I want to purchase a Mac Mini but will it work with my all in one desktop 'Acer Aspire Z3751'. It already has windows but it is possible to run both off them? It has the ports to import another pc, but will it work with the new mac mini?
Mac mini
I would like to use a Mac Mini with my Acer all in one computer, obviously the Mac Mini would need a display screen in order for it to work, so I am wondering if I could use my all in one desktop as a screen for a Mac Mini?
FWIW, Apple software - especially the OS- can only be run on Mac hardware, so since your other computer is a just that - a computer rather than just a display - you won't be able to run the Mac OS using the Acer.
Not being familiar with your Acer model, I had to look it up. It doesn't appear to function as a pure display, as Babowa mentioned. (A few all-in-ones have been able to perform that trick, including some former models of iMac.)
There are a number of software systems that allow one computer to connect across a network and control another. There are free ones, cheap ones, and heavy-duty expensive ones. How well they work depends on a number of factors, including the speed of your network, the speeds of the computers involved, the software used, and how well you tune it.
Even with such remote control software, you may occasionally need to use a physical screen to set up and change the Mac Mini. If you are buying a recent model Mini and your TV is also failry recent, you may be able to use the TV when you need a physical screen; that could be as simple as connecting the two with an HDMI cable.
As I said previously, you cannot run Mac OS on anything but Mac ("Apple branded") hardware; your Acer isn't just a display, it is a computer and won't be able to run on Mac OS. This aside from the fact that you would be in serious violation of the OS license you agreed to when you purchased it.
So, you will need to purchase a display unfortunately. Just out of curiosity, were you aware of the fact that the Mini does not come with a display, keyboard, or mouse?
As long as it's a computer (other than an Apple branded one), you can't run Mac OS on it. The software licensing agreement is quite specific. You can do file sharing, etc. - but that is not running the computer (the OS) from another.
Please explain what you mean by "work with" and "import another PC" so we can understand your expectations. Do you want to share files, use one computer as a screen for the other, or something else?
Will a Mac Mini work with an Acer Aspire Z3751 (all in one windows desktop)?
