Running Windows on a Mac: Boot Camp, Parallels Desktop & VMware Fusion

as far as I know.. you must activate Windows inside of the VM.. and Parallels does something to make sure it doesn't want to reactivate when you boot directly into Windows.

 

Since Windows has been already activated through the installation in bootcamp, the question is, if you will encounter the described problems if VM/Parallels requires another activation when trying to use BC via VM.

Wolfgang

 

If it does ask for a key, just put the same one in.

 

you do a reactivate in Windows in the VM... then it *should* be fine.

 

Maybe...until you reboot into Windows, where it'll think it's a new computer again. I don't know how you'd get around that

Does seem like maybe you just need two OSes-a copy of Windows for the bootcamp install, and one for the VMWare install

 

That's exactly the point and the scenario described in the MS social forum I had linked to:
Windows 7 activation Parallels and Boot Camp

However, according to the postings there, two Win-OS evidentally don't worked for them either because - strange enough - Windows THEN "knows" that it's already installed . Nevertheless, I thought that quite a few Mac users here have succeeded in keeping both options (BC and BC via VM). If nobody can confirm this or point me to a work around, I presumably have to take the risk - or to skip one option. As said I've not yet installed Parallels for that reason.

Wolfgang

 

I haven't used Parallels with an activated copy for several versions... but I have used VMWare.... both handled it the same way.

They both do something special in their OS tools (make sure you install those before activating) that prevents Windows from seeing a change when you boot directly into it. You activate in the VM, and then BOTH boots work just fine, and Windows never knows there is a change. Maybe Parallels doesn't do this anymore? I have a VMWare install on a machine that is doing this with Windows Vista and working fine... I activated it in the VM, and when I boot directly into it instead, it keeps working activated not knowing the difference... I haven't tried a Bootcamp install with Win7 along with a VM though.

 

Wow, that answer on there from Microsoft is complete BS. Any way they try to spin it, what he's doing is completely legal, and even adheres completely with the licensing agreement. There is no "second computer" as the support idiot claims.

Yikes. I'd feel better about it if they just admitted "our horrible DRM scheme means you have to pay for multiple copies of multiple software, and maintain multiple OSes, because we hate you.

IMO the lack of activation is the #1 selling point for OS X.

 

Hey everyone, I got a question on how many CPU's to give a Windows 7 virtual machine in VMWare Fusion. For some time now I've been rolling with giving it 2 CPU's, but I think I can get better battery life if I give it just one and not sacrifice little to no performance for that. What's everyone's take on this?

 

If you're not doing anything too intense in it, which you're probably not if you're running in a VM, I'd probably just give it 1 on a dual core system so it doesn't interfere as much with the host OS.

 

We just recently picked up a MBP and I installed a trial of Parallels (buying the full version today probably), and I had a couple of unused licenses of Windows XP so I used one of those

Windowed, looks great, swapping over to full screen looks terrific (and runs great). Love the shared desktop/resources, etc.

What I really like is Coherence mode, since it would likely be just one or two Windows apps, and I love the idea of things running "native" (I realize there's still a Windows stub running under the covers).

Anyway, my question: Is there any advantage to running W7 over XP Pro in a case where it's just an app or two and likely using Coherence? I have a number of machines, and I like Windows 7 well enough (and better than XP), but that's with it as the only OS.

Thanks!

 

I recommend using W7, for the reason that it has more security baked in than XP does. W7 is also quite good on memory usage too, where devoting 1 GB of RAM is very good for the virtual machine. Most Mac's these days come with 4 GB of RAM, so there's plenty for both OS X and the Windows virtual machine to use.

 

is it me or is parallels killing my ram usage. I have 2 gbs ram free and when i use parallels desktop 6 with windows 7 ultimate x64 theres only 20 mb ram free... I have 4 gbs ram total.

 

whatever ram you have set for the VM... 1gb... 1.5 2... whatever, it reserves and holds it the whole time while the VM is running and nothing else can use the ram in OSX, only the VM can.

 

When I reboot my mac i get 3 gb ram free. However, when i start parallel desktop 6 the memory free goes down to 1 gb. I set the vm ware ram to 1gb only. I should have 2 gb free after using parallels.

 

I've purchased and installed parallels on my macbook pro OS X. I have windows xp on DVD from a toshiba satelite pro laptop but cannot get it to install in parallels. Is there any way to install it on my mac without having to purchase windows?

