I hate to be the n00b here, but I'm interested in this product. I have several Windows only programs running on my desktop. If I could run Windows on my Mac just for those few programs, then I could pretty much kiss my desktop goodbye and run my Mac almost exclusively.
So for this product, I assume not only do you need to buy Parallels, but you then have to buy a full version on the Windows product that you want to run? The initial cash requirement seems pricey after purchasing both software products but might be worth it.
I hate to be the n00b here, but I'm interested in this product. I have several Windows only programs running on my desktop. If I could run Windows on my Mac just for those few programs, then I could pretty much kiss my desktop goodbye and run my Mac almost exclusively.
So for this product, I assume not only do you need to buy Parallels, but you then have to buy a full version on the Windows product that you want to run? The initial cash requirement seems pricey after purchasing both software products but might be worth it.
You might be able to image your Windows PC to be able to run it under a virtual machine, Parallels and VMWare both have programs to do this:
That way you wouldn't have to setup your Windows environment again either. Your Windows license might not work but there will be patches to get round that. You can run trials before you buy either version:
So for this product, I assume not only do you need to buy Parallels, but you then have to buy a full version on the Windows product that you want to run? The initial cash requirement seems pricey after purchasing both software products but might be worth it.
If you are looking for a comparatively less expensive and legal route to get Windows, buy the Windows 8 OEM edition (NOT the Windows 8.1 OEM edition) from a reputable reseller like NewEgg. Normally the OEM edition is available only for computers that will be sold. But for Windows 8 and 8 only, Microsoft relaxed its licensing restrictions and gave you the option of enabling a "personal use" license. They reversed course with 8.1, but Windows 8 users can update to Windows 8.1 for free.
Just for the record... I've been running a VM of the developer Yosemite since day one in VMWare, all upgrades too. No issues at all and very fast on my new Mac Pro.
No! I was doing very well with Parallels 9 on my MacBook Pro until I fell for the sales pitch from Parallels about their v10 (the pitch echoed in much of this review). However, careful installation resulted in corruption of my Windows 7, over 10 hours on the phone with 5 Parallels techs ("Level 1 & Level 2", a couple of which were simply idiots). Finally there was no choice but to create a second virtual machine and load all my windows program again ... another 4 hours waisted. Now my windows system still has glitches. It takes significantly longer to boot and shut down windows, and opening Explorer is ridiculously long (I have 8 gigs of RAM dedicated to Windows!). I called Parallels tech support again to try and fix these issues only to be told "It looks fine." All of the above is available for the price of $50 for the upgrade ... what a deal! Stick with Parallels 9. I see absolutely no improvements with Parallels 10, only heartache!
No! I was doing very well with Parallels 9 on my MacBook Pro until I fell for the sales pitch from Parallels about their v10 (the pitch echoed in much of this review). However, careful installation resulted in corruption of my Windows 7, over 10 hours on the phone with 5 Parallels techs ("Level 1 & Level 2", a couple of which were simply idiots). Finally there was no choice but to create a second virtual machine and load all my windows program again ... another 4 hours waisted. Now my windows system still has glitches. It takes significantly longer to boot and shut down windows, and opening Explorer is ridiculously long (I have 8 gigs of RAM dedicated to Windows!). I called Parallels tech support again to try and fix these issues only to be told "It looks fine." All of the above is available for the price of $50 for the upgrade ... what a deal! Stick with Parallels 9. I see absolutely no improvements with Parallels 10, only heartache!
...and restoring Parallels 9 and your previously working Win7 from a TM backup or cloned drive was not an option? Why?
That was the last thing the tech did (time machine backup). . Before that the series of techs insisted they could get v10 to work and I foolishly went along as I was a "loyal customer" for years. Yesterday I downloaded VM Fusion and found it installed very smoothly and I have no issues with my windows programs. Parallels refunded my purchase, leaving me only with much lost time and a bad taste.
