shareware DOS game titles. RealPC caters primarily to those who want to run DOS applications or games on their Macs. RealPC, with an $80 street price, is just over half the cost of Connectix Corp.'s VirtualPC, released earlier this year (see 06.23.97, ). Its newest product, RealPC, is a tweaked and slimmed-down version of the Pentium emulation software that provides a foundation for its $200 (street price) SoftWindows product. Power Mac users faced with the uncanny pursuit of ways to run DOS or Windows applications have a new option thanks to Insignia Solutions Inc., the company that first brought Intel emulation to the Mac.

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