Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1292 in Software
• Brand: Avanquest Software
• Released on: 2008-03-07
• Platform: Mac OS X
• Dimensions: .35 pounds

PC Pro
"Parallels is by far the most convenient way to run Windows alongside Mac OS X we've seen."

Manufacturer's Description

Run multiple versions of Windows, Linux and other operating systems side by side with Mac OS X without rebooting

Parallels Desktop is the first solution that enables Mac users to run Windows, Linux, and more simultaneously with critical Mac OS X applications on an Intel-powered iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, MacBook, or MacBook Pro "" without rebooting

Unlike Apple's Boot Camp dual-boot solution, in which users must completely shut down Mac OS X, Parallels Desktop allows the user to switch seamlessly between each OS and run Windows applications directly from the OS X desktop - Coherence mode.

EASY TO USE

Open Windows files with Mac applications and Mac files with Windows applications using SmartSelect
Run Windows software like native Mac applications in separate windows with Coherence
Parallels Installation Assistant makes installing Windows and Linux onto your Mac easier than installing on a PC!
Drag-and-drop files and folders between Windows and Mac OS X
Three viewing modes enable you to view Windows the way you want

FLEXIBLE

OpenGL and DirectX support allows you to run selected 3D games and applications
Use Parallels Explorer to browse your Windows files directly from your Mac desktop - without starting your virtual machine
"œPlug and play" your favourite USB 2.0 devices - PDAs, scanners, printers and more
Connect to your company's corporate network and share documents

SECURE

Protect your virtual machine against malware and system crashes in a single click with Snapshots. If disaster strikes, revert to a snapshot and instantly erase the damage.
Select the level of integration between Mac OS X and Windows with new security settings.
Multiple IP addresses appear as one on a network, hiding your virtual machine and making it far less vulnerable to hackers.
Parallels Desktop virtual machines can be completely isolated from OS X. There is almost zero chance of infecting your Mac with spyware or malware.

£70 OF BONUS PC SOFTWARE

Kaspersky Internet Security 7 - Award-winning protection from viruses, spyware, spam and hackers "" one year subscription

Acronis True Image Home 11 - Back up your applications, data and settings in case of data loss

Acronis Disk Director Suite 10 - Increase your Windows virtual drive "" resize, move, copy, split and merge partitions

Customer Reviews

A sad dissapointment
Having just bought a new iMac after many years of using Windows based PC's I was in need of something to run some progs that are only available as Windows applications.

I read all the reviews that seem to come down fairly heavily in favour of VMware Fusion but I bought this version of Parallels 3 because it was cheap, not realizing that it was and old version that has been superseded by version 4.

It was a disaster. I had two attempts at installing it and when I did manage to, it ran very slowly crashed several times and refused to shut down. It them proved impossible to install my two Epson printers, error messages would appear during the installation process and then I was unable to delete them and start again.

I ended up trying to reinstalling Parallels no less than three times and when that didn't work I gave up and downloaded a trial version of VM Fusion.

This installed with no problems and has worked brilliantly ever since.

If you read the reviews of Parallels you will see that for some people it has worked well. It is certainly an elegant program with some lovely graphics.

But before spending money I would suggest that you download the trial version of both progs and see which works best for you and your system.

For me, however, Parallels 3 did not work and was a complete waste of money but VM Fusion has been brilliant.

Great product if want the best of both Worlds (Mac & PC)
I could almost live without having a Windows PC, but I do have a few applications which are Windows only, that I couldn't really do without. So finding and reading about Parallels Desktop, I decided it would be the best way that I could have both a Mac and a PC should I need one from time to time.

Installation was very simple, and a lot simpler than I thought it would be. But what really blew me away was how quick I can have a Windows compatible PC up and running when I need it. Roughly 10 seconds is all it takes for starting Windows XP, that must be some kind of record, I've never know any computer to start a Windows operating system so quickly. You won't believe this, but it shuts down even quicker, mine does it in about 5 seconds flat, try to beat that with a real PC.

I have a 2.8GHz iMac with 2GB of ram, and to be honest I thought I would have to put up with a little slowness from the Windows applications that I run, but every one I've installed runs as quick or even quicker than my last PC I had.

I find running the Windows XP operating system at full screen much more preferable to the other options, such as in a Window (no pun intended). I did try the coherence mode but I think most people like myself would probably find that a little off-putting, especially as you end up with an ugly Windows taskbar spoiling the beauty of the Mac OS. I'd recommend using the Spaces feature in Mac OS 10.4 and above to partition the Windows OS to one space, whilst leaving the other spaces for your Mac applications etc. That will provide in my opinion a much simpler way of switching from Mac to PC, and back again.

You have the ability to create mapped drives to your usual Mac folders in the Windows OS, so that you can keep all your Windows created documents in your normal folder structure, rather than saving them on the Virtual machines hard drive.

One thing you have to remember is that some of the symbols on the keyboard (such as @) are in different places in the Windows OS, and I'm not too sure if there's a way of resolving that problem, but you soon get used to that if you've used a PC keyboard before.

If you've made the switch to a Mac (what took you so long, lol) but still miss using some of your PC applications, then I can definitely recommend this as the next best thing to buying another PC. You'll save yourself a lot of money, and a lot of wasted time waiting for the OS on a real PC to boot. And as long as you've got a copy of your OS of choice to hand, be it Windows ME, XP or Vista you're laughing all the way to the software store.

If on the other hand you're still using a PC, but have been tempted to the other side, go for it, you won't be disappointed. You won't have to lose all your precious programs and files, just install them into the Virtual machine and you'll have the best of both worlds. Apple and Microsoft working in perfect harmony, who'd have thought it was possible.

Software that just works
Great software that got me out of a hole by allowing me to install Windows 2000 on a Mac Pro so that I could run a vital legacy application that only runs on Windows 2000 (an OS long discarded). The software just works, which is exactly what you need. As ever, read the manual to get the most out of it -- especially when it comes to configuring network and display settings.