Can I install Parallels 9 while still being able to use Parallels 7 on same Mac?

I want to try Parallels 9 to see how well it works. I already have Parallels 7 installed and running fine on the same Mac.

Will running Parallels 9 screw up my Parallel 7 install in any way?

I do not want Parallels 9 to do anything to my Parallels 7 virtual machines, etc. I was going to create a new one with Parallels 9 to test it. Can I have both on my Mac without destroying Parallels 7?

 

Can someone please answer this?

Should I not bother to test the Parallels 9 demo and perhaps buy it and just stick with Parallels 7 instead?

 

Your Parallels Tools in the VM will update to PD9 if you demo it. If you still have the PD7 installer, you should be able to go back to it. Just manually uninstall the Parallels Tools from PD9 before reinstalling PD7.

Steve

 

Thank you for your reply. I was planning on using a new, test VM duplicate copy just for PD9, so that's not the issue.

Installing the PD9 demo will overwrite PD7, yes? I other words, there's no way for me to keep PD7 untouched on the machine while also having PD9 on the machine at the same time?

Is there a way to move or rename PD7 and its support files and put them back when I'm done testing the PD9 demo? Or is the only answer to have to reinstall PD7 all over again when I'm done?

 

No, there's no way. There are other files of PDM7 set elsewhere that need to be removed for PDM9 to function correctly. The easiest way is to remove PDM9 and reinstall PDM7 afterwards.

 

What and where are those files? I'd much rather copy/move them somewhere, then put them back after testing PD9 than have to reinstall PD7 again. Especially if I want to jump back and forth while testing PD9. I have work to do with PD7 while I'm testing PD9 and can't interrupt it. I'm just going to run Windows 8.1 and Mavericks on PD9 and those VM will be completely separate from my PD7 VMs I use.

Speaking of which, will it be possible to run Windows 8.1 with PD7?

 

The easiest way to copy and move back is by reinstalling! Why making it harder on yourself?
It's not impossible to find and rename the files, but the amount of work is not worth it, is just simpler, a less waste of time, and foolproof, to uninstall/install.

The truth is that PDM does not support multiple versions of itself running on the same machine.

If it appeases you more, imagine the uninstall procedure as moving the files to a *safe* place, and installing as moving the files back from that *safe* place.

Windows 8.1 is not currently supported on PD7.

 

How many files can there be, really? I can automate moving the files with Automator and/or Applescript each time. I just need to know their locations.

Running an Applescript to move some files is tremendously faster than uninstalling PD9 and reinstalling PD7 every time I have work to do with PD7 while testing PD9. There's also apps I can use that will monitor the install and move all the support files as well that would be extremely faster.

Is there a list somewhere of all the files PD7 installs? I guess I could use fseventer to monitor which files get installed by PD7, but that would be a cumbersome task when the alternative is someone at Parrellels just giving me the list. I mean, it can't be that many files/folders.

 

that's what the installers and uninstallers do, scripts that automate those very same procedure and you run the risk of missing some file or messing up file permissions somewhere.

I'm sure there's a knowledge base article about how to manually remove PDM7 just search for it.

 

I figured it out myself by moving support folders and files with applescript after using fseventer to monitor a PD7 reinstall. I now have PD7 and PD9 installed on the same machine. I just had to rename PD7 in my Applications folder after moving its support files so PD9 didn't overwrite it. Using my applescript I can now launch either app after it automatically moves the support files in and out of place depending on which version I run.

This is vastly faster than uninstalling and reinstalling the apps each and every time which is absolutely impractical and horribly time consuming. I have had zero issues with my method, both work fine and no permissions issues as you warned may happen by merely moving the folders and files in and out of place.

 

if anyone else ever wants advice on how I did this, please send me a message

 

Hi everyone, let me jump in. I had to edit/remove several posts in this thread as the conversation went in a wrong direction.
We really love to see "hot" topics and debates between the forum members, but please, be more polite to each other.

P.S. All the technical discussion related posts are still here.

As for the initial subject - Parallels does not offer a way to keep two different versions of Parallels Desktop installed on one Mac. As it was mentioned above, this is pretty risky to do that with third-party tools and I would personally recommend to partition Mac hard drive, install two copied of Mac OS X and two copies of Parallels Desktop. Yes, you will need to reboot, but this is a safe way to go.