That was the last thing the tech did (time machine backup). . Before that the series of techs insisted they could get v10 to work and I foolishly went along as I was a "loyal customer" for years. Yesterday I downloaded VM Fusion and found it installed very smoothly and I have no issues with my windows programs. Parallels refunded my purchase, leaving me only with much lost time and a bad taste.
Why didn't you just roll back to Parallels 9/Win7 on your Mavericks MBP?
Why would you then trouble yourself with a completely different VM?
And how do you know that Parallels 10 wont work with Yosemite, for which it's been upgraded for?
What techs are you talking about? Apple or Parallels? And you got them to stay on the phone for a complete TM backup and rollback? Even though it's like the easiest thing in the world to just explain and do yourself?
Why didn't you just roll back to Parallels 9/Win7 on your Mavericks MBP?
Why would you then trouble yourself with a completely different VM?
And how do you know that Parallels 10 wont work with Yosemite, for which it's been upgraded for?
What techs are you talking about? Apple or Parallels? And you got them to stay on the phone for a complete TM backup and rollback? Even though it's like the easiest thing in the world to just explain and do yourself?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThePixelDoc
Why didn't you just roll back to Parallels 9/Win7 on your Mavericks MBP?
Why would you then trouble yourself with a completely different VM?
And how do you know that Parallels 10 wont work with Yosemite, for which it's been upgraded for?
What techs are you talking about? Apple or Parallels? And you got them to stay on the phone for a complete TM backup and rollback? Even though it's like the easiest thing in the world to just explain and do yourself?
To answer your questions in order: As I said, rolling back is what I did before moving on to Fusion. I installed a "completely different VM" at the insistence of the Parallels techs who were concerned my first install of version 10 corrupted my Windows 7. I don't know version 10 won't work with Yosemite, nor did I say I did (I don't have or want the beta version and you well know Parallels 10 has been on sale long before the release of Yosemite and not designed to work only with Yosemite). Finally, the techs to which I referred were clearly Parallels, not Apple, and I did not have to get them to stay on the phone, they insisted so they could see what was going on. While I am glad some folks found no issues with Parallels 10, there are enough that have had problems such that Parallels expressed concern. Nothing is perfect and my case is apparently not an exception.
While a Parallels customer for many years and through many versions, I am frankly happy with my switch to VMware Fusion 7.
Why didn't you just roll back to Parallels 9/Win7 on your Mavericks MBP? Why would you then trouble yourself with a completely different VM? And how do you know that Parallels 10 wont work with Yosemite, for which it's been upgraded for? What techs are you talking about? Apple or Parallels? And you got them to stay on the phone for a complete TM backup and rollback? Even though it's like the easiest thing in the world to just explain and do yourself?
I should just probably let this go without responding, however... there are many people that come to these forums looking for answers rather than dead-end threads with no solutions. I also work with and install Parallels for many clients, and have not updated any of them to P-10 and won't be probably until the new year. The initial early-bird sales pitch to purchase new versions has been done for years. I always wait, and based on past experience, you'll be able to get the same deal or better around March.
The chronology didn't work so I rearranged your answers.
I installed a "completely different VM" at the insistence of the Parallels techs who were concerned my first install of version 10 corrupted my Windows 7.
OK. That's normal procedure. You/they pulled a copy of a backed-up VM, and reinstalled/imported it to Parallels 10. May I ask what happened? Did the new VM also become corrupted in P-10?
Finally, the techs to which I referred were clearly Parallels, not Apple, and I did not have to get them to stay on the phone, they insisted so they could see what was going on.
Sorry, it wasn't clear to me... and it does make a huge difference whether Apple or Parallels techs were assisting you. What did they say when Parallels 10 corrupted the second VM install of your backed up Win 7. Parallels has been known to say some pretty stupid things in the past, so I'm curious.
