Installing Windows XP and DSA in Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac. Go to your Applications folder and click the Parallels Desktop icon. In Parallels, go to File > New. Supported Windows: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000 Supported Linux: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, Ubuntu 8.04 To install and set up Parallels Desktop 12 for Mac, you need. Hello, Open Parallels Desktop and go to the 'Help' menu and click 'Check for updates.' Install any updates if there are any. After that is done start your Virtual Machine. Once the Windows XP VIrtual Machine is booted up to the Windows Desktop.
Windows on Mac Q&A - Updated December 3, 2006
To be notified of new Q&As, sign up for EveryMac.com's bimonthly email list.
If you find this page useful, please Bookmark & Share it. Thank you.
How fast is a Mac running Windows XP using Parallels compared to Boot Camp?
Please note that this answer specifically refers to the first version of Parallels Desktop for Mac, and the company has released improved versions since this answer was written. Nevertheless, in general terms, one can expect the performance of 'virtualized' software, such as Parallels Desktop for Mac or VMWare Fusion, to be less than that of a native operating system running via Boot Camp. However, virtualized software can be considerably more convenient for tasks that do not require maximum performance.
Also see: How does the performance of Parallels Desktop for Mac 5 compare to VMWare Fusion 3? How does the performance compare for productivity applications? How does it compare for games?
Parallels says that the Desktop for Mac software provides 'near-native performance', rather than the full speed of a 'dual-boot' configuration.
A ZDNet article published the day that Desktop for Mac was released in its final version quoted a systems administrator at Canada's University of Waterloo who said that 'the performance in Parallels was within 1 to 2 percent of [Boot Camp].'
Real-world tests released more recently from C|Net and MacWorld show that Parallels Desktop for Mac is not quite that fast, but nevertheless remarkable compared to the performance of emulation software.
C|Net tested the performance of Windows XP running via Parallels and Boot Camp on a MacBook Pro 'Core Duo' 2.16 17-Inch with 2 GB of RAM. The reviewer setup a 10 GB partition for Windows XP with Boot Camp and a 20 GB virtual disk with Parallels.
In an unspecified series of Photoshop CS 2 'image processing tests', C|Net reported that Parallels performed the tasks in 604 seconds, compared to 501 seconds for the same tests running in MacOS X via 'Rosetta' and 278 seconds running natively in Windows XP with Boot Camp. For Microsoft Office 2003, which is only available for Windows (Office 2004 is available for MacOS X, although it is not 'native' for Intel-based systems), the reviewer remarked that 'Boot Camp ran the test almost 2.4 times faster than Parallels'.
Oddly, given that Parallels does not support DirectX for gaming, after crashing the system first, the reviewer tried running Quake 4 at 1024x768 within Parallels and reported that 'Quake 4 actually produced noticeably faster frame rates on our test than with Boot Camp.'
C|Net concluded that for 'the mundane tasks that probably make up most of your computing time (such as word processing, e-mail, and browsing the Internet), you're not likely to notice Parallels' performance degradation.'
In a well-written review that should be read in its entirety, MacWorld provides some background information, basic setup and installation instructions, and in-depth benchmarks for Windows XP using Parallels and Boot Camp running on an iMac 'Core Duo' 2.0 20-Inch and MacBook Pro 'Core Duo' 2.16 15-Inch, each with 1 GB of RAM installed.
The reviewer acknowledges 'if you don’t require 3-D accelerated graphics or full hardware support, then Parallels delivers solid results' and regarding its speed states that:
Using Parallels on the Macs, the overall WorldBench test score is about two-thirds of what it is for the same machine booted natively into Windows via Boot Camp. Some portions of our testing, such as multitasking, show a big divide in performance. Other portions show only slight differences. In our Office 2002 test, for example, Parallels was only about 10 percent slower than in native mode. Overall, our results indicate that, using Parallels, you'll get about two-thirds of the speed you’ll get using Boot Camp.
