Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Which do you use?


  • Total voters
    49

MM07

macrumors 6502a
Feb 10, 2008
662
63
I have XP SP2 on bootcamp with a 40g partition.

I use Fusion if I need to do something quick on XP. If not I just use bootcamp.

I'm glad I have it and I recommend it highly.
 

psingh01

macrumors 68000
Apr 19, 2004
1,586
629
Ahh, that is what I wanted to hear! :)

I thought if I bought a copy of Vista that I had to choose whether to install it on Bootcamp OR through Fusion in virtualisation. So it is possible to install on Bootcamp and enter visualisation mode through Fusion without having to create two systems (or having to buy another copy of Vista to install)? And then I can choose to use either when I wished? Anybody else confirm that this is possible through their own experience? (I am looking to get Vista Home Premium)

One problem that was facing me was being able to watch DRM protected video through Windows Media Player via virtualisation as doesn’t Microsoft forbid this? The only way I thought this could be overcome was through Bootcamp, but then Vista has their strict control that only one copy of the OS can be made (and Bootcamp plus virtualisation would count as two).

Which is better at running virtualisation via Bootcamp -- Parallels or Fusion? Any help would be much appreciated!

This is exactly what I do (or did as I haven't tried it in a while :)) I have Vista Business installed through bootcamp on my MBP so I can play games while on the road. I also have some software that I use for my job that can run fine under virtualization. Rather than have a separate VM only windows and hog up precious space on my laptop, I just run the the bootcamp installation with VMware.

The only thing I've noticed is that I can't "pause" the VM if it is using the bootcamp partition under VMware. If you use a VM only partition, then you can pause, quit, and restart where you left off.

Another thing you should do is read up on the activation procedure. I recall having to activate twice, first in bootcamp then in vmware (I used the same code though).
 

katorga

macrumors regular
Oct 28, 2006
200
0
I own both Parallels and Fusion and use Fusion. The main reasons are the broader support and lower CPU load.

Fusion runs just about any OS that boots on a PC, supports dual virtual CPUs, and has full 64-bit guest OS support. Parallels seems to burn huge amounts of CPU power just idling while fusion uses about 1/10 the cpu cycles. Fusion saves me a lot of battery life.
 

nikopolidis

macrumors regular
Dec 21, 2007
200
0
They also have their product in so many unique environments for so long (see below) that I think they're more likely to have already had (and fixed) issues that Parallels hasn't encountered yet.

Pretty nice facts.. But they doesn't prove that Fusion is better than Parallels..
This popularity of VMWare takes place due to the fact that they were first on the virtualization market so those companies got Fusion as the only one solution at that time.. (VMWare founded in 1998, Parallels in 1999)
There are switching costs so they don't use Parallels. Besides, Fusion and Parallels are nearly similar apps, however, so there is no need for them to switch...
Another thing is that Fusion could be more corporation-oriented while Parallels' target auditorium is individual users... ;)
 

Neil321

macrumors 68040
Pretty nice facts.. But they doesn't prove that Fusion is better than Parallels..
This popularity of VMWare takes place due to the fact that they were first on the virtualization market so those companies got Fusion as the only one solution at that time.. (VMWare founded in 1998, Parallels in 1999)
There are switching costs so they don't use Parallels. Besides, Fusion and Parallels are nearly similar apps, however, so there is no need for them to switch...
Another thing is that Fusion could be more corporation-oriented while Parallels' target auditorium is individual users... ;)

The facts are staring you in the face,saying these company's couldn't afford to switch is hogwash,the plane and simple fact is that they prefer fusion,and yes fusion has many single users
 

Wheelie4

macrumors regular
Jun 6, 2007
242
36
NC, USA
I'm also considering trying WinXP and Ubuntu in VM on my MBP. Had a few questions.

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
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?

Thanks for any info provided. :)
 

Keleko

macrumors 68000
Mar 26, 2008
1,928
2,768
Right after I got my MBP, I installed both Parallels and Fusion and tried them both out. I had XP SP2 in a boot camp partition for game playing, so I pointed them both to that partition to use it. Both Parallels and Fusion figured out the XP install pretty easily. I'd say Parallels was slightly easier to set up, but it wasn't like either was difficult.

