HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.... IM A NEW PARALLELS CUSTOMER WHO HAS PARALLELS RUNNING ON MY IMAC. BUT I STILL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT PARALLELS AND I HOPE SOMEONE CAN HELP ME. 1-how do i download updates for parallels without losing my current data or have to run windows xp again? 2-can i use usb devices with parallels, if yes how? 3-how do i share files between my mac and parallels so i can use them when im using windows xp. 4-can i run cd's to run my windows applications? i thank anyone in advance with there help on this matter.
Hi drewha167, welcome to Parallels. Make sure you read all of the included documentation, plus you will find the FAQ on the website very helpful. Specifically, you will find answers to your first qestion, your second question, and your fourth question in the FAQ The answer to your third question is a little more complicated, because there are multiple methods, but these can be found in the pdf documentation that accompanies the program, do a text search if you can't find what you are looking for in the index. Also, the archives of these forums contain a lot of information. To search the forums, use the "Search" link along the lower strip of links on this page, between "Calendar" and "New Posts" (there is another search field somewhere, but it is just to search the Parallels website, not the forums) Have fun!
FWIW, here are my experiences: Just run the installer for the new version. It doesn't do anything to your existing VMs. It's best to shut the VMs down, not suspend them, before an update, as they often fail to resume and so have to go through a recovery reboot in the new version. Dunno. I have never felt the need. I use shared folders and/or mapped network drives. You can also just drag and drop files between XP and OS X if you are running beta 3. Yes. Just click the CD icon at the bottom of the VM window to connect the default CD drive to the VM.
