parallels 7 on C2D 2GHz, 4Gb Ram, run ok?

[MrMister111]

Hi I've just done a clean install on my 2007 iMac Core 2 Duo 2 GHz, 4Gb RAM using Lion. Previously when I upgraded lion my boot camp partition had Win XP home on and was fine.

However I didn't realise a clean install of Lion wouldn't allow Win XP on boot camp, only Win 7.

So I'm now thinking of getting parallels 7 instead. My iMac specs are the minimum required so will it run ok on my iMac? Its just a basic Win XP SP3 install with MS office 2007 on.

Also I'm thinking it may be better for my wife rather than rebooting just to use parallels. But how easy is it to use? She's none techy at all so do you just click an app on the dock and Windows opens and that's it, you can then use windows as normal as if you were in boot camp?

As I say I'm not bothered about fancy stuff on it etc its just for the wife and kids, also is parallels 7 better than VM fusion?
Cheers

 

[9Benua]

You'll be fine. I have white macbook core 2 duo 2.2, 4gb RAM. I've been running win 7 with Parallel 6. I used the parallel to open MS office. Assigned 1gb ram to your parallel.

 

[MrMister111]

Great thanks. Is it like an app that you just open from your dock, and then quit?
When you say allocate 1Gb, does that then remove that 1Gb from the Mac system?

I won't be using both systems together as such. It's more to allow the wife to use windows when I'm not there

 

[hakuin]

There are different ways of starting Windows apps using Parallels.

I have the Parallels app in my dock. I click on it and it gives me a list of the virtual machines I have 'installed' in Parallels (Windows XP, etc.). I click on one of them to boot it up.

When I am finished using Windows I usually "shutdown" Windows within Parallels before then quitting Parallels. There are other options.

You can have Windows XP run in its own window on OS X, in its own separate screen, or in "Coherence" mode, where the Windows XP apps run like a part of OS X.

In my experience with a similar spec of MacBook, assigning XP just 512 MB of memory is sufficient. The amount is configurable in Parallels. It does remove that memory from use by the Mac system.

 

[ArchiMark]

FWIW, I have a 4 year old MacBook with 2GB RAM and it runs Parallels 6 just fine....no problems....so, you'll be good as other poster said....

Great program....the Coherence mode is very cool, but a bit freaky at first, since OSX and Windows are all one....

 

[MrMister111]

In my experience with a similar spec of MacBook, assigning XP just 512 MB of memory is sufficient. The amount is configurable in Parallels. It does remove that memory from use by the Mac system.

When you say it removes the 512Mb away from the Mac system is this only when it's running parallels with Windows? ie if you have parallels app open the mac system gets -512Mb ram? But when you quit the parallels app, you get all your ram back for your Mac?

Reason I ask is ill only really be using the mac with Lion, or my wife will want to use windows in full screen, we'll now normally want to swap between often
Cheers

 

[elpmas]

Fine, no worries.

 

[hakuin]

When you say it removes the 512Mb away from the Mac system is this only when it's running parallels with Windows? ie if you have parallels app open the mac system gets -512Mb ram? But when you quit the parallels app, you get all your ram back for your Mac?

Yes, it only uses the 512 MB when Windows is running with Parallels.
Running just the Parallels app itself uses about 60 MB. Then, when you boot up Windows, the assigned 512 MB of memory is used to run Windows. Shut down Windows, and you get that memory back.

 

[jkarol3]

Yes, it only uses the 512 MB when Windows is running with Parallels.
Running just the Parallels app itself uses about 60 MB. Then, when you boot up Windows, the assigned 512 MB of memory is used to run Windows. Shut down Windows, and you get that memory back.

In order to get the memory back you need to "stop" parallels windows. If you pick "suspend" the memory does not go back for mac to use. I found this out as my mac was running slow and looking at the activity program I saw Parallels consuming a lot of memory unless completely shut down.

 

[chiefpavvy]

It'll "run" with 4GB but really, get 8GB and save a lot of pain. RAM is so cheap now there's no point in sacrificing. Trying to run 2 modern OS's simultaneously takes a lot of RAM, there's no way around it.

I prefer Fusion to Parallels but that's another thread.