I read through your splendid tutorial on installing Windows XP with Apple’s Boot Camp product (see boot camp help) but that’s not for me. I don’t want to have to reboot each time I want to try something out with a Windows app on my Mac. I’ve read about something called the Parallels Desktop and am hoping you can explain how to install it and how to use it so I can run Windows in parallel with Mac OS X? Thanks.
I have to admit, I’ve been using Macs since the digital stone age and still get frustrated that I have to buy PCs so I can run Windows with any decent results. I’ve run Microsoft’s Virtual PC, for example, but it’s a dog and even when you have lots of patience it’s pretty difficult to work within that environment even if you have the most powerful computer and least demanding application.
Further, I think that Apple’s Boot Camp program is incredibly smart and have been dual booting Macs for quite a while, though usually into different flavors of Linux or related. I even had my tri-booting Mac laptop make it to the cover of a Linux magazine!
Still, though, the idea of running Windows — or another OS — within Mac OS X through what’s called a “virtual machine” or “virtualization” solution, is too good to miss. That’s why I was thrilled when Parallels released its Parallels Desktop, a full Windows-capable virtualization package for less than $80. Nice!
Just like with Apple’s Boot Camp, there are some specific requirements that you need to meet before you can use Parallels Desktop, however, chief among them the requirement that you have an Intel-based Macintosh. You’ll also want at least a few gig of free disk space and at least 1GB of memory for performance reasons. They also recommend you have the very latest version of Mac OS X, which is easily done with the Software Update capability on the Macs.
Let’s Get Started!
Your first step isn’t to download the application, believe it or not, but rather to decide whether you want to get a free 15-day product key or go ahead and buy the program and get a full product key. I suggest the latter, honestly, because it’s very cool and well worth the money. Now, download Parallels Desktop.
Once you get the 23MB disk image, open it up and you’ll see a pretty typical set of icons:
Don’t just click on the installer, however. Spend a few minutes reading through the User Guide included to double-check that everything’s compatible with your configuration. Then you’ll find that the installer is quite typical of Mac installers, with a license to accept, a hard disk to select for the installation target, and a few buttons to click. It’s so typical I’m not going to even include a screenshot here!
Once the installation is finished, it’s time to start the application, which you’ll find in a folder called “Parallels” in your Application directory. Click on the program and you’ll see a rather intimidating first screen:
Don’t panic. Instead, click on the “New VM…” button on the bottom left to launch the New VM Wizard. (VM = virtual machine, remember).
This will help you through the steps necessary to create a new “virtual” computer that will let you install the operating system of your choice, Microsoft Windows XP.
Your first decision will be to determine if you want to create a typical VM, create a custom VM, or create a blank VM:
As the wizard recommends, I also encourage you to choose the default configuration. It’s easy to tweak things afterwards, after all.
Since we’re doing a default configuration, we need to specify the OS type and version:
Poke around here a bit, you’ll be astonished at the number of different operating systems the Parallels Desktop supports!! Oh, and not to state anything too obvious, but remember that these are just default preferences. You still need the OS itself for installation.
Almost done with the Wizard.
You need to specify the name of your virtual machine, and where it should be stored on your disk:
Since this is your first VM, Parallels will need to create some directories too, as you’ll quickly learn:
No worries. Click “OK” and the virtual machine for Windows XP will be created and ready to install.
Ready to Install
Ah, well, we’re almost ready to install, as you can now see when you quit the Wizard and get back to the main Parallels Desktop view:
What’s wrong? Too little memory (RAM) allocated for my tastes. Easily fixed, by clicking on the word “Memory”, which takes you to the darn useful Configuration Editor:
Slide the control along to the recommended amount (or more, your call), and we’re finally ready to roll!
Installing Windows XP, Really
The first step to actually installing an OS is to insert the Windows install CD (DVD, actually) into your computer, then push the “play” button (rightward-facing triangle) in Parallels to start up the program with the new VM system. The system will prompt for a Parallels Desktop license code (which you did remember to request, right?). Enter that, and after a minute or two, your screen will look like this as you’re welcomed to the Windows XP Setup program:
This should already seem pretty cool if you’re a Mac person, because this is running within Mac OS X , yeah!