Ultimately, it's probably not the solution for gamers, who want to wring every last bit of performance out of a system, need DirectX support, and have no need to run multiple programs at the same time or 'copy and paste' between them. For day-to-day use, however, the Parallels virtualization solution provides an impressively fast way to run other operating systems 'within' MacOS X.
Permalink | E-mail a Friend | Bookmark & Share | Report an Error/Typo
Suggest a New Q&A | Sign Up for Bimonthly Site Update Notices
<< Windows on Mac Q&A (Main)
EveryMac.com is provided 'as is' without warranty of any kind whatsoever. EveryMac.com, and the author thereof, shall not be held responsible or liable, under any circumstances, for any damages resulting from the use or inability to use the information within. For complete disclaimer and copyright information please read and understand the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy before using EveryMac.com. Use of any content or images without expressed permission is not allowed, although links to any page are welcomed and appreciated.
Parallels Desktop for Mac is a hardware virtualization solution for Mac computers with Intel processors. Developed by Parallels Inc., a privately held software company with offices in 15 countries, Parallels Desktop for Mac (referred to simply as Parallels from here on) allows Mac users to seamlessly switch between macOS and the Windows operating system.
The ability to do so is indispensable when your favorite software isn’t available for Mac. That could be an accounting software package such as TurboCASH, an easy-to-use email client like Mailbird, or, perhaps, Internet Explorer, which is still used by millions, so web developers have to optimize for it.
Because Parallels for Mac uses hypervisor technology to map the host computer’s hardware resources directly to the virtual machine’s resources, the performance of Parallels for Mac virtual machines closely matches the performance of the host operating system. Even graphic- and resource-hungry Windows applications run as they should, including Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office, Visual Studio, CorelDRAW, ArcGIS, Visio, and many others.
The latest version of Parallels for Mac works best on the latest version of macOS and requires a Mac with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5, Intel Core i7, or Intel Xeon processor.
Best Features of Parallels
Besides its performance, Parallels for Mac stands out with its seamless integration, allowing users to run Mac and Windows applications side-by-side without restarting. Parallels for Mac makes it possible to place Windows applications in the Dock, right next to Mac applications, and launch them with a single click. A piece of text copied from the Windows version of Microsoft Word can be pasted into Safari, which further blurs the line between Windows and Mac software.
Easy to Set Up
Parallels for Mac is so easy to set up that anyone can do it. You can either choose an existing Windows, Linux, Ubuntu, or Boot Camp installation or let Parallels for Mac download Windows 10 for you. Parallels for Mac will even help you optimize your VM settings and performance, allowing you to connect all your USB, Thunderbolt, and FireWire devices with Windows. If you want to, you can even add Windows applications to Touch Bar to instantly access them thanks to a handy tool known as Touch Bar Wizard.
Retina Support
Microsoft is still figuring out the best way how to scale Windows applications on high-resolution displays, but Parallels for Mac already features enhanced Retina support to ensure that all Windows application look just as sharp as their Mac neighbors.
Picture-in-Picture Mode
System administrators, developers, and even some power users sometimes run multiple virtual machines side-by-side, and keeping track of them can be a struggle. Parallels for Mac simplifies the monitoring of multiple virtual machines with its picture-in-picture mode, which conveniently displays all running virtual machines on a single screen, delivering a bird’s-eye view with a click of a button.
Extra Tools
Along these and other core features, Parallels for Mac also comes with over 30 tools to simplify everyday tasks on mac and windows. The tools give you the ability to easily create and customize animated GIFs from videos, prevent your computer from going to sleep and your display from dimming, optimize your home movie or television shows for iPad or iPhone, download your favorite videos from the Internet, record a video of a screen, immediately lock your screen to prevent unauthorized access to your computer, keep your Mac clutter-free and running at max speed, use your computer’s built-in microphone and record audio with a single click, and more.
Data Recovery
Unfortunately, the tools that come with Parallels for Mac free of charge don’t cover data recovery. The good news is that there’s at least one excellent data recovery solution for Mac that you can download for free and use it to recover lost or deleted files even if you don’t consider yourself to be a computer whizz. The name of this data recovery software is Disk Drill.