I don't know version 10 won't work with Yosemite, nor did I say I did (I don't have or want the beta version and you well know Parallels 10 has been on sale long before the release of Yosemite and not designed to work only with Yosemite).
Maybe it wasn't designed to ONLY work with Yosemite, but I imagine a number of advantages to upgrading will only become apparent when Yosemite is available.
Personal opinion, but if it wasn't broke and you were happy (you said so), why fix it... more to the point, why upgrade at this time? What were the main reasons you were upgrading early for? Price?
To answer your questions in order: As I said, rolling back is what I did before moving on to Fusion.
So after working with the Parallels tech support, you had a perfectly working Parallels 9-Windows 7 VM... just as it was before upgrading to P-10?
Why did you decide to purchase (~$60.00) and move to VMWare Fusion then, if you were previously happy with P9 and Win7 in Mavericks?
While I am glad some folks found no issues with Parallels 10, there are enough that have had problems such that Parallels expressed concern. Nothing is perfect and my case is apparently not an exception.
Again that points me to the question I asked previously: WHY upgrade NOW? What were you hoping to gain? Was it their advertising in any way that swayed you to think you would gain for example, more speed, smoother performance, etc. with Mavericks? Was it only to be ready when Yosemite is available?**** Was it the price?
While a Parallels customer for many years and through many versions, I am frankly happy with my switch to VMware Fusion 7.
I'm happy you're happy. But it still doesn't answer why you switched to Fusion if what I bolded above is also true and you were able to recover your working installation.
Sorry... but I'm a bit surprised at your methodology of how you get from being happy with a product that you've used for years, and it's working again as good as it ever was... to then deciding to jump to a complete unknown product. I'm NOT saying that Fusion isn't a good VM tool, because it is. But why spend money on something that can also be unstable once you upgrade to Yosemite... or could have also failed?
***At your skill level of troubleshooting your Mac, I would suggest not upgrading immediately to Yosemite. This is especially if you must work and be productive with a Boot Camp or a VM Windows installation, whether Parallels, Fusion or VirtualBox doesn't matter in this case. Apple does their best, but it stands to reason that Windows compatibility takes a back seat to Apple getting their native OSX working first. This also goes for those that must access Windows servers or services of any kind.
NOTE: I'm not putting you down in any way, but it appears that you're not the type that will have a good experience upgrading anything on a dot-zero release and working around or troubleshooting the inevitable bugs that pop up. Better to play it save... be patient... and wait out the "release testing" phase for dot-one.
To be fair, they usually do provide a final release that allows compatibility, but you're right, a new major release is required to take advantage of new host OS features. Earlier this year I felt compelled to upgrade from 8 to 9 because full-screen support in v8 was terrible. So yes, I paid $50 per Mac so I could take advantage of full-screen mode with multiple displays. Better battery life and quicker snapshot creation would be great, but I doubt the real-world benefits would be close to the (up to) 30% better battery and (up to) 60% faster snapshot creation they claim. Shame, because my battery life drops to about 40% of what I normally get when I have a VM running (which is most of the time). Instead of 6 hours, I average 2-3 hours.
I've been using Parallels 8 since it was released and I had nothing but great results with it... even full-screen support. Everything has worked perfectly.
I'm also not happy about them forcing an upgrade when it is not really needed. I don't believe that their software wouldn't work with each upgrade to OS X. I believe they intentionally write their code so that it will not function with a new release of OS X. Their software works great, but it seems to be a big scam to me. Someone needs to get the FTC involved. I say that because I haven't used a single piece of software, except for Parallels, that will not function when OS X is upgraded.
I am currently running parallels 7 and I want to upgrade to parallels 10. I realize I need to buy the full version to make this jump, but is there anything I need to worry about with my existing windows software? Will I need to reinstall my windows programs? Parallels says there is no need to reinstall anything if upgrading from 8 or 9, but its not clear about upgrading from older versions.
