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cossie

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 8, 2006
74
0
Hi,

I've kind of realized that I need a lot more development software than I can get that is OS X compatible so I was thinking of setting up Windows on my Mac.

I have win2k from an old laptop.

Anyhow, is Parallels all about running other OS applications in OS X or does it require that I install the other OS to use those applications?

For example, do I need to install win2k to install and run Visual Studio?

I feel a bit thick asking that question but I can't really find an answer online, which leads me to believe I'm missing the blindingly obvious! :eek:
 

mkrishnan

Moderator emeritus
Jan 9, 2004
29,776
15
Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Parallels lets you run another operating system on top of the "host" operating system in such a way that the second OS essentially has access to a "virtual" copy of the hardware.

So the answer is yes: you need to purchase and install the "guest" operating system, just like with an emulator (it's just much faster and more compatible). If you want to run Visual Studio, you need a version of Windows that is able to run it. You install Windows either in a partition or in a disk image that Parallels helps you make, and then you run Windows in the virtualized environment, and run Viz Studio on top of it.

Parallels does have this "coherence" mode, but basically all that does is make the Windows desktop disappear so that it seems like Windows apps are floating on top of OS X. Still have Windows running from an installed copy of Windows, though.

The product that lets you run Windows apps without using Windows is called Crossover Office (based on WINE / Darwine).
 

Guy Incognito

macrumors regular
Oct 15, 2006
100
0
While you will need to install Windows via Parallels, you probably don't need to buy a new copy. Parallels offers a tool called Transporter that will allow you to migrate your existing Windows 2000 installation to a virtual machine that you can then use on your Mac. I did this with a Windows 2000 installation on an 8-year old laptop, and it worked without a hitch.
 

cossie

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 8, 2006
74
0
That's great!

Thank you all for your replies, I really appreciate it and I'm glad I asked the question in the first place! :)
 

aholmes

macrumors newbie
Dec 16, 2007
2
0
Migrating OS

I just bought an iMac and would like to do this, but just migrating the XP Operating System and a few windows programs (security blanket). I do not want all that other stuff on the new Mac and I don't want migrate everything and then try and get rid of 90% later. Is this possible? Is it easy to do?

While you will need to install Windows via Parallels, you probably don't need to buy a new copy. Parallels offers a tool called Transporter that will allow you to migrate your existing Windows 2000 installation to a virtual machine that you can then use on your Mac. I did this with a Windows 2000 installation on an 8-year old laptop, and it worked without a hitch.
 
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