Now you can step through the standard steps of a Windows XP install in fairly short order:
You can work with the one unpartitioned space as-is, and when you get to the next screen I recommend you choose NTFS rather than FAT so that you have a higher performance Windows virtual machine. Note, however, that FAT is the file system that Mac OS X can more easily navigate if you want to actually access files within the Parallels virtual partition.
Continuing along…
Somehow, “exciting new look” probably isn’t intended to refer to the fact that we’re installing Windows XP within the Mac OS X environment, but it’s amusing nonetheless, isn’t it?
At this point you’ll go through some rudimentary Windows XP configuration questions, about language, region, and related. Finally, you’ll hit the second of the legal interludes in this process:
If you don’t have a valid product key for Windows XP (or whatever OS you’re installing) you’ll be stuck here, though you can try running for the 30 days allowed before you have to register your OS product.
A few more simple configuration options about timezone, current date and time, and you’re finally into the installation phase of Windows XP, which can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. I don’t have the patience to time it, so I’m not sure. Instead, it’s a great time for a chai break at Starbucks 🙂
When I come back, Windows is mostly installed and it’s just a matter of specifying a few more configuration changes. One thing that happens is that the virtual machine reboots itself and then automatically adjusts the screen resolution to escape the 640×480 hell that we were confined to for the initial installation process. Now we get a glorious Windows logo and boot screen within Parallels Desktop itself:
Now you need to do just a wee bit more Windows configuration, including what I consider a critical step:
You always want to select “automatic update” unless you’re a complete Windows guru and know exactly what you’re doing.
Next you’ll need to indicate if you want to register your version of Windows XP with Microsoft. If you’re going to use this for a long period of time, you might as well do that. Otherwise, select “no” and you’ll be reminded later when you’re perhaps ready to do so.
That’s basically all there is to it. We’re done. In just a few seconds Windows XP reboots and you end up with the familiar background screen, task bar, START button, and much more. All within the world of Mac OS X. Sweet indeed:
It’s not quite as snappy as Apple’s Boot Camp, as I’d expect, but it’s certainly a big improvement over the old sluggish world of Virtual PC.
That should get you going with Parallels Desktop. Questions? You might want to check out the Parallels Blog or pop into the Parallels Forum where users and developers compare notes.
Hope you’re up and running. I know that I’m delighted to have Parallels Desktop on my computer, finally.
Oh, and once you do have it running, don’t forget to also install Parallels Tools, a must-include package of utilities. Learn how here: Install Parallels Tools on Intel Mac .
[…] How do I install Windows XP on my Mac with Parallels … – I have installed the Parallel Program onto my Mac version 10.6.8. The people at the Mac store helped me to download Windows 7 at the same time. […]
i have a problem regarding may macbook i try to install windows xp on my laptop but can’t run this ..huhuhu how to resolve my problem please guide me via email if how to install windows xp to mac please reply asap to my email joey_manuel19@yahoo.com..thanks
Hi Dave,
You answer was great.
I have a Mac book Air with 10.8.1 OS and installed with Parallel have windows 7 running.
Now i want to install windows XP also with parallel (as some of my old software work only on xp).
I tried to install this with parrllel with Windows xp CD but it gives error while installing :-
“There is no operating system installed in this virtual machine. Please insert an operating system installation CD into the optical drive of your Mac and restart the virtual machine.
”
As i have mac book air i have the usb cd drive connected, with windows xp instalation CD and it starts installation and asks for the serial key and gives above error.
Can you help me.
Appreciate your help.
hi dave my friend just bought a new mac and is opening a new salon the os format is on a windows so he purchased the parallel 7 and is going to instal it but has no cd for windows7, is it safe to download the software from downloads.com and burn it from my mac onto a dvd will he still run into the licensing issue is there any way to get around this?
Appreciate all your hard work, Dave. I have a 24″ iMac running 10.6.8 and Parallels 4.0. I have XP Pro with SP1. Everything runs as it should. I have been trying to upgrade to SP2 without any success. I get to the Windows XP SP2 Setup Wizard and cannot get past the “Inspecting your current configuration” window.
My virtual hard drives are as follows:
Local Disk (C:) 7.79GB 850MB
Local Disk (E:) 31.2GB 30.7GB
I do not even know why or how I got an E drive and would like to get rid of it and add the memory to the C drive. When I try to increase the size of the C drive using the Parallels instructions, it appears to be doing what is suppose to be doing, but nothing changes.
I would be grateful for any help you could give me.