Comments
I hate to be the n00b here, but I'm interested in this product. I have several Windows only programs running on my desktop. If I could run Windows on my Mac just for those few programs, then I could pretty much kiss my desktop goodbye and run my Mac almost exclusively.
So for this product, I assume not only do you need to buy Parallels, but you then have to buy a full version on the Windows product that you want to run? The initial cash requirement seems pricey after purchasing both software products but might be worth it.
You might be able to image your Windows PC to be able to run it under a virtual machine, Parallels and VMWare both have programs to do this:
http://kb.parallels.com/uk/115007
http://www.vmware.com/products/converter
That way you wouldn't have to setup your Windows environment again either. Your Windows license might not work but there will be patches to get round that. You can run trials before you buy either version:
https://www.parallels.com/eu/products/desktop/download/
http://www.vmware.com/try-vmware
It would help to clean up the desktop first so that the image created isn't huge e.g remove any unneeded software and remove temp files.
So for this product, I assume not only do you need to buy Parallels, but you then have to buy a full version on the Windows product that you want to run? The initial cash requirement seems pricey after purchasing both software products but might be worth it.
If you are looking for a comparatively less expensive and legal route to get Windows, buy the Windows 8 OEM edition (NOT the Windows 8.1 OEM edition) from a reputable reseller like NewEgg. Normally the OEM edition is available only for computers that will be sold. But for Windows 8 and 8 only, Microsoft relaxed its licensing restrictions and gave you the option of enabling a "personal use" license. They reversed course with 8.1, but Windows 8 users can update to Windows 8.1 for free.
...and restoring Parallels 9 and your previously working Win7 from a TM backup or cloned drive was not an option? Why?
Why didn't you just roll back to Parallels 9/Win7 on your Mavericks MBP?
Why would you then trouble yourself with a completely different VM?
And how do you know that Parallels 10 wont work with Yosemite, for which it's been upgraded for?
What techs are you talking about? Apple or Parallels? And you got them to stay on the phone for a complete TM backup and rollback? Even though it's like the easiest thing in the world to just explain and do yourself?
Why didn't you just roll back to Parallels 9/Win7 on your Mavericks MBP?
Why would you then trouble yourself with a completely different VM?
And how do you know that Parallels 10 wont work with Yosemite, for which it's been upgraded for?
What techs are you talking about? Apple or Parallels? And you got them to stay on the phone for a complete TM backup and rollback? Even though it's like the easiest thing in the world to just explain and do yourself?
Why didn't you just roll back to Parallels 9/Win7 on your Mavericks MBP?
Why would you then trouble yourself with a completely different VM?
And how do you know that Parallels 10 wont work with Yosemite, for which it's been upgraded for?
What techs are you talking about? Apple or Parallels? And you got them to stay on the phone for a complete TM backup and rollback? Even though it's like the easiest thing in the world to just explain and do yourself?
To answer your questions in order: As I said, rolling back is what I did before moving on to Fusion. I installed a "completely different VM" at the insistence of the Parallels techs who were concerned my first install of version 10 corrupted my Windows 7. I don't know version 10 won't work with Yosemite, nor did I say I did (I don't have or want the beta version and you well know Parallels 10 has been on sale long before the release of Yosemite and not designed to work only with Yosemite). Finally, the techs to which I referred were clearly Parallels, not Apple, and I did not have to get them to stay on the phone, they insisted so they could see what was going on. While I am glad some folks found no issues with Parallels 10, there are enough that have had problems such that Parallels expressed concern. Nothing is perfect and my case is apparently not an exception.
While a Parallels customer for many years and through many versions, I am frankly happy with my switch to VMware Fusion 7.
I should just probably let this go without responding, however... there are many people that come to these forums looking for answers rather than dead-end threads with no solutions. I also work with and install Parallels for many clients, and have not updated any of them to P-10 and won't be probably until the new year. The initial early-bird sales pitch to purchase new versions has been done for years. I always wait, and based on past experience, you'll be able to get the same deal or better around March.
