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southerndoc

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Original poster
May 15, 2006
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Anyone have any experience with Parallels 16.5 and Windows 10 for ARM? How good does it work with an MBA/MM M1 with 16GB of memory? Does the Windows 10 for ARM run all Windows 10 programs or is it limited to only ARM-specific apps?
 

4743913

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Anyone have any experience with Parallels 16.5 and Windows 10 for ARM? How good does it work with an MBA/MM M1 with 16GB of memory? Does the Windows 10 for ARM run all Windows 10 programs or is it limited to only ARM-specific apps?

runs great. I play Assassins Creed:Black Flag on my M1 Air and I can guarantee that its not made for ARM.
 

bobcomer

macrumors 601
May 18, 2015
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Most, but not all stuff runs, but maybe not as fast as you'd want under WoA. The biggest problem is licensing, you can't right now -- all you can do is run the Windows insider version. It does cause an MBA to run pretty hot and throttle... (at least that's how it runs on my MBA)
 

skaro

macrumors member
Oct 7, 2004
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Windows 10 (and 11) run really well in my experience, but your mileage will vary depending on what you're trying to do. Office apps run nicely and if you grab the latest Office Insider builds they are now optimised for Windows on ARM. If you try to run something more intensive like Visual Studio it will work but it's really slow.

I'm on a MacBook Pro and I don't get the heat and throttling issues that the poster above gets.
 
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DblHelix

macrumors 6502a
Mar 19, 2009
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Runs well. Only issue I run into are with usb accessories. They usually are detected but one has a registration lock to an app. The app can’t read the checksum or whatever it uses. Works fine in windows or on intel MacBook Pro in boot camp.
 

4743913

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The biggest problem is licensing, you can't right now

As pointed out in other threads, you are wrong.

Capto_Capture 2021-08-06_10-34-04_.png


Capto_Capture 2021-08-06_10-33-19_.png
 

dustSafa

macrumors member
Feb 23, 2021
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Is it still not possible to download or watch stuff from the Netflix app or has that changed recently?
 

bobcomer

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May 18, 2015
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Go out and try to buy a retail Windows on Arm copy of Windows -- you can't, period, end of statement. That's because it can only be purchased as part of hardware on their approved hardware list. Windows x86/x64 <> Windows on Arm.

Use at your own financial risk.
 
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Gerdi

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Apr 25, 2020
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Go out and try to buy a retail Windows on Arm copy of Windows -- you can't, period, end of statement. That's because it can only be purchased as part of hardware on their approved hardware list. Windows x86/x64 <> Windows on Arm.

Use at your own financial risk.

These are two totally orthogonal questions - if you can buy a retail copy, or if you can get a license. The later part is possible - as Microsoft does not distinguish between different architectures as far as licensing is concerned.

What is true is, that you can get a license, when buying an OEM device - but this is not the only source of obtaining a license and never was.
 
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jdb8167

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Nov 17, 2008
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These are two totally orthogonal questions - ff you can buy a retail copy, or if you can get a license. The later part is possible - as Microsoft does not distinguish between different architectures as far as licensing is concerned.
If you can get a license why can you only use WoA via the insiders program? When you can get a legal copy of Windows 10 or 11 for Arm that doesn’t require beta updates, then I will agree that you have a valid license.
 
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bobcomer

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These are two totally orthogonal questions - ff you can buy a retail copy, or if you can get a license. The later part is possible - as Microsoft does not distinguish between different architectures as far as licensing is concerned.
You've got it all wrong. Activation and licensing aren't the same thing. Purchasing licenses is exactly the point!

Read this blog post by VMWare about why they don't support Windows on ARM.

 
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bobcomer

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If you can get a license why can you only use WoA via the insiders program? When you can get a legal copy of Windows 10 or 11 for Arm that doesn’t require beta updates, then I will agree that you have a valid license.
Exactly. And I really do hope that Microsoft starts selling licenses, I'll buy at least one, probably more, but it's just not that way now.
 
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4743913

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It runs on an 8GB machine but doesn’t leave room for much else :). Still, useful in an emergency when the MacBook Air is all I have to hand. Even managed to get it working with corporate VPN (AnyConnect from the Microsoft store).

The samsung T7 goes on sale regularly, check that out. I added the 1TB external for all of my Logic Pro files, Parallels, Games, etc. That keeps the M1 air internal free of the "non essential" stuff..
 
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bobcomer

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lol.

and yet, there I am with a digital license.
No, you have a digital activation.

Did you read the blog entry by VMWare? If not, like I said, use at your own financial risk. You're probably okay, unless you are working for someone that Microsoft would go after.
 

Gerdi

macrumors 6502
Apr 25, 2020
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No, you have a digital activation.

You activate Windows with a License - thats the whole point of activation.
Under system/activation you will find a clear statement: "Windows is activated with a digital license".
 
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bobcomer

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You activate Windows with a License - thats the whole point of activation.
Under system/activation you will find a clear statement: "Windows is activated with a digital license".
No, you don't, you activate Windows with a key. Try arguing with Microsoft about it, I'm out.
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
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Anyone have any experience with Parallels 16.5 and Windows 10 for ARM? How good does it work with an MBA/MM M1 with 16GB of memory? Does the Windows 10 for ARM run all Windows 10 programs or is it limited to only ARM-specific apps?
I use it constantly on my M1 mini with 16GB RAM (9GB to MacOS and 7GG to Windows). It's tight and it tends to swap to disk, but works fine, no slowdowns...
RAM on Windows has a strange behaviour, most of the time it's at 95-96%, but sometimes it's under 40%, with the same things open... Never seen this on native Windows devices.
 

jdb8167

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Nov 17, 2008
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their use of the word "Officially" must really drive you crazy. :D


Letting anything TheVerge writes drive you crazy means you haven't read much of their drivel. Read the article, they didn't even try to follow up with Microsoft. I want Microsoft to say that they are going to allow purchase of Windows on Arm licenses but so far I've seen nothing from them.
 

4743913

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Letting anything TheVerge writes drive you crazy means you haven't read much of their drivel. Read the article, they didn't even try to follow up with Microsoft. I want Microsoft to say that they are going to allow purchase of Windows on Arm licenses but so far I've seen nothing from them.

They don't have to support what they don't sell.. I am happy with the current arrangement. I need nothing more from them.
 
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bobcomer

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May 18, 2015
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I want Microsoft to say that they are going to allow purchase of Windows on Arm licenses but so far I've seen nothing from them.
That's all I want too. For now I'm not even going to pay for the upgrade of parallels.
 
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