I ended up going with Parallels. There are really only two main reasons why I picked it over Fusion. Parallels booted XP much faster than Fusion did. It was pretty significant speed difference there. Since I don't use a VM that much, the time it takes to start was important.

The other reason was a file transfer test. I attempted to transfer several GB of files from my old PC to my new Mac. I used the VM to put it on the Boot Camp partition (was moving games). Fusion failed to do it. It stalled/broke (forget exactly how it failed now) in the middle of the transfer and never completed. Parallels worked just fine for the whole large group of files. Sure, it took a long while, but it worked just fine.

Neither VM played games very well (at least the ones I tried, like NWN2), but I didn't expect them to, either. I have watched a Netflix on demand video in the Parallels VM recently, and it worked just fine. (At least that's a solution to watching them until Netflix supports the Mac.)
 

Wheelie4

macrumors regular
Jun 6, 2007
242
36
NC, USA
Thanks guys. I don't do any gaming and wasn't planning on using Boot Camp. I got Parallels in the recent MacBundle deal and just figured I'd install Ubuntu to tinker with linux some and install WinXP while I was using a Virtual Machine to quickly use a couple free apps that I liked using on XP and found no free equivalent to for the Mac.
 

Scott6666

macrumors 68000
Feb 2, 2008
1,513
982
I own both Parallels and Fusion and use Fusion. The main reasons are the broader support and lower CPU load.

Fusion runs just about any OS that boots on a PC, supports dual virtual CPUs, and has full 64-bit guest OS support. Parallels seems to burn huge amounts of CPU power just idling while fusion uses about 1/10 the cpu cycles. Fusion saves me a lot of battery life.

Agree wholeheartedly. Just got my first Mac and tried both. Parallels was always at the top of the CPU monitor using 24-35 whatever units it uses. Fusion was 8 max and typically 1 or 2.

Fusion.
 

emperoruriel

macrumors member
Feb 27, 2008
41
0
Which Do you perfer Parallels or VmWare Fusion?

Yes, I know this question has been asked a million times, but I thought we could have an update who likes what and why.

Personally, I like both and really do not know what to choose.

Please mention the one you use, details on why you like it and if you recommend it.

P.S. Mention if you use it with bootcamp as I will use it with bootcamp. Tell us of your experience.
 

Baron58

macrumors 6502
Feb 19, 2004
450
3
VMWare. They've been in the virtualisation game a *lot* longer, and they do it right. I've found it to be more stable than Parallels, better peripheral and printing setup/integration, and the virtual machines can be moved back-and-forth with other VMWare products on other platforms that I use at work.

Parallels were the first ones to market for OS X, so they got the mindshare from people who've never used this type of product. If you use virtualisation seriously in a data centre, you'd appreciate the quality of VMWare more. I certainly do.

I do not use it with a bootcamp partition - I prefer drive containers.
 

Wheelie4

macrumors regular
Jun 6, 2007
242
36
NC, USA
I had gotten Paralels in the MacUpdate bundle a few days ago. Still will proably give Fusion a try later.

Yesterday I installed Parallels and downloaded Ubuntu 8.04 Desktop LTS and installed it straight from the downloaded iso file. Pretty nifty. But today I went ahead and installed WinXP SP1 from my old 2003 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. 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?
 

Mr. Zarniwoop

macrumors 6502a
Jun 9, 2005
751
139
VMware Fusion on MacBook Air because Parallels used more CPU and RAM without better performance, and Boot Camp needs its own partition.
 

shinji

macrumors 65816
Mar 18, 2007
1,333
1,518
I was using Parallels but I ditched it for VMWare...much happier with its performance and stability.
 

emperoruriel

macrumors member
Feb 27, 2008
41
0
question on choosing

As many people recommended me before of trying the two softwares, I honestly cannot choose. Each have some preference I like.

So I was wondering if people here could give me some direction on which to choose. I have licensees for both Vmware Fusion and Parallels as they were given to me by two of my friends as presents, whom which do not use the software.

I will use the software with boot camp. Also,as a favor, since I have not used the softwares for a long time, tell me how they run in the long run.:eek:
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.