For the SID: StatCrew on a Surface Pro 3

Looking to get StatCrew to work on a 64-bit operating system, like a new Surface Pro 3 like myself?

One of the things I was most worried about when I was taking the job to be the new Sports Information Director at Western Washington University, was how to be efficient with everything I do. This is the backbone of how I operate. Keep things simple, work smart and try not to complicate things.

I am a One Device guy…pretty much a spokesperson for the Surface product. I want to be able to do my job in any environment, any place, at any time. To do this you need to have good technology. To my surprise, well, not really, I found that StatCrew software has not really changed since I left Arizona State in 2005. Yes, I know they have a NextGen product rolling out, but for the most part, you need to run the legacy software. To do this you need a 32-bit system running Windows 7. Now go try to find a new machine that allows you to run Photoshop, InDesign, Microsoft Office…and still run the stat software. Give up looking yet?

So with the help of my Father-in-law, Brother-in-law and IT friend Oliver Roy, I took the information I found on StatCrew.com (which really didn’t do much to ease my mind) and found the perfect way to run StatCrew software on a new machine. SIDs have it hard enough with website updating, coaches asking for all kinds of things and this little thing called “media relations” that asking us to carry several pieces of computer equipment around is not efficient, or practical for that matter.

So here is my workaround and it has been flawless so far:

• Download VMware Workstation from the following link.
• With the help of your IT staff, or on your own, purchase a license for Windows 7 Pro (32-bit).
• After installing VMware Workstation on your laptop/Surface, you’ll need to connect an external DVD drive or have an .iso file created to install on your device.
• What you are essentially doing is creating a separate operating system, on your operating system. VMware Workstation walks you through the process, assigning RAM and hard drive space to this new operating system. It is pretty slick.
• From there, after the Windows 7 32-bit is installed on your CPU, you can access it as a program, and start installing your StatCrew programs (I still can’t believe you can’t enter national rankings for basketball teams in the software).

Everything should operate within VMware just like you are looking at a different computer, and so far I’ve been able to cut-and-paste between operating systems (for printing purposes). The software shares the internet connection flawlessly, and I am able to use my Bluetooth mouse without any issues. It is really pretty awesome. A good workaround to a situation we have all been scratching our heads about.

If you have any questions, you can email me at Jeff.Evans[at]wwu.edu.

This is the definition of @SIDProblems!

Here is a screenshot of how the program looks on my Surface: