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VMWare Fusion and Parallels

#1
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4/27/08 at 12:32pm
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I just got Parallels in the MacUpdate bundle. Thinking of tinkering with Ubuntu and XP in a virtual machine (I'm bored ). Why do you like your choice of the two? I'll have questions as I go.

Daryl L 
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz C2D
2GB Ram, 160GB HDD
15" LED Glossy Widescreen
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GDDR3 Vram

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#2
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4/27/08 at 2:22pm
  • Joined: March 2001
  • Location: Rochester, NY
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

When I bought Parallels, last summer, the information I found indicated Fusion wasn't nearly as useful. I think the current version that everyone raves about hadn't been released.

Parallels seems to be a robust solution. With the updates for Leopard, it seems to have matured further. My uses of it are pretty minor these days -- my wife uses it most for running MS Money to do our finances.

Is Fusion better? I have no experience there. But I can recommend Parallels without hesitation, as it does the job well.
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#3
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4/27/08 at 3:01pm
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

Quote:
But I can recommend Parallels without hesitation, as it does the job well.

I second that. Parallels is a remarkable piece of software.
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#4
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4/27/08 at 9:22pm
  • Joined: June 1997
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

From my limited exposure to it I think Parallels is a great program.

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#5
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4/28/08 at 10:40am
  • Joined: September 1999
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

Hehehe Parker, you just got your iMac a couple days ago and your already kicking the tires on Parallels? I really hope your enjoying OS X. After 13 years of Windows and 5 years of DOS before that this past year on OS X has me wishing I switched sooner. It has such a smooth and polished feel to it. OS X's file/folder structure and operation simplicity leaves me in awe and feeling like a kid on Christmas day every day.

Daryl L 
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz C2D
2GB Ram, 160GB HDD
15" LED Glossy Widescreen
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GDDR3 Vram

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#6
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4/28/08 at 10:42am
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

Thanks for the comments all. Here's a few questions about Fusion and Parallels.

1. I use a wireless router (passworded) and airport to access the internet, no ethernet cable. Can I run WinXP or Ubuntu in Parallels or Fusion and never allow WinXP or Ubuntu access to the internet?

2. If YES is the answer to the above question will this allow me to avoid having to use a Firewall, AV or Malware software in the WinXP or Ubuntu virtual machine as long as I never access the internet from the WinXP or Ubuntu VM?

3. Will I have both read and write access to my MBP's Superdrive from the WinXP or Ubuntu VM in either Parallels or Fusion?

4. I read this on the Fusion site
Quote:
Resume where you left off
Use the Suspend feature in VMware to freeze the exact state of your virtual machine so that you can quickly resume work without restarting Windows and opening all your applications.
Can this also be done in Parallels also?

5. On the Fusion site they list Ubuntu Linux 6.10 as the latest Ubuntu version supported. Does anybody know if that info just hasn't been updated and that Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Desktop Edition can be used or not?

6. I might have one or two WinXP apps that are self contained .exe files that doesn't require installation. Can those be run in the WinXP VM as well?

7. Is moving files between OS X and the WinXP or Ubuntu VM possible and if so simple?

Probably more to ask as I think of them.

Daryl L 
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz C2D
2GB Ram, 160GB HDD
15" LED Glossy Widescreen
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GDDR3 Vram

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#7
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4/28/08 at 12:32pm
  • Joined: March 2001
  • Location: Rochester, NY
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

1-5) No experience. I assume you can disable the networking drivers in WinXP so it can't see the network. You might be able to do it through the settings in Parallels as well.

6) Certainly. It's Windows. It runs Windows apps.

7) Yes. In Parallels, I can drag/drop files in and out of Parallels. You I think the copy/paste buffers transfers too. I have Parallels with BootCamp, so I have to use FAT32 formatting on the BootCamp partition to allow OS X to write to it (it can't write to an NTFS partition).
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#8
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4/29/08 at 4:20pm
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

I installed Parallels today and downloaded Ubuntu 8.04 Desktop LTS and installed it straight from the downloaded iso file. Pretty nifty. Still got to order WinXP now.

