Boot Camp Vs Parallels

I purchased Windows 7 home edition in order to run a few Windows based programs i frequently use that aren't on the Mac. Is Parallels a better option than using BootCamp? I've already tried running it through BootCamp and just would like to know of any advantages.

With boot camp you have to reboot the computer to get into windows. With Parallels you do not have to reboot the computer. You can use both systems interchangeable. (In a way.) Parallels has several modes Coherence and Modality that are pretty slick. You can also move data between the two systems. That's really nice. Many people use the CCC program Carbon Clone program as well. If your not a gamer than Boot camp in my opinion is not needed and frankly from my view is more complex. I think the Virtual Machine (VM) programs are much better for occasional access to Windows. I use Parallels and it works just great. More memory is better with the VM programs. You can actually allocate memory to the program depending on how responsive you want it to be. I have 8 GB memory but only allocate 1.5 GB to windows and for what I do it works just great.

Hope that helps.

Regards,

Pat

I appreciate the info. It sound like i'll be purchasing parallels. I'm not really a fan of having to reboot to use Windows when needed. I've tried using Crossover, but it was a little glitchy. Whats the difference between Modality and Coherence mode? Just curious.

Coherence allows you to use your windows programs from within the Mac OS. It's very handy. I rarely use Modality so I want to be careful here. In fact why don't you visit the Parallels web site? They have the full details on the website. I'm actually out of my office now and only have an IPhone available. LOL it's hard to type. That would be my suggestion. I don't think u will go wrong with it especially if your like me and don't use Windows that often. Good Luck. Let me know how it works out for you.

Regards,

Pat

Bootcamp is faster - especially if you don't have much ram, but Parallels is SO convenient.

Before you make your purchase, I would strongly recommend checking out VMWare Fusion. VMWare is the forerunner in the virtualization market and has the most stable and mature products. Parallels is often more progressive with new features, but that often comes at the expense of stability. Also, if you're planning on running any flavor of Linux in a VM, Fusion is much stronger in that regard.

Do note that 3D acceleration support in any VM product is weak at best. So, if you intend to play games that require strong 3D capabilities, you'll likely be disappointed with either product.

Another one to check out to see if you like the virtualization concept is Sun's (free) VirtualBox, which is also well-regarded.

Finally - I'd strongly recommend reading this article which explains a lot about the pros and cons of all the different ways to run Windows software:

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/ru...4239-running-windows-mac-switchers-guide.html

Thanks. I went to the VMWare Fusion site and it was a only a 30 day trial available. I think i'll check it out along with Virtualbox.