 

legally you need a valid license to install... any Windows version sold OEM as a bundle with a new computer is never valid to move to another computer, meaning you cannot legally use that version. It is against the forum rules here to discuss using software illegally.

 

i dont know about xp, but i had bought an oem version of vista and had it installed on my mac. I upgraded to windows 7 when it got released. Next, i wanted to install the vista on my pc. i ran into activation issues and contacted Microsoft. The lady told me i could use the oem version on any machine i wanted as long as it's on only one machine at a time. She then activated my vista. May be the rules have changed by now.

 

Hi guys, I'm new here. I've just installed Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on my pristine MacBook Air 11" 128GB. I understand that the GPU onboard is the Geforce 320M, which is easily overclockable. Can I use EVGA Precision or something similar to overclock it because NVIDIA Control Panel identifies the GPU as MCP89-EPT instead. Would that affect my ability to overclock it? And can anyone recommend some safe MHz numbers?

 

I would be interested in knowing also as I am also a new MBA 11" with win7 installed. Have you experienced any issues with an oversensitive touchpad when using tap to click?

 

Yes. It's because one of your other fingers are on the touchpad at the same time without you knowing. You have to be careful with the touchpad on Windows 7

 

question about parallels. Is it better to use 2 gbs on windows 7 or 1 gb? I have total ram of 4 gbs.

 

I've found that splitting memory evenly between OS X and Windows 7 works very well, so go with 2 GB. Windows 7 is very good with memory management compared to XP and Vista.

 

I'm going to buy my first mac soon and since i'm just switching over from windows ill obviously need windows often for using some apps ati've bought for win7.

What i wanted to know is if the gt330m and it's graphics switching antics would give me any problems. i've heard that there are minor problems in Mac os x itself.

 

in OSX, if an app thats running uses an API or Framework that needs more GPU power, it'll switch on the 330m

You can use a program called gfxCardStatus to manually control what is turned on if you want...

In Windows, natively (aka bootcamp), you will only have the 330m... no options.

In Windows in a VM, its running on top of OSX, and by default it should always enable and use the 330m as long as its running.

 

Anyone have issues running Windows 7 using Parallels or VMware? Do you have to install all the drivers after installing Parallels or VMware? Are you suppose to update Windows using Windows update? Any device manager issues or device issues known by running VM software under Windows?

 

Nope. Both run Windows 7 nicely as a virtual machine.

Both vmWare and Parallels auto-install the necessary drivers to make Windows work within the virtual machine.

Yes. Windows as a virtual machine is essentially like the real thing. You'll need to keep it regularly patched with security updates and software updates.

Nope. After vmWare/Parallels installs their tool sets in the Windows virtual machine, no errors or exclamation marks will be in device manager for missing drivers.

 

Thank you for all the help.

 

Let me start by saying I have not used Parallels.

Comparing Boot Camp and VMware Fusion. I prefer Fusion. I had registry errors with Boot Camp (hidden, non visible until you show hidden devices). I have no issues with Fusion and everything I have tried with the expection of Aida64 (information tool that reads temprature sensors) has worked so far. System seems faster with Fusion than Boot Camp install.

 

What do you mean by registry errors? Normally something would have to be very, very wrong for something like that to get corrupted.

There's also something very, very wrong if it's faster running inside a VM than running natively.

 

Let me correct my statement, not registry errors but device manager issue running Windows using Boot Camp. Unless your experienced with windows you may never find this or realize this cause you just wont look. If you look at the device manager under Windows and show hidden devices you will have two device issues under usb host controller (Intel Series 5 chipset) this is due to the firmware used and the a certain configuration by Apple. I have researched this a lot.



"There's also something very, very wrong if it's faster running inside a VM than running natively"

This is incorrect and here is why, Fusion is built only to run Direct X 9.0c and therefore is not utilizing the full potential of this computer or graphics engine. If Fusion would run 100% identical meaning you can actually use Boot Camp Drivers and nVidia Graphics drivers then yes I would agree with you but since it utilizes specific drivers provided by VMware, Fusion runs faster. Fusion will do what I need it to and runs very well so I am pleased with it. Also Apple doesn't allow the integrated Intel HD Graphics to run in windows, I am not sure why or how cause its built into the CPU but they do.

 

How does it feel using windows with a mac? I have been using windows PC since I first started using computer, and have never touched a mac(well, a friend bought a mac air for his mom and it was a hell of confusion trying to figure out what to do).