Just like Parallels for Mac, Disk Drill also comes with free extra tools. The tools that come with Disk Drill all focus on disk and data management, and they nicely complement the tools included with Parallels for Mac. Disk Drill’s Duplicate Finder allows you to easily find and remove duplicate files in multiple locations on your drive, Data Backup creates byte-to-byte disk and partition backups, and Disk Health is a free disk monitoring tool that alerts you to any potential disk issues.
Your Companion for Deleted Files Recovery
How Much Does Parallels Cost?
It’s possible to download Parallels for Mac free of charge, but you will be able to use it only for 14 days unless you purchase the full version.
A single Parallels for Mac license for home and student use costs €79.99. Developers, testers, and power users are encouraged to pay €99.99 a year for Parallels Desktop Pro Edition, which comes with many additional features and capabilities, including the support for up to 16 virtual (v)CPUs and 64GB of vRAM, the addition of a Microsoft Visual Studio plug-in, bash completion for Parallels CLI tools, an enhanced network editor that allows you to test different connectivity issues, EFI Secure Boot, port forwarding, and a lot more.
There’s also Parallels Desktop Business Edition for use in work settings, which also costs €99.99 a year, and includes the same additional features and capabilities as Parallels Desktop Pro Edition.
If you search online, it’s easy to find various Parallels for Mac free. download full version links, but you should avoid them at all cost. Even if you managed to find one that doesn’t lead to dangerous malware, downloading the full version of Parallels for Mac from the internet is a crime punishable by fees much higher than what it costs to purchase Parallels for Mac.
Parallels Versus Alternatives
Parallels isn’t the only virtualization solution for Mac. Before you click the purchase button and acquire your own copy of Parallels Desktop for Mac, we think it’s worth exploring some alternative options.
VMware Fusion
VMware Fusion is a powerful virtualization software solution that can run nearly any operating system on a Mac. While easy enough for home users to quickly learn how to use, VMware Fusion is more than capable enough to satisfy the needs of professionals who develop and test software for multiple operating systems and want to do so without having to constantly rebooting. The ability to run an entire virtual cloud stack on a single Mac gives solution architects the ability to demonstrate their entire software solution in real time. Just like Parallels for Mac, VMware Fusion blends the Windows experience seamlessly with macOS. Its Unity View Mode ides the Windows desktop so you can run Windows apps just like Mac apps, and its hardware accelerated 3D graphics engine allows you to utilize your hardware to its maximum capacity.
VirtualBox
VirtualBox is an open source alternative to Parallels for Mac and VMware Fusion. It was first released in 2007 and acquired by Oracle in 2010. It can be used to load multiple guest operating system under a single host operating system, and it supports both Intel’s VT-x and AMD’s AMD-V hardware virtualization. VirtualBox sometimes doesn’t reach quite the same level of polish as its paid counterparts, but it’s hard to complain considering that it’s free and open source. Apart from macOS, VirtualBox also runs on Windows, Linux, Macintosh, and Solaris hosts and supports all recent versions of Windows, Linux, Solaris and OpenSolaris, OS/2, and OpenBSD. VirtualBox is being developed by the entire open source community as well as Oracle, and anyone is welcome to submit their contributions to the vbox-dev mailing list or to the Developers Corner forum.
Wine
Unlike Parallels for Mac, VMware Fusion, and VirtualBox, Wine isn’t a virtualization software solution but a compatibility layer that makes it possible to install and run Windows applications just like you would in Windows. Running Windows applications using Wine eliminates the performance and memory penalties associated with virtualization. The only downside is the fact that not all Windows applications run flawlessly on Mac using Wine, and some don’t run at all.
Install Windows Xp Online
Wine uses a rating system that allows you to see which applications work best in Wine. Platinum applications work as well as (or better than) on Windows out of the box, gold applications work as well as (or better than) on Windows with workarounds, silver applications work excellently for normal use but have some problems for which there are no workarounds, bronze applications work but have some problems for normal use, and garbage applications have problems that are severe enough that they cannot be used for their intended purpose.