Parallels Install with Bootcamp

[wayne905]

Forgive me if this question has already been asked...but I'm kind of a newbie to to Mac running Windows arena. I'm doing some homework at work in preparation of installing Bootcamp and Parallels when I get home tonight, and want to make sure I install it correctly. I'm installing Win 7 Home Premium 64 bit on my new i7 2012 imac. I want to be able to run Win 7 in Bootcamp when I play games, and run Parallels when I just want to jump over to Win 7 while in OS X and not reboot into Bootcamp (say for example to run Quicken).

So if I understand this correctly, I should install Bootcamp first, then once Win 7 is installed on Bootcamp I then install Parallels...is that right?

If the above is correct, I see from Parallels website that I will be faced with 2 options for install: Option A: Set parallels desktop to run windows from the Bootcamp partition or Option B: Import Windows and your data from BC into parallels desktop. I assume I want Option A...is that correct?

Thanks for any assistance you can provide :-)

[designs216]

The configuration that made the most sense to me was to tell Parallels to run Windows from the Bootcamp partition. That's how I set mine up. My thinking was that if I decide to get rid of Parallels in the future, my Bootcamp partition will still be intact.

[takeshi74]

Originally Posted by wayne905

So if I understand this correctly, I should install Bootcamp first, then once Win 7 is installed on Bootcamp I then install Parallels...is that right?

Yup.

Originally Posted by wayne905

If the above is correct, I see from Parallels website that I will be faced with 2 options for install: Option A: Set parallels desktop to run windows from the Bootcamp partition or Option B: Import Windows and your data from BC into parallels desktop. I assume I want Option A...is that correct?

Yup. Otherwise the imported VM will diverge from your Bootcamp install.

Originally Posted by designs216

My thinking was that if I decide to get rid of Parallels in the future, my Bootcamp partition will still be intact.

That would be true for option B as well.

[wayne905]

Originally Posted by takeshi74

Yup.


Yup. Otherwise the imported VM will diverge from your Bootcamp install.


That would be true for option B as well.

Thanks to you both. I installed it last night without any problem. I was worried that the Option B might possibly require a second Windows 7 license, which i wasn't keen on buying a new one (if it was indeed required)...so I chose Option A...this way I knew I'd be saife with 1 license and besides any change I make on the bootcamp side would be reflected on the Parallels side - which is great. Thanks again for your help.