Features
Expert guide: Running Windows on a Mac
20070514 [PC Pro]
How to install VP or Vista with Parallels
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1 Pick your installation type. Express installation simply asks you for the serial number for Windows XP or Vista, and it will do the rest, placing the virtual hard disk and configuration file in ~/Library/Parallels. Typical installation is similar, but gives you more control over where your virtual machine is stored. We'll pick Custom. |
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2 Specify how much of the Mac's resources you want to allocate to the guest OS. Here, we're creating an expanding hard disk; it will start off at zero bytes in size, and grow as the guest OS makes demands of it, all the way up to the specified limit of 32,000MB. You can choose to store it anywhere, even on an external disk. |
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3 When you come to pick the disk to install from, you can simply slot in the CD or DVD, but the installation process is greatly accelerated if you work from a virtual disk image. Roxio Toast on the Mac creates appropriate ISO images. (Actually, they're .toast images, but you can rename them .iso and everything's fine.) |
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4 The install process will begin, and the length of time it takes depends on the complexity of the OS. This process is usually fully automated, but some operating systems require you, for example, to eject the install CD manually following installation. If you're using an ISO, click the CD icon at the bottom right of the window. |
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5 Once the installation is complete, you have to install Parallels Tools to activate such features as copying and pasting between host and guest operating systems. With latest versions, this should happen automatically, but if it doesn't, simply pick Install Parallels Tools from the Actions menu. |
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6 The drivers that allow network sharing and the like are unsigned. Under Windows XP, the installer can optionally suppress the warnings, but Vista's more robust security model insists on clearing every component's installation with you. Remember to follow normal Windows patching and updating procedures. |
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