12 Jul 11

In this screencast, I show you how to install and run the ARE Practice Exam software on your Mac in under 20 minutes. No extra software to buy. No old copies of Windows to dig up. No need to run Windows at all.

The ARE practice software only works on 32 bit versions of Windows Vista or earlier. NCARB has not updated the software in years, and seems to show no interest on helping people practice on modern computers. But you don't have a PC, or your PC is too new to run the old versions of Windows. What to do?

Run it on your Mac!

There's a few ways of running the software on your Mac

1. Bootcamp - Lets you reboot your computer between your Windows and Mac desktops. Requires a legitimate copy of Windows XP or Vista which are no longer available for sale.
2. Parallels - Lets you run a Windows and Mac desktop simultatenously. $70 and requires a legitimate copy of Windows XP or Vista which are no longer available for sale.
3. A completely free solution using Wine. This screencast shows you how.

In this screencast I show you how to install XCode, X11 and WineBottler, and then how to package up the ARE Practice exam software so it will run on your Mac.

What you need:

• An Intel Mac (sorry G5 users, you're out of luck)
• XCode and X11 - Available on your Mac System Install DVD
• Winebottler
• ARE Vignette Practice Software

Follow the screencast and soon you too can practice for your exams!