i switched my work computer to a mac - but i still want to run windows simaltaneously. also, is it possible to take my old pc and retrieve all my files, and office programs?
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questions about paralells 5 / fusion
- Thread starter bclizzle
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Use an external hard drive if you have one. Format it in FAT32, connect to PC, copy files and then connect to Mac and copy files. It works for me.
natallica
macrumors 6502
Although I've never used it, Parallels claims to have a special edition that includes migration tools:
http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/stm/
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http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/stm/
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kernkraft
macrumors 68020
I also have Parallels 5 (although, I haven't installed it on my latest computer) and it was the version that overtook Fusion. However, performance comes at the price of stability. I heard it from many that Fusion is more stable. The latest version might be even faster than Parallels 5, if you can wait a bit.
I have an old version of Parallels (from 2 years ago), and it included a feature that allowed me to "clone" my old PC onto my Mac. It was a great safety net for the PC to Mac conversion, because I could open my old PC on my Mac, and everything was there just like it was. It was also very easy to do - just install Parallels on the Mac, install the migration assistant on the PC, connect the two and let it do its thing.
I'm sure this is still a feature of Parallels, and the latest version is much more powerful. You can now open individual PC apps on your Mac desktop without having to go through Parallels first. That makes me wish that I hadn't bothered to downgrade to Quicken for Mac...
Both vmware and parallels allow you to turn your existing pc into a virtual machine. Vmware's program is called vmconverter, it's a free download. Parallels must have something similar. The migration assistants can be harder to use as they require the pc to allow the mac to access it. Also, making a copy of the pc first lets you redo the install process more easily if there is a problem or you get through it and realize you might prefer a different setup.
Both vmware and parallels have trial periods, I think 30 days, so you can try both. They each have their plusses and minuses. Either one will work fine.
Both vmware and parallels have trial periods, I think 30 days, so you can try both. They each have their plusses and minuses. Either one will work fine.
TheBritishBloke
macrumors 68030
I prefer using Parallels Desktop 5. It works great.
Yes, it is possible to transfer your old PC content to your Mac. Use the Parallels Desktop Switch to Mac Edition http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/stm/features/. Let me know what you think.