I really want to Switch but...
 

I REALLY want to switch from Windows to a Mac but I have a problem. My daughter has Type I diabetes and her Insulin Pump and blood glucose meter must be hooked up to the computer to program them and read their data for record keeping. The program is a Windows only program from Medtronic Minimed. It's called ParadigmPAL 3.0. I called them (Minimed)and asked them if their product would work through Parallels or Boot Camp or Virtual PC and they were COMPLETELY clueless on what these were. In fact they had never heard of ANY Mac users utilizing their product(s). I cannot consider purchasing a Mac unless it can run this program and also run a web Java program on the Minimed web site that REQUIRES IE and only IE (no firefox or anything else) grrrrrrrrrrrr.

https://carelink.minimed.com/

Man this is frustrating. Am I stuck with a Windows box forever? I don't want to have two desktops in the house either. Is there anyway I can figure out if these proprietary programs will work under Parallels (preferred) or Boot Camp? My concern with Parallels stems from what I keep reading about USB problems. The Insulin pump and the blood glucose meter both hook up to the computer via a USB cable. I also have 15 years of DETAILED Quicken data that I've heard will not correctly translate to the Mac version of Quicken. I've heard that Quicken for Windows runs fine through Parallels so that is another reason for preferring Parallels to Boot camp but I'm a Mac novice and would like ANY comments about my considerations.

Thanks!

What is the name/model number of the pump and meter?

There is no reason the program wouldn't work using XP under BootCamp as they have full USB driver support. As for Parallels, they do support it but it needs to be better so there is no way to say without testing it out.



edit: Opps! I re-read your post. :-)

It probably would work with Parallels, and definitely should work with dual-boot because at that point the Mac is just another Windows machine.

I'd urge you to consider also just leaving the Windows machine in a corner somewhere and turn it on once a week or whenever you need it. With a program like VNC you don't need to have a KB/mouse/monitor on it.

Thanks for the help. The pump is a Minimed Paradigm 722.

cant you just have a really cheep pc for the program?

@ ThreeBKK

That makes a lot of sense. I guess I let my frustrations with windows get in the way of clear thinking. I'll take your advice.

Thanks

did you buy the mac?
 

Did you ever buy your Mac and if you did, did you try to run the ParadigmPAL software in Parallels?

We're in the same boat, except that we have some old iMacs we are thinking about upgrading. If ParadigmPAL works in Parallels, its a slam dunk. If I have to resort to bootcamp, less so, but still a possibility.

I'd much rather upgrade our iMac to the new ones than upgrade our old Dell that doesn't run the software.

Brian

If the diabetes equipment hooks up via USB, the current version of Parallels may prove to be frustrating, in my experience trying (and failing) to use it with USB devices. Parallels has a beta out of a newer version that is supposed to have much better support of USB devices. When that version gets out of beta, it may become a reasonable alternative.

CrossOver is another solution that doesn't even require a Windows license, but I don't know how well it works with USB devices.

Here is what I would do. (taken from bits and pieces above)

I would buy myself a nice Intel Mac and use it for all of my surfing, creative work, email etc. I would keep the PC (with a fresh OS install) under the desk for one task and one task only, to program the ParadigmPAL. I would not even have it plugged into the internet. Remember, when disconnected from the internet, Windows actually works quite well.

I would then get used to using the Mac interface and learn all I could, and enjoy all the fun that is Mac. Being cross platform is a good thing, it also provides you an intelligent council to other possible switchers.

Note: All this may be moot when Leopard is released in a few months. It could be that BootCamp may not need a reboot. Not sure. There is also the fact that Parallels has been a BIG hit, and they are constantly improving it. If it is found that it does NOT work for whatever reason, let them know so they will adjust the program for change and upgrade.

I am also frustrated by the myopic, Windows-centric approach to medical community. I went to the blood bank one time, and they were still using DOS on amber monitors!!! Ahhh! And these people are taking my precious B-positive?

So that is what I would do. It may just be a temporary solution, it all depends on the factors above. I still keep a PC out in the garage for that occasional education game my kids want to play. It's amazing how stable it is when it is not the ONLY computer, and it is not used for Web or email.

I don't think CrossOver will work for me. The software installs a USB driver on the PC and last time I checked, CrossOver doesn't support those.

I also read that Parallels had troubles with USB ports and that they've done a few things in the latest release to support more devices. I believe that the driver/usb devices is primarily a serial port masquerading as a USB device. One of the issues Parallels has had were for those devices that OSX recognized. That likely won't be the case here.

The funny thing is that the Minimed developers went through the pain to create a Java application that should have worked on a Mac or anywhere else for that matter. The primary incompatibility is the driver that communicates with the device.

All I need is one person to tell me they think it will work. That's all I need to get past the spouse. :D

Our problem isn't that we aren't familiar with a Mac - we have 2 (both PowerPC based). We also have some old PCs laying around "just in case". Problem is, the "just in case" PC doesn't run this software for some reason.