Marc
I have installed the Parallel Program onto my Mac version 10.6.8. The people at the Mac store helped me to download Windows 7 at the same time. I have been trying to navigate back and forth as I haven’t used Windows in years. I am at a point now that the Windows screen is locked . . it’s like it’s trying to shut down but never leaves the screen. Geez . . any suggestions? I can’t access Windows at all now
I do not have a dvd rom. can i copy XP into a usb
thumbdrive and do installation?
Thank you so much! Ive been spending the last two days trying to get my comp to read the dam windows files, bootcamp was requiring a dvd with the disk image which for some reason my computer was unable to make right, I only had single disks not double which is what i think the problem was.
Paralles made it possible to istall with only the .iso file
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Hi Dave!
Your write up on installing Parallels and windows on a Mac is fantastic, I have a question, I have a 2002 XP Pro. DVD with Service Pack 1 embedded, I also have a seperate installation Cd with Service Pack 2 on. From what I have read I cannot succesfully install XP with service pack 1, it has to include service Pack 3, is this so? If this is the case, can you suggest the best method to use.
Also is it possible to go from service Pack 1 straight to service pack 3? or do you have to install two then three?
Thanks
Stuart Barker.
Hello I bought a Mac Mini 2010-11 version and would like to install Parallels and XP, so that I can run my external blu ray player. Would that be possible to run the two at the same time? OSX and XP? Will it recognize my extrenal blu ray player on Win XP?
Running OSX Snow latest.
External Blu ray RW LGbp06lu10
Awesome tutorial… Thanks so much for doing this and showing me step by step how to setup Windows XP in Parallels. I have XP on dual boot, but I would like to be able to not have to dual boot so this is great. Hopefully I can install XP using the same disk I used on the BootCamp side… I would prefer to not have to either get a new disk or erase the Bootcamp version. Thanks again.
I have messed up my install using bootcamp
I cant re pull my mac os up.
Then It doesnt recognize any HD to reinstall my mac os x diskon a hd Absolutley nothing in the coninue field- How do i get it to recognixe a hd?
can i install windows 7 on my mac using parallels ?
Well this is a rookie question…..How do i switch the platforms?….i mean:if i want to use the windows and i’m running the machintosh…how i do this?
Sorry for my english..
Thanks
I had an error in parallels using Windows XP. I would like to remove XP and reinstall it again. First how do I remove it safely from parallels without hurting my Mac? Then do I just install it like I did the first time? Will I lose any of my personal files doing any of this?
Dave,
I have been using Boot Camp and windows on my Imac. I tire of rebooting to the windows partition. I would like to use Parallels. Do I need to reinstall Windows outside the partition or will parallels be able to use windows from within the Mac OS?
Thanks.
-Greg
Hi Dave
I need to run some windows applications on my Mac, hence Im thinking in the parallel system instalation. I dont like windows due to all those nasty viruses. What would happen if I instal it. Would i have virus problems on my mac. Or it would be as usual-NO VIRUS
Thanks
I want to install Parallels and XP on my Mac. I was told I need to call Microsoft and delicense an XP disc that I still have from an older Laptop. I actually have the XP disc still in the plastic wrapping that it was packaged in but I am wondering where I find the Product Key code? Do I need to get one from Microsoft?
sir
i have an apple mac book i G4
i had lost my password & airport conction
pls halp me
I got it all set up and working. Then I tried to connect my Macbook Pro to my HDTV using mini display to vga and vga to hdmi cables and every time I would try to move my windows screen over it would not move. Then after a few tries my macbook froze and when I restarted I had to re-set up the whole parallels software. Can I not convert to a larger screen or was it a fluke?
P.S. Hi Dave, Catherine again, from the previous post. I have XP Home, Version 2002, Service Pack 3. If it matters… Oh, and a valid product code too! Thanks, C
Hello Dave!
At this point, 13th of May 2010, I wish to run my own copy of Windows XP, parallel to the Mac OS, without having to reboot. I have a copy of XP which came with my Dell computer nine years ago. I upgraded with SP2 at some point, possibly even to SP3…
Do I install using my own copy of XP, use Parallel 5 and see how I do? Or do I need to buy a new copy of XP off amazon or something?
The guy at the Mac store said it would be a “walk in the park” to use my own XP OS alongside the Mac OS, but then I think he really wanted to sell me a Mac.
