9. Conclusions

Parallels Desktop for Mac is a very good tool to allow Intel based Mac's to run Windows XP and other operating systems in a limited way. While it won't replace Boot Camp, it has many valuable features.

Pros:

Can run virtually any application Runs comparable to a native version of XP Very fast save and restore of VM Can import VMs from the competition Runs virtually any x86 based operating system Coherence

Cons:

Can't run graphically-oriented games Requires reactivation of XP in certain situations Requires additional system memory to support Host and Guest operating systems

Parallels Desktop for Mac is a very competitive VM application for use with OS X. It provides the ability to run virtually any operating system in OS X, while Boot Camp officially allows only XP with SP2. Note: It is possible to copy the Media Center Edition of Windows to a single DVD and install it via Boot Camp.

Parallels allows Intel based Mac users to use Windows applications within OS X and Coherence makes all that pretty transparent. Parallels gets high marks for supporting VMs from other vendors and doing so very well. It resumes faster from a suspended state than VMWare or Virtual PC. This feature alone could save hours a week waiting for VMs to restore.

I cannot recommend Parallels for running games or providing SMP support because it does not actually allow access to the hardware itself.

To obtain the software you can go to the Parallels website to download it, or you can get it from a variety of vendors including Amazon.com, CompUSA, and eBay. If you are unsure if Parallels fits your needs, then just download the free 30 day trial before purchasing. The newest version of Parallels Desktop for Mac is version 3188 and it includes a feature called Coherence. Coherence allows you to run your windows applications without seeing Windows. This feature just renders the Windows toolbar and allows you access to the Windows applications. This makes it appear if the application is running natively in OS X and is a feature I have not seen in other VM software.

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