New to Parallels (Advice welcome)

[russell_314]

I just installed Parallels Desktop 14 as a trial but I'll probably buy it when the time is up. I have Windows 10 Pro installed. The last time I used it on my old MacBook it was I think Parallels 4/5 with Windows XP. One of the first things I've noticed is it still has Coherence mode... I loved it because I didn't have to click to a window to use Windows so I'm happy it's still here.

I'm just looking for advice on general settings I should change

Should I get antivirus for the Windows, Mac, or both? I use Windows Defender on my PC and currently nothing on my Mac since I'm generally smart about not clicking links, downloading crap, visiting questionable sites etc. Maybe I should rethink this?

The "sharing" settings include iCloud now. Is it a good idea to uncheck that? What do most people keep checked for sharing. I notice you can keep the PC and Mac completely isolated from each other but I'm guessing this isn't necessary.

Just looking for some general advice since I haven't used it in years and prefer to learn from others bad experiences than doing dumb things on my own LOL

 

[mspman]

I just installed Parallels Desktop 14 as a trial but I'll probably buy it when the time is up. I have Windows 10 Pro installed. The last time I used it on my old MacBook it was I think Parallels 4/5 with Windows XP. One of the first things I've noticed is it still has Coherence mode... I loved it because I didn't have to click to a window to use Windows so I'm happy it's still here.

I'm just looking for advice on general settings I should change

Should I get antivirus for the Windows, Mac, or both? I use Windows Defender on my PC and currently nothing on my Mac since I'm generally smart about not clicking links, downloading crap, visiting questionable sites etc. Maybe I should rethink this?

The "sharing" settings include iCloud now. Is it a good idea to uncheck that? What do most people keep checked for sharing. I notice you can keep the PC and Mac completely isolated from each other but I'm guessing this isn't necessary.

Just looking for some general advice since I haven't used it in years and prefer to learn from others bad experiences than doing dumb things on my own LOL

It depends on how you'll use the VM. I use Windows VMs for my client work since most of the software my clients use runs on Windows. If you're good about not clicking on dumb stuff then I would say Windows Defender is sufficient. I don't do anything on my Windows machine but client work, ergo I don't really ever even go out to a website on the open internet.

I usually keep my systems totally isolated except for the network if I need the Windows to access the internet. I do sometimes turn on File Sharing because it's easier to move files between the Mac and Windows.. and it's easier for me to move stuff from my Mac to a Linux machine than it is to go from Windows. But once said files are on my Mac, it's turned off.

Honestly, the iCloud sharing to me is totally unnecessary. If you need to interact with your iCloud stuff, use your Mac. This way it's one less thing that has its hooks into your iCloud. I'm obsessive about keeping that clean too.

 

[russell_314]

It depends on how you'll use the VM. I use Windows VMs for my client work since most of the software my clients use runs on Windows. If you're good about not clicking on dumb stuff then I would say Windows Defender is sufficient. I don't do anything on my Windows machine but client work, ergo I don't really ever even go out to a website on the open internet.

I usually keep my systems totally isolated except for the network if I need the Windows to access the internet. I do sometimes turn on File Sharing because it's easier to move files between the Mac and Windows.. and it's easier for me to move stuff from my Mac to a Linux machine than it is to go from Windows. But once said files are on my Mac, it's turned off.

Honestly, the iCloud sharing to me is totally unnecessary. If you need to interact with your iCloud stuff, use your Mac. This way it's one less thing that has its hooks into your iCloud. I'm obsessive about keeping that clean too.

I turned off the iCloud sharing right away but left the other settings at default. I'll have to go in and check them to see what I can change. In the past I've used it for programs that wouldn't run well or at all on Mac OS. I used to run MS Office and play games. I'm not sure if Parallels is still capable to play games in 2019 and I have MS Office installed on Mac OS so that's not a problem. TBH I don't currently have a need to have it but I figured if I run into something that I can't do on Mac OS I'll have it in case.