Hi, I have recently bought a new iMAC with Intel Core i5. I'd like to get a Parallels license in order to run windows and some programs for windows such as Office2007 and Autocad2009. I was oriented on Windows XP professional, with which I'm familiar and of which I have already a license. But I don't know if is better to install on the VM a windows 32 or 64 bit. Could anyone help? Thanks
Either 32 or 64 bit will work. A VM can have up to 8 GB of RAM so 64 bit will be useful that way. 32 bit might be more compatible. If you want XP then I would go with 32 bit.
ok, thank you Joe. I take advantage to some other question: say that I install a VM with XP, and I have to configure it. I had a look to the config window: what does it mean the choice of the number of processors? And how do I choose how much memory of my the 4 GB which I have on the mac, I should assign to the VM? But, most important, if I install the VM and assign a certain memory, will this affect the resources of the primary OS when the VM is not launched??? Thanks
A virtual machine can have multiple CPU's like a real PC. If your Mac has 4 cores then assign 2 cores to the virtual machine. 4 will work also. Try it out and see how the guest and host OS's perform. If your Mac has 4 GB, then assign something less than that to the virtual machine, maybe 2 GB. The configuration screen has a recommended range. Parallels Desktop uses a virtual memory mapped file but using too much will slow down the host OS. The host OS is not affected when the virtual machine is not running.
Hi, I have now successfully installed the trial version of parallels and on it I created my first Windos XP VM. It looks good! I don't manage anyway to configure the VM which I have created, nether in terms of memory allocated and folders shared with MAC OS. Also, I would like to know if it is recommende to install on the VM windows an antivirus, or if the machine is protected by mac. Thank you!
Configure the virtual machine by going to the Virtual Machine menu and selecting Configure. Memory is configured in the General tab. Shared folders are configured in the Options tab. Press the (?) button to get more info on the configuration options. The virtual machine is not protected by Mac. If you're going to do a lot of web surfing in Windows and installing third party software, then you should get an antivirus for Windows.
Hi Joe, I have managed now to config. the VM. I also installed a COMODO free internet protection, which works both as antivirus and firewall. Now it seems working fine, thanks a lot for your advise which all prove being valuable! Now I'm running a trial mode, but I'll need an activation key. from the website shop: Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac, EN electronic 69.99EUR Extended Download Service 1 6.99EUR Do you know what the second items is for? Is there anyway to get the activation key t a discounted cost? Cheers S.
Extended download service is for letting you download it at a later time in case you loose the installer on your computer. Don't bother with it (press the x to remove it) and just make sure you back up the installer somewhere safe. http://kb.parallels.com/en/5070 You can get a discount if you have a promotional code (google for parallels promo code), if you're buying the CD from Amazon (you'll probably need to pay shipping and handling, etc), if you're upgrading from an older version of Parallels, if you're switching from VM Ware Fusion, or if you're buying 10 copies.