So the delimma - buy an Intel Mac as an upgrade and run parallels (bootcamp would confuse the spouse too much - "why do I have to reboot?" she would ask) or buy a dirt cheap PC and only turn it on once or twice a month to work with the pump & meter.

As you can see, this is a great excuse to upgrade the mac :D

And yes, the medical industry doesn't get software. I mean, why go through the trouble to write an application in Java and then not let it run anywere but on a PeeCee?

I ran into the same frustration with a Home Schooling program. Windows IE ONLY! Don't have a PC? They will provide one. What!? "I don't like SPAM!" (ala Monty Python sketch). I was so mad at this, I actually offended them. I told them their coders were lazy because they would only test on PCs and one browser. We finally quit that group.

Try reinstalling Windows XP from scratch. Make sure your USB slots are working correctly. Now reinstall the ParadigmPAL 3.0 software. I am pretty sure this will kick start your PC to work again. Once you confirm that the PC will do the job, there should be no problem convincing the spouse where the upgrade funds should go.

Ah, the reinstall Windows trick. Only I'd have to reinstall Windows-98SE. This is an old PC - 266 mhz Pentium 192MB of ram. Hardly XP worthy :-) Getting pretty much anything working on Win98 can be a trick these days. Just ask our schools IT person - they can't handle most of the new USB flash drives these days since most no longer provide Win98 drivers. And it's also running on a reasonably new install of Win98 - not much was added after the last reinstall.

Oh the shame of it all. If all my high tech friends knew I was still running Windows 98 ...

An almost 10-year old OS. Ugh. That's 100 human years. ;)

With the release of Vista, there is going to be quite a bit of XP machines going for dirt cheap. How about this? Get a cheap, used XP box, and use a KVM switch between it and an Intel Mac Mini? That way you will share the same keyboard, mouse and monitor, and just choose which box you wish to use.

http://www.welovemacs.com/2630flmm.html

Imagine THIS (out of the box thinking here)... Buy two Mac Minis, stacked on the switch above. One is booted to Mac, the other to BootCamp. (heh heh). But really, I would do what I can with a funky PC until Leopard comes out. It may be that BootCamp would not require a restart. There seems to be hints of that in the air.

I've heard that too. I've also heard rumors that Apple will include "Classic Emulation" in Leopard. Of course, on the Intel Macs, "Classic" means Windows :-).

MiniMed and Paradigm Link
 

I have been successfully using Paradgim link under Boot Camp w/ XP. No joy yet with Parallels, but i think I am close. Seems OSX and Parallels are fighting over the USB driver.

Cheers,
Whit

Keep the folks at Parallels informed of your needs and difficulties. Parallels is still in the growing pains stage, and I am sure they want a final product that will stand on its own. Especially with not knowing what Leopard will offer in a few months.

Any new ideas on how to make the Carelink Web data upload from my Medtronic insulin pump through the BD Paradign Link? I'm using my new Macintel Macbook Pro with Parallels and Windows XP and the very latest version of Internet Explorer.

I had that sinking feeling it wasn't going to work when it went to download the Serial Port package file driver. :(

Thanks!

I heard that Parallels have improved USB support in their latest releases. I haven't had any USB-related problems with Parallels ever - everything works natively

Deuterium, bjv_austin, any updates? Anyone try Parallels 3?

I'd either: (in the same order, in case of emerrgency, i wouldn't sell the PC until i had a solution)
A) buy a old PC and set it up for the pump, then sell the PC and buy a Mac
B) Buy a Mac, set up foolproof dual-boot windows and make sure the whole family knows how to use it, and that the dual-boot software is reliably set up so that it won't fail when needed, then sell the PC.

I wouldn't be comfortable with option B) as if the dual-boot fails then that's a big problem. Personally, i'd do both, dual-boot the Mac and use it for the pump the majority of the time, but get a old PC as a backup for the pump incase the Dual-boot on the Mac fails, plus, if either of the two fails (which windows does sometimes) you just use the other.

What are the minimum specs for the pump?, so i know what the old PC has to be capable of. (though i wouldn't want something that would die on you after a few weeks/months, get a PC that has a few years left to go, so it doesn't die on you)

Good strategy, Wee_Guy. Always consider the worst-case scenario and be prepared for it. The price you get for an old PC is not worth the peace of mind knowing its there in case.

Well... I suppose you'd have to buy a old laptop instead to do what i said earlier. ;)

For a while, I ran XP on a similar 266 MHz Pentium setup. It worked much more reliably than Win98, though much slower.

-jc

I upgraded to Parallels 3 yesterday and tried the same set up with no go. I'm worried that what the VM did in XP by downloading that Serial Port package driver messed me up for good. :(