Parallels Questions

[bradbaxter]

Hi everyone... I've got some questions. I'm considering either running Parallels or BootCamp, or both, and have the following questions:

1) If you install Windows via Parallels can you also install it via Bootcamp?

2) If so, does that mean you'd really have to installations of it on your computer... or is there a way to run it in both (so as not to take up more space than needed)?

3) Can you install one copy both places -- or would you have to buy 2 copies?

4) Using Parallels can you use hardware such as iSight?

5) Do you have to partition the drive, as you do with BootCamp?

6) Does Parallels cause any kind of performance drag on OS X?

7) If you install Windows with Parallels, I'd assume that you would also install an anti-virus on the Windows?

[fryke]

1.) Yes. I'm assuming we're talking Windows XP here. You can install XP on BootCamp and on Parallels. Activating the first copy is no hassle at all, the second won't activate through the internet. You have to call Microsoft and tell them that one of the installations is for a virtual machine, and that because of that, the OS sees different hardware. But it's the _same_ computer.

2.) Yes, you'd have _two_ installations on the computer. But the Parallels one is small (choose auto-growing disk image). No, there's currently _no_ way of using one installation for both.

3.) Answered in 1.)

4.) No.

5.) No. Use an auto-growing disk image. Parallels will ask about it.

6.) Well: It uses both RAM and processor(s). In that way, it's simply a big, big application using CPU and RAM. So yes, _sure_ it'll cause performance drag of some sort. But if you don't need it, you simply suspend your virtual machine, and it'll not use RAM/CPU.

7.) Yes. There's free software like AntiVir etc. (google "free antivirus windows" and choose a good source).

[blindzero]

> Activating the first copy is no hassle at all, the second won't activate
> through the internet. You have to call Microsoft and tell them that one
> of the installations is for a virtual machine, and that because of that,
> the OS sees different hardware. But it's the _same_ computer.

You can activate both over the internet, its a question of how often you
have already activated your copy. For me it worked, but I've another
issue, regarding no. 2.

> 2.) Yes, you'd have _two_ installations on the computer. But the Parallels
> one is small (choose auto-growing disk image). No, there's currently
> _no_ way of using one installation for both.

Maybe a question of time: in the last version parallels can access directly to BootCamp partitions. Unfortunately its quite beta, so there are some matters, but I would follow the threads on forum.parallels.com, unfortunately I dont have the link anymore.
But with this I have another issue:
although I've separate windows hardware profiles, I have to activate this installation again and again and again, always when I switched the way to boot: from BootCamp to native or other way round.

> 6.) Well: It uses both RAM and processor(s). In that way, it's simply a
> big, big application using CPU and RAM. So yes, _sure_ it'll cause
> performance drag of some sort. But if you don't need it, you simply
> suspend your virtual machine, and it'll not use RAM/CPU.

Well, I think on my new MacBook Pro 2,33 GHz IntelCoreDuo I think windows in parallels is even faster than on my old WinTel machine 2 GHz PentiumM...

> 7.) Yes. There's free software like AntiVir etc. (google "free antivirus
> windows" and choose a good source).

As a free solution I would suggest AntiVir or now called Avira, too:
http://www.free-av.com/
But as its about security I like solutions like F-Secure Internet Security more, especially because of the performance issue of virus scanners. And well...40€ / year...I think thats quite ok.

Matthias

[ora]

Blindzero, some good info but the last reply to that thread was 6 months ago

To answer your question though, you can always find the latest beta at http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/beta_testing/

[blindzero]

Thanks, found it about 10 minutes after posting that ...
Lets see if the activation issue is really gone, found some posts that people still have problems with it, especially with M$ Office...

Matthias