Parallels For Mac Stuck On

I read through your splendid tutorial on installing Windows XP with Apple’s Boot Camp product (see boot camp help) but that’s not for me. I don’t want to have to reboot each time I want to try something out with a Windows app on my Mac. I’ve read about something called the Parallels Desktop and am hoping you can explain how to install it and how to use it so I can run Windows in parallel with Mac OS X? Thanks.

My experience is that compared to VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop, VirtualBox doesn't offer the same sort of robust performance or have quite as polished Mac integration (though there's no charge for it). Upgrades for existing Parallels Desktop 10 and 11 for Mac perpetual license customers are $49.99, with an introductory offer to upgrade to a Parallels Desktop Pro Edition subscription for $49.99.

I have to admit, I’ve been using Macs since the digital stone age and still get frustrated that I have to buy PCs so I can run Windows with any decent results. I’ve run Microsoft’s Virtual PC, for example, but it’s a dog and even when you have lots of patience it’s pretty difficult to work within that environment even if you have the most powerful computer and least demanding application.
Further, I think that Apple’s Boot Camp program is incredibly smart and have been dual booting Macs for quite a while, though usually into different flavors of Linux or related. I even had my tri-booting Mac laptop make it to the cover of a Linux magazine!
Still, though, the idea of running Windows — or another OS — within Mac OS X through what’s called a “virtual machine” or “virtualization” solution, is too good to miss. That’s why I was thrilled when Parallels released its Parallels Desktop, a full Windows-capable virtualization package for less than $80. Nice!
Just like with Apple’s Boot Camp, there are some specific requirements that you need to meet before you can use Parallels Desktop, however, chief among them the requirement that you have an Intel-based Macintosh. You’ll also want at least a few gig of free disk space and at least 1GB of memory for performance reasons. They also recommend you have the very latest version of Mac OS X, which is easily done with the Software Update capability on the Macs.
Let’s Get Started!
Your first step isn’t to download the application, believe it or not, but rather to decide whether you want to get a free 15-day product key or go ahead and buy the program and get a full product key. I suggest the latter, honestly, because it’s very cool and well worth the money. Now, download Parallels Desktop.
Once you get the 23MB disk image, open it up and you’ll see a pretty typical set of icons:

Don’t just click on the installer, however. Spend a few minutes reading through the User Guide included to double-check that everything’s compatible with your configuration. Then you’ll find that the installer is quite typical of Mac installers, with a license to accept, a hard disk to select for the installation target, and a few buttons to click. It’s so typical I’m not going to even include a screenshot here!
Once the installation is finished, it’s time to start the application, which you’ll find in a folder called “Parallels” in your Application directory. Click on the program and you’ll see a rather intimidating first screen:

Don’t panic. Instead, click on the “New VM…” button on the bottom left to launch the New VM Wizard. (VM = virtual machine, remember).

This will help you through the steps necessary to create a new “virtual” computer that will let you install the operating system of your choice, Microsoft Windows XP.
Your first decision will be to determine if you want to create a typical VM, create a custom VM, or create a blank VM:

As the wizard recommends, I also encourage you to choose the default configuration. It’s easy to tweak things afterwards, after all.
Since we’re doing a default configuration, we need to specify the OS type and version:

Poke around here a bit, you’ll be astonished at the number of different operating systems the Parallels Desktop supports!! Oh, and not to state anything too obvious, but remember that these are just default preferences. You still need the OS itself for installation.
Almost done with the Wizard.
You need to specify the name of your virtual machine, and where it should be stored on your disk:

Since this is your first VM, Parallels will need to create some directories too, as you’ll quickly learn:

No worries. Click “OK” and the virtual machine for Windows XP will be created and ready to install.
Ready to Install
Ah, well, we’re almost ready to install, as you can now see when you quit the Wizard and get back to the main Parallels Desktop view:

What’s wrong? Too little memory (RAM) allocated for my tastes. Easily fixed, by clicking on the word “Memory”, which takes you to the darn useful Configuration Editor:

Slide the control along to the recommended amount (or more, your call), and we’re finally ready to roll!
Installing Windows XP, Really
The first step to actually installing an OS is to insert the Windows install CD (DVD, actually) into your computer, then push the “play” button (rightward-facing triangle) in Parallels to start up the program with the new VM system. The system will prompt for a Parallels Desktop license code (which you did remember to request, right?). Enter that, and after a minute or two, your screen will look like this as you’re welcomed to the Windows XP Setup program:

Parallels for mac stuck on starting windows

This should already seem pretty cool if you’re a Mac person, because this is running within Mac OS X, yeah!
Now you can step through the standard steps of a Windows XP install in fairly short order:

You can work with the one unpartitioned space as-is, and when you get to the next screen I recommend you choose NTFS rather than FAT so that you have a higher performance Windows virtual machine. Note, however, that FAT is the file system that Mac OS X can more easily navigate if you want to actually access files within the Parallels virtual partition.
Continuing along…