The chronology didn't work so I rearranged your answers.
OK. That's normal procedure. You/they pulled a copy of a backed-up VM, and reinstalled/imported it to Parallels 10. May I ask what happened? Did the new VM also become corrupted in P-10?
Sorry, it wasn't clear to me... and it does make a huge difference whether Apple or Parallels techs were assisting you. What did they say when Parallels 10 corrupted the second VM install of your backed up Win 7. Parallels has been known to say some pretty stupid things in the past, so I'm curious.
Maybe it wasn't designed to ONLY work with Yosemite, but I imagine a number of advantages to upgrading will only become apparent when Yosemite is available.
Personal opinion, but if it wasn't broke and you were happy (you said so), why fix it... more to the point, why upgrade at this time? What were the main reasons you were upgrading early for? Price?
So after working with the Parallels tech support, you had a perfectly working Parallels 9-Windows 7 VM... just as it was before upgrading to P-10?
Why did you decide to purchase (~$60.00) and move to VMWare Fusion then, if you were previously happy with P9 and Win7 in Mavericks?
Again that points me to the question I asked previously: WHY upgrade NOW? What were you hoping to gain? Was it their advertising in any way that swayed you to think you would gain for example, more speed, smoother performance, etc. with Mavericks? Was it only to be ready when Yosemite is available?**** Was it the price?
I'm happy you're happy. But it still doesn't answer why you switched to Fusion if what I bolded above is also true and you were able to recover your working installation.
Sorry... but I'm a bit surprised at your methodology of how you get from being happy with a product that you've used for years, and it's working again as good as it ever was... to then deciding to jump to a complete unknown product. I'm NOT saying that Fusion isn't a good VM tool, because it is. But why spend money on something that can also be unstable once you upgrade to Yosemite... or could have also failed?
***At your skill level of troubleshooting your Mac, I would suggest not upgrading immediately to Yosemite. This is especially if you must work and be productive with a Boot Camp or a VM Windows installation, whether Parallels, Fusion or VirtualBox doesn't matter in this case. Apple does their best, but it stands to reason that Windows compatibility takes a back seat to Apple getting their native OSX working first. This also goes for those that must access Windows servers or services of any kind.
NOTE: I'm not putting you down in any way, but it appears that you're not the type that will have a good experience upgrading anything on a dot-zero release and working around or troubleshooting the inevitable bugs that pop up. Better to play it save... be patient... and wait out the "release testing" phase for dot-one.
To be fair, they usually do provide a final release that allows compatibility, but you're right, a new major release is required to take advantage of new host OS features. Earlier this year I felt compelled to upgrade from 8 to 9 because full-screen support in v8 was terrible. So yes, I paid $50 per Mac so I could take advantage of full-screen mode with multiple displays. Better battery life and quicker snapshot creation would be great, but I doubt the real-world benefits would be close to the (up to) 30% better battery and (up to) 60% faster snapshot creation they claim. Shame, because my battery life drops to about 40% of what I normally get when I have a VM running (which is most of the time). Instead of 6 hours, I average 2-3 hours.
I've been using Parallels 8 since it was released and I had nothing but great results with it... even full-screen support. Everything has worked perfectly.
I'm also not happy about them forcing an upgrade when it is not really needed. I don't believe that their software wouldn't work with each upgrade to OS X. I believe they intentionally write their code so that it will not function with a new release of OS X. Their software works great, but it seems to be a big scam to me. Someone needs to get the FTC involved. I say that because I haven't used a single piece of software, except for Parallels, that will not function when OS X is upgraded.
I am currently running parallels 7 and I want to upgrade to parallels 10. I realize I need to buy the full version to make this jump, but is there anything I need to worry about with my existing windows software? Will I need to reinstall my windows programs? Parallels says there is no need to reinstall anything if upgrading from 8 or 9, but its not clear about upgrading from older versions.