Daryl L 
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz C2D
2GB Ram, 160GB HDD
15" LED Glossy Widescreen
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GDDR3 Vram

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#9
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4/29/08 at 4:41pm
  • Joined: January 2000
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

Do you need separate partitions for XP and Linux when you install them using Parallels? The HD on my mac is only 160GB, and I am also wondering how big of a partition I'll need to devote to each. I haven't really yet found a reason I NEED either of them (even XP), but I figure I'll at least install XP at some point, now that SP3 is available.
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#10
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4/29/08 at 4:55pm
  • Joined: September 1999
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

From the video tutorials I watched from Parallels site Documents page and what I did today you don't partition your mac drive (unless using boot camp). Parallels automaticely allocates ~33gb per virtual machine max but only uses the amount needed up to that (unless you choose to use it all or more during the OS install.

Daryl L 
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz C2D
2GB Ram, 160GB HDD
15" LED Glossy Widescreen
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GDDR3 Vram

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#11
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4/30/08 at 12:23pm
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

Well, I installed WinXP SP1 from my old Dell laptops OS reinstall disc. Had to call the phone number to get it activated right (the internet activation kept failing). It's running pretty good. It's only using 1.68GB according to the folders Info. Ubunbtu 8.04 is using 2.47GB of space. I had no idea or had not read that Kaspersky Internet Security came with Parallels until I read in the "Parallels Desktop for Mac Quick Start Guide" about installing it after Windows is installed on page 19. KIS kept failing it's modules though until it updated and rebooted XP.

Another question. Can I take a Virtual Appliance like any of the Linux ones HERE and get Parallels to import them to use?

Daryl L 
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz C2D
2GB Ram, 160GB HDD
15" LED Glossy Widescreen
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GDDR3 Vram

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#12
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5/1/08 at 1:01pm
  • Joined: September 1999
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

Hehehe, now with Parallels I can use Irfanview again. Love this little app. No Mac equivalent.

Daryl L 
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz C2D
2GB Ram, 160GB HDD
15" LED Glossy Widescreen
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GDDR3 Vram

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#13
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5/1/08 at 2:06pm
  • Joined: March 2001
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

There's also nice DVD manipulation software for Windows, the equal of which I've not found on the Mac. It will run in Parallels.

It's also nice to have a way to use IE 6+ as there are a few, important sites that just don't work in Firefox or Safari.
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#14
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5/2/08 at 7:25pm
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

Daryl- I installed Fusion on my mom's iMac and although I've had only limited exposure I'll try to answer your Q's.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Daryl L
1. I use a wireless router (passworded) and airport to access the internet, no ethernet cable. Can I run WinXP or Ubuntu in Parallels or Fusion and never allow WinXP or Ubuntu access to the internet?
Fusion will allow you to connect with whatever access you have via you Mac but there is a setting that you can turn off so it does not use it. So I guess the answer would be yes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Daryl L
2. If YES is the answer to the above question will this allow me to avoid having to use a Firewall, AV or Malware software in the WinXP or Ubuntu virtual machine as long as I never access the internet from the WinXP or Ubuntu VM?
I think you'd be fine with no firewall on the windows side as long as your not ever connected to the net. Otherwise it is just like any other win box and has all of the security flaws.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Daryl L
3. Will I have both read and write access to my MBP's Superdrive from the WinXP or Ubuntu VM in either Parallels or Fusion?
Yes for Fusion. I tested the superdrive with the iMac and it worked fine. There's a little row of icons at the bottom frame of the Fusion window that shows the connections to all the available ports and the DVD drive (via icons). When you want to use it through Fusion you just right click on the icon and select mount. Fusion/Win then takes it over.

4. The suspend feature works very nice.

5. Unknown.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Daryl L
6. I might have one or two WinXP apps that are self contained .exe files that doesn't require installation. Can those be run in the WinXP VM as well?
I'm not sure. How do these differ from a usual exe? As far as I can tell if it's made to run on win it will via VM.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Daryl L
7. Is moving files between OS X and the WinXP or Ubuntu VM possible and if so simple?
I was able to set up a folder that had access between the two machines. I put an alias to that folder on both desktops. Sharing files was as simple as dragging documents/files into that alias and open it within the specific machine.

