#MAC PARALLELS FOR WINDOWS 7 FOR MAC OS X#
#MAC PARALLELS FOR WINDOWS 7 MAC OS X#
#MAC PARALLELS FOR WINDOWS 7 INSTALL#
#MAC PARALLELS FOR WINDOWS 7 SERIAL#
#MAC PARALLELS FOR WINDOWS 7 UPGRADE#

When purchasing Windows within Parallels, you can choose between three versions: Home Premium ($199), Professional ($299), and Ultimate ($319). There should be a more obvious way to do it.

#MAC PARALLELS FOR WINDOWS 7 INSTALL#

If you want an operating system that doesnвЂ™t enjoy such explicit support in Parallels itself, you can still create a virtual machine for it yourself counterintuitively, you start with the Install Windows from DVD or Image File option, then use the installation file (.iso, typically) for whatever operating system you want to install. The virtual machine wizard makes it easy to install Windows and certain other operating systems, but hides ParallelsвЂ™ abilities to run many other types of operating systems. Parallels also makes it simple to install Chrome, Fedora, and Ubuntu operating systems: You can download ready-to-go versions of them from within Parallels, and they then auto-install themselves.

#MAC PARALLELS FOR WINDOWS 7 MAC OS X#

You can also install Mac OS X Lion (if your Mac is running Lion) from the wizard, import an existing virtual machine, and visit the Parallels Convenience Store, where you can buy a variety of operating systems and apps that run on them. It focuses on helping you install Windows from a variety of sources. Parallels presently requires one license per computer, so if you use both a desktop and laptop Mac, for instance, youвЂ™ll need to buy two copies of the program.ДЄfter activating, a new Parallels Wizard window appears.

#MAC PARALLELS FOR WINDOWS 7 SERIAL#

You must activate Parallels Desktop (by entering your serial number) the first time you run it.

You choose to install the application wherever you like it doesnвЂ™t have to live in your Applications folder. Parallels installs quickly and requires no real intervention from you it even checks for updated versions during the installation process. Among the latter, thereвЂ™s a simplified window for configuring virtual machines, support for LionвЂ™s full screen mode, Launchpad integration, an in-app store for purchasing Windows and other programs, the ability to use iSight (and other) webcams within Windows clients, improved virtual printing, and more. Since Macworld last reviewed Parallels Desktop 5, the program has acquired an updated interface along with a slew of performance improvements and new features.

#MAC PARALLELS FOR WINDOWS 7 UPGRADE#

What might entice you to upgrade to Version 7 is Parallels Desktop's new ability to create Mac OS X Lion VMs, with which you can run virtual Mac instances on your Mac, such as for beta testing or configuration testing.Parallels Desktop 7 is the latest release of ParallelsвЂ™ virtualization program, which allows users to run Windows, Linux, and now even OS X Lion directly within Mac OS X. These Parallels Desktop 7 enhancements are welcome, but I'm not sure they're worth the cost of a $50 upgrade ($80 for the full version) to most users - especially just a year after Desktop 6 was released. Plus, the iOS app works with both Parallels Desktop 6 and 7, so you don't need an upgrade to Parallels Desktop 7 to take advantage of it. Of course, virtual desktop clients for running Mac OS X on iOS are easy to find, and there are good free ones, so the main value of Parallels' enhanced iOS app is the unified virtual desktop. The previous Parallels app for iOS did that just for Windows VMs. The $20 Parallels iOS app from the Apple App Store lets you access both Mac OS X and Windows VMs, as well as the underlying Mac OS X, from an iPad or iPhone. Version 6 can run on Lion as well, but it does not support Lion's new gestures or Mission Control.

#MAC PARALLELS FOR WINDOWS 7 FOR MAC OS X#

Parallels 6 Parallels Desktop 7's other enhancements include support for Mac OS X Lion's full-screen mode and Mission Control interface, support for the AES-NI encryption standard for Windows VMs, and easier sharing of printers and the Mac's built-in camera. For most users, I don't think it justifies an upgrade. That's not bad, but keep in mind such synthetic benchmarks tend to overstate what you'd get in real-world performance.

Overall, PassMark showed Windows 7 running 9 percent faster in Parallels 7 versus Parallels 6. But note that Parallels Desktop does not support DirectX 10, so some video-oriented games and applications won't run. I did get a 44 percent boost for 3D graphics, so gamers and simulators should see a notable improvement. Although Parallels Desktop 7 promises to run graphics 45 percent faster than Version 6, I saw a mere 8 percent improvement in 2D rendering, based on the PassMark benchmarks. If Mac-on-Mac virtualization - the big new capability in Desktop 7 - is the most important next step, then Parallels should have taken a little more time to make it easier, especially for developers and IT users. And the new Parallels Desktop 7 shows just how hard that question is to answer. It's hard to imagine what more a Windows-on-Mac virtualization application might do given the software's undeniable maturity.

Mac parallels for windows 7