Somehow, “exciting new look” probably isn’t intended to refer to the fact that we’re installing Windows XP within the Mac OS X environment, but it’s amusing nonetheless, isn’t it?
At this point you’ll go through some rudimentary Windows XP configuration questions, about language, region, and related. Finally, you’ll hit the second of the legal interludes in this process:

If you don’t have a valid product key for Windows XP (or whatever OS you’re installing) you’ll be stuck here, though you can try running for the 30 days allowed before you have to register your OS product.
A few more simple configuration options about timezone, current date and time, and you’re finally into the installation phase of Windows XP, which can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. I don’t have the patience to time it, so I’m not sure. Instead, it’s a great time for a chai break at Starbucks

🙂
When I come back, Windows is mostly installed and it’s just a matter of specifying a few more configuration changes. One thing that happens is that the virtual machine reboots itself and then automatically adjusts the screen resolution to escape the 640×480 hell that we were confined to for the initial installation process. Now we get a glorious Windows logo and boot screen within Parallels Desktop itself:

Now you need to do just a wee bit more Windows configuration, including what I consider a critical step:

You always

want to select “automatic update” unless you’re a complete Windows guru and know exactly what you’re doing.
Next you’ll need to indicate if you want to register your version of Windows XP with Microsoft. If you’re going to use this for a long period of time, you might as well do that. Otherwise, select “no” and you’ll be reminded later when you’re perhaps ready to do so.
That’s basically all there is to it. We’re done. In just a few seconds Windows XP reboots and you end up with the familiar background screen, task bar, START button, and much more. All within the world of Mac OS X. Sweet indeed:

It’s not quite as snappy as Apple’s Boot Camp, as I’d expect, but it’s certainly a big improvement over the old sluggish world of Virtual PC.
That should get you going with Parallels Desktop. Questions? You might want to check out the

Parallels For Mac Stuck On Screen

Parallels Blog or pop into the Parallels Forum where users and developers compare notes.
Hope you’re up and running. I know that I’m delighted to have Parallels Desktop on my computer, finally.
Oh, and once you do have it running, don’t forget to also install Parallels Tools, a must-include package of utilities. Learn how here: Install Parallels Tools on Intel Mac.

Let’s Stay In Touch!

I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!

If you need to run Windows inside OS X, you have three options: VirtualBox, VMware, and Parallels. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, and different use cases where one’s better than another. Let’s break down when each is best and for what.

The Contenders

Virtual machines allow you to run operating systems like Windows inside of OS X, alongside your normal Mac setup. Once you set up a virtual machine, you install the operating system you want and you can use it right from your Mac desktop, no rebooting necessary. There are three popular options for doing this:

VirtualBox (Free): VirtualBox is easily the nerdiest of the three options we’re comparing here. It’s packed with all sorts of customization options for your virtual machines, but doesn’t have any fancy integration features like Parallels and VMware. Essentially, VirtualBox allows you to create a virtual machine that’ll run Windows, and that’s about it.
VMware Fusion($79.99 for unlimited Macs): VMware Fusion walks the line between Parallels and VirtualBox, offering up a ton of options for tweaking your virtual machine, but still providing plenty of hand-holding for the initial setup process.
Parallels($79.99 for one Mac): VMware Fusion and Parallels are very similar, but Parallels guides you through the installation process more closely. It also focuses on home users, who simply need an easy way to use Windows on their Mac without rebooting or getting another computer.

We’d be remiss here not to also mention Boot Camp, which runs Windows on a separate partition of your hard drive. Unlike virtual machines, Boot Camp requires rebooting your computer, and you can’t use both operating systems at the same time. It’s a bit less convenient, but it means your Windows installation can take full advantage of your Mac’s hardware, giving you better performance. We won’t be including it in today’s showdown—which is specifically about the different virtualization options out there—but it’s worth mentioning as an option for running Windows on a Mac.

Now let’s dig into some of the specifics of each.

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Ease of Setup

Virtual machines aren’t like other apps. Setup goes beyond just installing the app, so the ease of the process is pretty important.

Let’s start with VirtualBox, since it’s the most hands-on of the bunch. You start by creating a virtual machine and selecting the operating system you plan to run (Windows, Linux, etc). From there, you’ll need to tweak a bunch of system settings, including how many processor cores the virtual machine gets, how much memory and video memory it gets from the total installed in your system. Thankfully, we have a guide to help you through the whole process. Once you have all of that configured, you’ll install the operating system just like you would on any computer. That means you’ll need an installation disc, USB drive, or ISO file to install from.

Both VMware and Parallels have setup wizards that guide you through the process a little more. Beyond simply installing a virtual machine, both allow you to import your Boot Camp partition if you have one, or migrate an old Windows PC to your Mac. Parallels (pictured above) guides you through the installation process a lot more, and you’ll get the option to automatically optimize Parallels for productivity or gaming. Of course, you always can move past that screen and install Windows from scratch if you prefer.

They’re all simple, though Parallels has a bit of an advantage for new users since it holds your hand throughout the process. In terms of user friendliness, Parallels was consistently the strongest of the three we tested. That makes it a great solution for anyone not interested in screwing around with settings.

