Newbie question on configuration

Hi. Have just bought an iMac and going to install parallels 8 for mac. My configuration question is this - from reviewing material, apparently can configure the VM to either act "like a mac" or "act like a pc". Was thinking of doing "like a mac", in order to simplify the user interface look. Which of these 2 configurations is most performance efficient for the mac os? Or does it not make a difference?

Further, was reading that there's no performance hit on the imac host if the VM is not engaged. Assume that means before launching a windows based app (quicken). Is this true, or is there a inherent performance impact simply by having the VM software installed? Does configuring parallels to perform "like a mac" have any impact on this?

Hope this makes some sense. Really only planning on using quicken in the VM environment, so want to configure to have the least performance impact on the overall iMac.

Thanks

 

Hi msolomon8107,

Most of our users prefer "Like a Mac" integration, because it automatically enables all the cross-platform sharing and runs your Virtual Machine in Coherence. You can read more information here: http://kb.parallels.com/112146

If you plan to run some "light" apps on Windows like Quicken, there is not much difference from the performance prospective. You just may want to assign less RAM memory to your VM: see page 109 of the User Guide: http://www.parallels.com/fileadmin/...port/pd8fm/Parallels_Desktop_User_s_Guide.pdf

 

Which order to upgrade first - Lion or Parallels

Hi - another basic question - sorry

I run Snow Leopard with Parallels 6 and Windows XP

I want up upgrade to Mountain Lion and to the latest Parallels version

Which should I do first - and will my XP machine settings and data remain intact?

(sorry to piggy back this thread but for the life of me I cannot find the link to start a new thread on this forum!)

 

Hi Hustiniano,

I'd suggest to

1. Backup your VM http://kb.parallels.com/en/8829
2. Upgrade Parallels Desktop
3. Upgrade Mac OS X

Parallels Desktop VMs are not erased during the upgrade process but it is always good to have a backup