Other stuff:
One of the coolest thing I liked about running Fusion was opening it and setting it up in it's own space (via spaces in Leopard) and running it full screen. Then with both OS's running switching between the two machines was a simple keystroke toggle.

One of the more freaky things to do is run in unity mode. It will leave your win app open but hide the virtual machine so the native win app looks like it running on OS X. Kinda odd for a long time Mac guy to see.

-EJ
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#15
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5/5/08 at 11:21am
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

Thanks Eric. I'm going to go ahead and get Fusion from Amazon to mess with since it has a reasonable price plus a rebate. Gotta decide wether to go ahead and get WinXP w/SP2 or wait for WinXP w/SP3 already integrated (since I only have my Dell OEM WinXP SP1 reinstall disc I'm using in Parallels). I don't want to bother with slipstreaming. As for question #5:
Quote:
5. On the Fusion site they list Ubuntu Linux 6.10 as the latest Ubuntu version supported. Does anybody know if that info just hasn't been updated and that Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Desktop Edition can be used or not?
I discoved Ubuntu 8.04 can be installed on Fusion and Parallels but Tools is not compatable on either yet with 8.04 (there's a work around for Fusion though).

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveF
There's also nice DVD manipulation software for Windows, the equal of which I've not found on the Mac. It will run in Parallels.
Yep, that part of (most of) my reason for bothering with VM's.


I'll answer my questions below for Parallels use for anyone interested.

Quote:
1. I use a wireless router (passworded) and airport to access the internet, no ethernet cable. Can I run WinXP or Ubuntu in Parallels or Fusion and never allow WinXP or Ubuntu access to the internet?
Yes. Intenet/Network access can be connected/disconnected in the Device menu.

Quote:
2. If YES is the answer to the above question will this allow me to avoid having to use a Firewall, AV or Malware software in the WinXP or Ubuntu virtual machine as long as I never access the internet from the WinXP or Ubuntu VM?
Yes. If you keep Network Adapter disconnected in the Device menu.

Quote:
3. Will I have both read and write access to my MBP's Superdrive from the WinXP or Ubuntu VM in either Parallels or Fusion?
Yes.

Quote:
4. I read this on the Fusion site:
Quote:
Resume where you left off Use the Suspend feature in VMware to freeze the exact state of your virtual machine so that you can quickly resume work without restarting Windows and opening all your applications.
Can this also be done in Parallels also?
Yes, Parallels has the Suspend feature too.

Quote:
5. On the Fusion site they list Ubuntu Linux 6.10 as the latest Ubuntu version supported. Does anybody know if that info just hasn't been updated and that Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Desktop Edition can be used or not?
Yes and No. I discoved Ubuntu 8.04 can be installed on Fusion and Parallels but Tools is not compatible and can't be installed on either yet with 8.04 (there's a work around for Fusion though).

Quote:
6. I might have one or two WinXP apps that are self contained .exe files that doesn't require installation. Can those be run in the WinXP VM as well?
Yes. Just put them where you want and run them.

Quote:
7. Is moving files between OS X and the WinXP or Ubuntu VM possible and if so simple?
Yes. Simply drag-n-drop or Copy-n-Paste.


BTW, when I buy my WinXP from Amazon to run in Fusion should I got 32-bit or 64-bit? I'm on an Intel C2D MBP.

Daryl L 
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz C2D
2GB Ram, 160GB HDD
15" LED Glossy Widescreen
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GDDR3 Vram

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#16
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5/5/08 at 2:29pm
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

Fusion rocks. I had very limited success with an earlier version of Parallels, but I'm sure they have their act together now. They would be out of business if they didn't improve on the performance I got

CJ

And then when I feel so stuffed I can't eat anymore, I just use the restroom! And then I CAN eat more!

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#17
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5/6/08 at 12:29am
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

Fusion just released version 2.0 Beta 1. Those with multiple monitors now have no choice, this new release of Fusion is so slick. Check out the first video. Wow. 1.x users get free upgrades!

