Parallels question

If i want to Run a Windows application using parallels do i have to first wait and boot up OSX, Then Boot up Windows within Parallels? It seems like a bit of a lengthy process just to use one windows based application.

Can the windows sleep/hibernate function be used within parallels to speed up this process?


When running a macbook off the battery, does using parallels considerably shorten the battery usage.

When running windows within paralles is there a need to use firewall/antivirus software within windows?

Is it possible to install both Windows and Linux (such as ubuntu) In parallels so i can choose which one i wish to run within the application?

All my previous experiences with Virtual Machines are very bad and laggy but i have heard that Parallels is much better

For starters, when running Windows on a Mac, it's exactly as though you were running Windows on any other computer. So be sure to take the same precautions to secure Windows, as it is still just as susceptible to popups/spyware/viruses.

If your computer is off and you only want to boot up the computer to run a single Windows program and then shut down the computer again, you should take a look at Boot Camp. With Boot Camp, you can boot straight into Windows just like you would with any other computer. Once you're done, you can either shut down or reboot into OS X. The great thing about this is that you only have to maintain a single installation of Windows as you can virtualize the Boot Camp partition with Parallels.

As for your battery question, I haven't noticed any significant decrease in battery unless I'm doing many things at once. Once Windows is idling within Parallels, CPU usage is rather minimal, so there's no constant big drain on the battery.

You can essentially install any operating system in Parallels and as many as you can fit on your hard drive. Just make a new virtual machine each time you want to install a new OS, which you can select from the file menu.

Windows runs pretty much at full speed within Parallels since it's running on x86 hardware. So unlike VirtualPC, it's actually usable.

It depends on what you consider a lengthy process. If you are already booted up in OS X you simply click on the Parallels icon and it will boot up into windows, just about like loading any other large program.

If your computer is not on at all and you want to run a windows program, then yes it might be a bit longer, than booting into windows with bootcamp, don't really know as i have never used bootcamp.

Keeping in mind however if you want to run a windows program and then come back into OS X, Parallels would be much faster as when you close your Parallels windows you are automaticly back in OS X and ready to go. You can also keep a windows window going along with OS X and switch back and forth between them.

With Bootcamp it is either one or the other with reboots required between.

Depending on your machines hardware, windows runs just as good as it will on a "windows machine". I have a Mac Pro with 4 gig of ram and windows programs actually run faster on my Mac than they do on my pc cause the pc only has 1 gig of ram... Version 3.0 of Parallels is way far better than the old virtual machines used to be, again depending on your hardware. If you only have 512 ram and a crummie video card, then no it will be a dog, but if you have good horse power then it will match and possibly beat a pc just fine.

tobywuk said:

Can the windows sleep/hibernate function be used within parallels to speed up this process? Yes


When running a macbook off the battery, does using parallels considerably shorten the battery usage. Depends what you're doing in windows, but yes it knocks a few minutes off.

When running windows within paralles is there a need to use firewall/antivirus software within windows? Yes, you should enable the windows firewall and run an anti-virus.

Is it possible to install both Windows and Linux (such as ubuntu) In parallels so i can choose which one i wish to run within the application? Yes, or you can run both at the same time, RAM permitting.

All my previous experiences with Virtual Machines are very bad and laggy but i have heard that Parallels is much better It's as quick as it would be on a native machine virtually.

Click to expand...

See above