Parallels or VM Fusion

For a while at least I will need to run windows XP on my new imac.

Parallels and Fusion cost about the same which do you thisk is best?

My apologies if this question has been dealt with before, if so could someone point me to the threads?

Many thanks

VM Ware fusion much better

Zachary Quack said:

For a while at least I will need to run windows XP on my new imac.

Parallels and Fusion cost about the same which do you thisk is best?

My apologies if this question has been dealt with before, if so could someone point me to the threads? Many thanks

Click to expand...

Use the search function provided by the forum. Very handy.

But to answer your question - Both Parallels and Fusion offer trial versions for download. I suggest you try them both and choose the one that best suits you.

Regards.

Virtual Box may be another option and it is free. I am running 64 bit Ubuntu on my Macbook via Virtual Box.

merlin said:

Virtual Box may be another option and it is free. I am running 64 bit Ubuntu on my Macbook via Virtual Box.

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Much like I have suggested in other threads, VirtualBox is great. It's free and if you're not looking to do anything fancy, it more than gets the job done.

Hi,
i installed VMWare Fusion 2 (and Windows Vista Home basic) Trial Version, and it runs very smooth...
But i have one question, before i buy Full Version: has anyone compared Fusion and VirtualBox? I saw some screenshots and it seems ok. But how stabile ist VirtualBox, how fast? And can i use use Drag and Drop option for documents sharing?

Parallels or VM Fusion?

For a while I will be needing to run XP and would rather have it on the desktop rather than having to reboot each time.

The choice seems to be between Parallels and VM fusion. They seem to be exactly the same price, which one should I go for?

Also, when I don't need it anymore will it be easy to remove?

First off, this question has been answered thoroughly so if you want a lot of opinion on this, do a quick search.

The consensus seems to be Fusion. If you're only going to be running it for a while and don't need some of the fancier features of either Fusion or Parallels, try VirtualBox (it's free).

I use VirtualBox because I'm cheap. That said, it runs really well and has never crashed on me. It doesn't do drag and drop but setting up a shared folder within VirtualBox is easy. A bit more cumbersome but it gets the job done in terms of transferring files.

vansmith said:

I use VirtualBox because I'm cheap. That said, it runs really well and has never crashed on me. It doesn't do drag and drop but setting up a shared folder within VirtualBox is easy. A bit more cumbersome but it gets the job done in terms of transferring files.

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Please help me--- i don´t know how to set sharing folders for vista and mac os. I just activated USB Stick (i wanted to use it as sharing option) but now MacOs does not recognize USB stick.
Otherwise i am very pleasent surprised with virtualbox-it works smooth and faster as VMWare...

Both Parallels and Fusion offer free trial downloads which can be used for 30 days. I suggest you try each one and choose the one which works best for you. Also, as has been suggested by vansmith, there is "VirtualBox" a free virtual client. You can download VirtualBox from here. Be sure to also download the user manual for VB.

Regards.

chscag said:

Be sure to also download the user manual for VB.

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Absolutely. If you're new to VirtualBox, there are a few things you are going to want to keep in mind. Make sure to install the guest additions after you install Windows. Proper full screen resolution and mouse pointer integration are worth it.

NOTE: Merged crossposts

Select the VM in the list and choose Settings. Go to Shared Folders and click the Add button (the blue folder with the green plus sign).

Select the folder on your Mac that you want to access to in your VM for "Folder Path" and give it a meaningful name under "Folder Name".

Once Windows has booted, go to run and type "\\vboxsvr\<share name>" (without quotes). Replace <share name> with the name you used for "Folder Name".

Enjoy!

Why not use Bootcamp? With the other programs, your running 2 OS's at the same time, therefore.. slowing down your Ram and CPU. Bootcamp ftw

BSchorr said:

Why not use Bootcamp? With the other programs, your running 2 OS's at the same time, therefore.. slowing down your Ram and CPU. Bootcamp ftw

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He mentioned earlier that he doesn't want to reboot.

I virtualize some OSes and as long as you have sufficient RAM, it's not that bad.

True that, I was at the Mac store the other day, it ran ok

vansmith said:

First off, this question has been answered thoroughly so if you want a lot of opinion on this, do a quick search.

The consensus seems to be Fusion. If you're only going to be running it for a while and don't need some of the fancier features of either Fusion or Parallels, try VirtualBox (it's free).

Click to expand...

There IS a lot of information out there but some of it is dated and it still doesn't seem that clear cut to me, especially given the recent article on speed.

To summarize what I've read, it seems parallels seems to get better marks on speed from this article and some customers. However, parallels has a history of problems with stability and support. however, it isn't clear to me if this is still true with version 4.0 of parallels.

also fusion seems to get the nod on business type situations. but actually most posts just say "choose fusion", and talk more about negatives of parallels (or actually the history of negatives) rather than what makes fusion so great.

what I really haven't seen is a comparison of features that one can do over the other... if there is any real difference.

personally, i was about to pull the trigger on parallels after that article on speed and finding it cheap on amazon, but having second thoughts. any updated info out there would be greatly appreciated.

Fusion Won't Print

I have tried both of the programs this last couple of weeks. I need to run Lotus Notes and a proprietary program from my employer. Apparently, a security update in February to Leopard has broken the sharing printer function in Fusion. I have tried all of the work arounds and can't get windows xp/fusion to see the printer. I tried with Parallels and it works. I would prefer Fusion because of the reviews, but obviously I need to be able to print.

I spoke with VMWare and they are prioritizing the problem but do not have an estimate of when they will be ready.

I am probably going to purchase Parallels for this reason.

vansmith said:

Absolutely. If you're new to VirtualBox, there are a few things you are going to want to keep in mind. Make sure to install the guest additions after you install Windows. Proper full screen resolution and mouse pointer integration are worth it.

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And Seamless Mode.