CJ

And then when I feel so stuffed I can't eat anymore, I just use the restroom! And then I CAN eat more!

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#18
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5/7/08 at 1:55pm
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

Thanks Christ. I'm trying the Fusion beta out. Imported my Parallels WinXP SP1 VM to fusion. I like Fusion about equally so far. But Switching out of fullscreen in Parallels is tricky. Have to hit Ctrl+Enter 2 or 3 times to exit fullscreen. Fusion has no problem exiting fullscreen. Parallels XP bootup time is quick and the tools loads immediately. In Fusion XP boots a tad slower and it takes awhile to start the tools. BUT! After installing SP3 on the Parallels VM then importing that VM again into Fusion, bootup and tools startup is basically equal. Apparently Fusions isn't as compatible with XPSP1 as Parallels is. So the better switching out of fullscreen mode gives Fusion b1 the edge. I kinda like Fusions UI a tad bit more although Parallels VM's configuration window before starting the OS is laid out nicely. Haven't really done anything else on the VM's to compare. Just having a little fun tinkering, but still plan on buying Fusion. Gonna try Ubuntu 8.04 64-bit install on Fusion tomorrow even if tools isn't yet fully compatible.

Daryl L 
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz C2D
2GB Ram, 160GB HDD
15" LED Glossy Widescreen
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GDDR3 Vram

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#19
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5/7/08 at 7:16pm
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

That multi-monitor video is very cool! Almost makes me wish I needed to use Windows more on my Mac...almost.

Daryl -- my Parallels has no trouble exiting full screen. Sounds like you've got some little glitch in your Parallels setup.

Does Fusion connect to a BootCamp installation like Parallels does?
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#20
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5/7/08 at 10:19pm
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveF
That multi-monitor video is very cool! Almost makes me wish I needed to use Windows more on my Mac...almost.

Daryl -- my Parallels has no trouble exiting full screen. Sounds like you've got some little glitch in your Parallels setup.

Does Fusion connect to a BootCamp installation like Parallels does?
Same here. I don't need to use Windows much, and I don't even have a second monitor, but the multi-monitor features of Fusion are cool.

Fusion can run a Boot Camp partition as a virtual machine, and I think the new version of Fusion can also convert the partition to a native VM.

CJ

And then when I feel so stuffed I can't eat anymore, I just use the restroom! And then I CAN eat more!

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#21
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5/8/08 at 1:22pm
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveF
TDaryl -- my Parallels has no trouble exiting full screen. Sounds like you've got some little glitch in your Parallels setup.
I think I discovered my problem. I can't press more than one key at a time so I use "Sticky Keys" in "Universal Access". I press a modifier key (like Option) and it's held until I press the next key to use keyboard shortcuts. But when exiting fullscreen in Parallels I discovered I have to lock the modifier key (press Option twice) then press "return" then unlock the modifier key (Press Option again) for it to exit fullscreen. Parallels transition in and out of fullscreen is smoother than in Fusion beta 2.
Quote:
Does Fusion connect to a BootCamp installation like Parallels does?
Yes.

Daryl L 
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz C2D
2GB Ram, 160GB HDD
15" LED Glossy Widescreen
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GDDR3 Vram

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#22
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11/1/08 at 4:07pm
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

Quick question: I switched to mac for pretty much one reason. The very very low threat of viruses. If I were to install Parallels does that pretty much defeat the purpose of why I switched? In other words will that open the mac open to corruption due to virii? Or if a Virus infection were to take place would it be contained in the VM only?
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#23
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11/1/08 at 4:16pm
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Re: VMWare Fusion and Parallels

For this I suggest you ask tech support for Parallels and VMWare to get the best answer.

In Parallels you can specify which OS X folders the Windows system can see. My guess is that a malicious virus could attack any file on your Mac that it has access to through these directories.

I run AVG in my BootCamp / Parallels setup and I'm not worried about viruses. In the past 10 years of Windows use, I've have one, minor virus that was easily eradicated. I've found that with a bit of care and computing common sense, viruses are not a threat, even in Windows.

So take a bit of care, and enjoy using Windows on your Mac.
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