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In the left pane choose Boot order and move CD/DVD to the first place in the Boot order list. Close configuration and run virtual machine. Once you see the black shell, click on the virtual machine window to make virtual machine grab the mouse. Parallels for mac reviews. Sep 25, 2015 The 'Select boot devce on startup' option is checked on the Bott Order configuration screen. With Parallels 9, I got a screen telling me to press Esc to choose s disk for booting, followed by a screen listing the hard drives with the names I have assigned to them. Parallels Desktop for Mac Standard Edition; Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition. Highlight Boot Order from the list and expand Advanced Settings. Copy and paste the following system flag: devices.mac.boot_args='-x -v' Close configuration window and launch a virtual machine.

Parallels For Mac Stuck online, free

Additional Features That Make All the Difference

While each of these three programs do fundamentally the same thing, a handful of small features set them apart from one another.

https://luckydon7.netlify.app/parallels-desktop-13-for-mac-sale.html. Multiple view modes allow you full control of the level of integration between Mac and Windows. Streamlined Windows Installation Installing Windows on your Mac has never been so simple. Moving from PC to a Mac has never been this easy Easily transfer everything on your current PC–operating system, documents, applications, games, even your internet browser favorites –over to your Mac in a snap.

All three apps feature some type of windowed mode support (see image above). This allows you to run a single Windows application in its own window on your Mac desktop, so it feels a little more like a native Mac app. VMware calls this Unity, Parallels calls this Coherence, and VirtualBox calls it Seamless Mode. When an app is in windowed mode, you can copy and paste information between Windows and Mac apps, move and resize them, and close an app without shutting down Windows.

Parallels and VMware both allow you to open up individual Windows programs directly from the Dock, which makes the whole process very easy. VirtualBox doesn’t support this feature, instead requiring you to open up the whole virtual machine to pick our your app of choice.

The similarities don’t stop there. If you’re running Windows 10, Parallels and VMware both give you access to Cortana to issue voice commands, even if Windows isn’t in focus. They also both support DirectX 10, which means they can run most games, though good performance isn’t guaranteed (more on that in the next section). VirtualBox doesn’t support any cool little tricks like this. Instead, it merely performs the simple task of running Windows as a whole.

The feature differences between the Parallels and VMware are pretty subtle. For example, Parallels supports OS X’s Quick Look feature in Windows, while VMware doesn’t. Conversely, if you happen to have a fancy new iMac, VMware supports 5K monitors natively. Most of this stuff is pretty minor though, and honestly if you stripped away the logos, I’d have a hard time telling a difference between the two.

If you want a full comparison of everything in VMware Fusion and Parallels, Wikipedia has a handy chart that’s worth a look, though it’s not completely up-to-date.

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Performance and Benchmarks

Since virtual machines have to share resources with the host OS, performance is very important. Thankfully, TekRevue has benchmarked all three programs for a variety of tasks. The current version of VMware outperforms the others in nearly every category, while VirtualBox is way behind its competitors. Of course, there’s more to it than just that.

In 18 different tests, VMware took top honors in 11, most notably in the graphics benchmarks. Performance margins were typically pretty close and as a whole, Parallels tends to do best in CPU-related tests where VMware does best in graphics-related tests.

The general trend of CPU versus graphics runs throughout their tests. Parallels tends to boot faster than VMware, transfer files faster, and saves battery life better than VMware. In turn, VMware benchmarks much higher for 3D graphics and for gaming, especially with OpenGL. VirtualBox consistently lags behind in both CPU and 3D performance.

Parallels for mac support. Parallels Desktop for Mac allows you to seamlessly run both Windows and Mac OS X applications side-by-side with speed, control and confidence. Click below for frequently asked questions, documentation and other helpful tools to get the answers you need.

The Verdict: VirtualBox for a Free, Bare-Bones Experience. VMware or Parallels for an Easy-to-Use, More Integrated One

Parallels For Mac Stuck On Loading

If you just need Windows to run that one old app that doesn’t require a ton of 3D rendering or other complicated processing, VirtualBox is what you want. Beyond that, feature-wise, the two paid options are very similar, and the difference is mainly price and how many Macs you need to install on. If you’re planning on running anything in 3D or want to install Windows on more than one Mac, then go with VMware. If you’re more interested in productivity software and battery life, and don’t mind the one Mac restriction, then Parallels is your best bet.

Parallels For Mac Review

All of this changes from year to year, too. Parallels and VMware both require that you buy an annual license every year to get updates that pack in performance gains and feature improvements. These annual updates are great in theory, but they’re not cheap, and they come every year without fail. This is a bit tiresome, especially when they lock out newer versions of Windows behind those paid upgrades. Provided you don’t need to be on the cutting edge, they’re usually pretty incremental, though, and you’re okay skipping one or two—as long as a new version of Windows doesn’t come out.

Regardless, the good news here is that while VirtualBox is free, even VMware Fusion and Parallels have trial periods so you can check them all out. We definitely recommend doing so before you drop the cash. You don’t have to try out all three options, but if your needs are pretty limited, start with VirtualBox before considering VMware or Parallels.

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