vm

Install Windows 8 virtually with free software

Don't have a dedicated PC on which to install Windows 8? No problem. Just install the OS virtually on an existing PC using a free virtual machine utility.

Various VM applications will let you install an operating system in a virtual environment on your Windows desktop or laptop. But not all are free and not all support the latest Windows 8 beta.

A product such as VMWare Workstation 8 supports Windows 8 but costs $200. Microsoft's own Windows Virtual PC is free but won't accept Windows 8 as a guest.

Instead, you can use Oracle's VirtualBox … Read more

Parallels updates ensure virtualization in OS X 10.7 Lion

Following the release of OS X Lion, Parallels issued a few updates for its "Parallels Desktop" virtualization software that allows Windows and other operating systems to be run in tandem with OS X. The latest update for Parallels 6 and Parallels Server (both version 4.0 and the Mac Mini edition) will run on Lion, so if you have these products be sure to install these updates if you have upgraded to Lion.

Parallels encourages people who are upgrading to Lion to keep their Parallels Desktop installations at the latest versions. While older builds and versions of the … Read more

Dock using 100% CPU after OS X 10.6.8 update for Parallels 6 users

After installing the recently released OS X 10.6.8 update for Snow Leopard, many people are finding their systems running a bit slower than usual, and upon checking Activity Monitor are seeing that the Dock process is taking up 100 percent of the CPU. This problem has persisted even after people have reset their Docks by removing the Dock's preferences and database files, in addition to performing other common tasks like running permissions fixes, performing hardware resets, and booting to Safe Mode.

The problem appears to be an incompatibility with Parallels Desktop 6, which has an option to … Read more

Prevent Parallels VM applications from showing in Spotlight

In OS X, Spotlight can be used to locate and open numerous file types, including Applications, which makes it quite useful as a launcher utility. If you set up the menu's display order so that applications are at the top of the list, then instead of accessing your applications through the Dock or through the Finder, with a quick search for part of the name you can have the application launched with a few keystrokes. Though convenient, if you have Parallels desktop installed on your system then you may find application search results showing the available Windows applications instead … Read more

Living in a VM world

The big industry event about virtualization is VMworld, usually held in late Summer / early Fall. You don't have to wait for VMware's conference, however, to find yourself in VM World. We now live in it, every day.

It's really quite amazing how quickly virtualization has swept through, and become ensconced in, IT. Data centers have--for decades--been famously conservative when it comes to introducing changes that might threaten to disrupt production applications. For years, whenever we'd ask operationally focused IT managers about introducing new control software--for workload management, service provisioning, automated orchestration, and so on--we always heard … Read more

Virtualization alternative VirtualBox version 4.0.0 released

Oracle has released a new version of VirtualBox, which is a free virtualization solution similar to offerings by Parallels and VMware that was initially developed by Sun Microsystems before Oracle purchased the company. The release is the next major version of the program, and offers a number of enhancements and bug fixes.

The key new features in the program are the following (see the entire changelog):

Installation reorganization into a base package with extensions Enhanced portability of VMs New VirtualBox Manager GUI that includes guest previews, sorting of VMs, editing of VM settings, and shortcut options for VMs Support for … Read more

MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed from our readers. This week we focus on using a VM image or Boot Camp partition in Parallels, adding alarms to the "Birthdays" calendar in iCal, and getting movies to view on an Apple TV. We continually answer e-mail questions and while we present a few here, we certainly welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: Standalone Virtual Machine or Boot Camp in Parallels?

MacFixIt reader "Jack" asks:

When installing Parallels 6 and Windows … Read more

Hands-on with Parallels 6

I have always loved the idea of running two operating systems in parallel, and the advancements in virtualization technology have been exceptionally intriguing. For the past few days I have had the opportunity to try out the next version of Parallels Desktop, which is available today for public purchase. The latest version has a few small quirks, and I am not able to test it in all configurations or its full capabilities, but overall it does live up to the advertised improvements over the prior version.

Installation

I regularly use virtual machines, though my uses are primarily limited to testing … Read more

Parallels Desktop 6: Better graphics, boot times

Parallels today announced the release of the next major version of its "Parallels Desktop" virtualization software for Mac OS X. Parallels Desktop 6 will be available September 14, and the company is touting it as the "fastest, smartest, and most powerful" version yet of the No. 1 virtual-machine solution for the Mac.

It sounds pretty enticing, so let's see what the new version of the program has.

In Parallels Desktop 6, the company has focused on improving the virtual machine performance, and, according to the company, its 3D graphics performance is nearly 40 percent better … Read more