So how different is it running windows on a mac than on a PC? I mean the keyboard layout seems about the same although some keys are different; the basic components are the same, an intel cpu, some gpu, a screen and a hard drive. Would it be more complicated than what I thought?

 

It will feel like your using a PC, with some minor differences in keyboard layout.

Not much different actually. Again, only difference really is keyboard layout.

Nope. But it will be more expensive to run Windows on a Mac. You'll need to pick up a copy of Windows which will run you another hundred or two bucks.

In my opinion, if you plan on running Windows only, you're better off getting a PC. Doesn't make sense to drop the extra bucks on a Mac and a copy of Windows. If you want something that mimic's the MacBook's look and feel, there are plenty of options these days such as the HP Envy.

 

Thanks, helped a lot

 

I just installed Ubuntu in VirtualBox on my 2008 MBP. Works great! Perhaps this should be added as a consideration for those wanting a VM solution. I've now installed it on two Windows 7 systems and one Mac system. My main use is to VPN into the office while keeping the rest of the system on the external network.

 

can anybody tell me if the 2011 MBP bootcamp graphics drivers allow integrated and discrete gpu switching?

 

Hi,

I'm running parallels desktop 6 and my 2.4ghz 13 in mpb mid 2010 is getting really hot. The cpu temperature is around 50-60 C when running pd6. after quiting pd6 my cpu temp goes down to 30 C.

Anyone else experiencing this?

 

ok. i think i figured it out. i turned off the application sharing. My cpu is still around 60 C but the cpu % is down from 100%. its around 30%.

 

50 - 60 is not hot... if it sustains over 90, then worry about being hot.

 

What is PD6?

 

PD6 = Parallels desktop 6. An app for the Mac to run another operating system virtually.

 

Wow, didn't know they were up to version 6 already!

 

Yeah, parallels has had an aggressive upgrade strategy as of late.

 

I am going to install windows 7 on my macbook pro now via bootcamp and i have few questions (some of them might be silly):

1. My windows 7 is some local "russian" distributive and mac os x is english. Does it matter?
2. Do i need to partition my disk beforehand or boot camp assistant will do everything?
3. Is there a chance that something wont work right away — like airport or mic or camera? Will i need to get extra video drivers?
4. Is it possible that bootcamp will my mac run less stable or something? I tried bootcamp like 2-3 years ago on my old mac and soon after i partitioned and installed windows my hdd died (within a week).

 

Shouldn't matter.

I THINK you can do it either way?

Most everything should be built in, but as I understand it you can not install Nvidia or AMD's real drivers on the Windows side if you want to, to have the newest drivers!

Nope, that was completely a coincidence.

 

Wow, glad I found this thread. Whaddap!

Quick question:

2011 MBP 13" on the way soon (base model, 4gb ram) and I only have the need (well want) of one windows app. (zmud) It's a small, old program that requires very little resources to run.

Would it be in my best interest to virtualbox XP or 7? Furthermore, what's the better option at the moment? VM or Parallels?

Essentially, I'm looking for a lower resource hit since I'm only using it to use one very small program so perhaps virtualboxing with 1-1.5gb ram. (Or should I just stick with a 2/2 split?)

Thanks for all the help.

 

You could run try running it in Wine or WineBottler. Many older Windows programs do work with it.

Parrallels and VMware are almost the same. Its a question of preference which interface you like better. I would get which ever you can get cheaper. They sometimes have good bundles and sales.

 

Cool, appreciate it thanks. I don't want to use Wine or those variants, I like the idea of Virtual boxing. In the case of a crash for whatever reason, the reboot process is nice and fast.

I used to have a setup a couple years ago where I did some work in Windows Vista but ran it on a mac because it would crash frequently. Virtualizing it practically eliminated all that boot time.

So I'll take your advice and just grab whatever of the two I see at a better deal. Thanks again man.

 

Nothing against WineBottler... and I may be biased, but Wineskin usually does a much better job running things overall...

 

How quick or easy is the process of wrapping a small windows program (3mb in size, mb less) to run natively in OSX?

Also, how does it effect the speed of the software?

I'm not sure how many people are familiar with MUDS (text based online games) but there's a windows only client that I just can't do without called ZMud that I'm interested in attempting to use on my macs. I currently have a pretty old imac (first gen intel I think. 1gig ram.) but there's a new MBP coming pretty soon as soon as school's done in a few weeks. Ideally, I'd want something that will work on the slower, older imac and a solution for the new laptop as well. It can be the same solution, or something different. I don't really care I just want the best for each system.