The only reason I want to use XP is that I have a few familiar, favourite music and midi making programmes which do things that I don’t want to use garageband for…and my daughter uses MSN. Seems a complex solution to a very simple problem. Furthermore, to re-download these free, simple programmes, I would need to go online through XP, would I not? This practice has been strongly discouraged. Seemingly I will get a nasty virus the second I go online through XP.
Anyway, Dave, thanks for any up-to-the-minute advice you may have for me! You are a legend.
Cheers
Catherine
Hi,
Does Microsoft Windows already come with Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac? … or do I need to buy Windows 7 and Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac?
Please let me know~~!
Thanks
Hi,
I want to install Windows 7 OS for the first time in my iMac. Please note that I run Snow Leopard OS and now I have to get Windows Interface and I am thinking to get Win7 and use the parallel desktop 5 for MAC. My question, is installing Win 7 (64-Bit) a good idea instead of WinXP ?
dave
i am having trouble installing a video game on my computer what do i do to install it?
Dave –
First, thank you very much for what you are doing here!
I need to run a financial software package on my new 21″ iMac.
So far, I have succeeded in migrating virtually everything I had on my AOpen Windows XP machine to the new Mac: my MS Office documents, contacts, emails, internet favorites, etc, thanks in large part to Apple’s great i-2-1 support.
I am now trying to complete the last piece: my Quicken Home & Business 2009 functions, which I wish I could replace with a comparable Mac-based financial package. I have yet to find one.
This is forcing me to consider Parallels 5.0 with Windows XP, much as I would love to leave Windows far behind.
I have a Licensed copy of XP SP2. Though not OEM, the disk clearly states: “For distribution with a new PC only. For product support contact the manufacturer of your PC.” It was installed locally by the AOpen vendor on a machine built to my specs. I have used it in the past to reinstall Windows on that machine.
I read your 1/21/10 response to Caleb. Since I registered my software with Microsoft, you seem to be saying that I will not be able to use it on my iMac, even though I am decommissioning my PC.
If so, where can I get a free standing copy of XP, preferably w/ SP3? And how much should I expect to pay?
I also need to be confident that a USB connected HP Deskjet will work in both the Mac and Windows environments.
I would welcome you suggestions, including Mac compatible financial software.
Tad
Hi Dave, the document about installing windows xp etc via parallels is fab, but how do you uninstall both windows xp and parallels should you need to to re-install for example
Thanks
I am upgrading from Parallels 3 to 5 (WinXP), on a MBPro running Leopard. During the upgrade, the Parallels Desktop window is hanging at the “Step 2 of 4 – Searching for New Devices” window. The progress bar is still rotating, but not progressing, and the flash animations within the window are cycling repeatedly. When I try to close the program either by closing the window or forcing quit from the Dock, I get an error message that I cannot close the window until the upgrade is complete. The program has been hanging for about 30 minutes now. What am I doing wrong? Thanks, Linda
Of all the reports on Parallels 5 on the web, some are blithering gibberish, but you are concise, clear, informative and to the point. Thankyou.
bhm
Kim, I just purchased an iMac and have researched the same thing that you’re asking. The bottom line Is Parallel 5 will not use the OEM version of Windows XP. You need to be using the full version of Windows XP Professional SP1,SP2 or SP3 the full version. I could not find the SP three versions so I went with the SP to version. I found mine on buy.com and used Robobargins as the supplier. The cost was around $232. I haven’t loaded it yet so I can’t tell you if there’s any problems with it. I’m having some people come out to set my computer up as I’m physically disabled and can’t do it myself. But everything I’ve read from many of the software companies say that you cannot use the OEM version it must be the full version and hence the higher cost. Good luck to you let me know how you do it’s going to be about two weeks before I’m able to set up my computer but I’ll try to remember to address my experience on this site.
I purchased parallel’s and have a copy of windows xp that I want to install on my macbook. I was told that I must have a copy of xp that already has service pack 2 is this true?
Dave…..Thanks for your blog. Lots of good info here. Would love to purchase parallels and run windows, but your blog indicates xp mce 2005 will not work with parallels.
I read online that xp mce(single disc) could be slipstreamed to sp3. I have this version of xp, have not yet attempted the slipstream. My xp came with my Gateway PC. I have product key that came with it. I also am using osx on new 27″ i5 imac 4gb ram. If successful in slipstreaming, would I be able to use this disc in parallels or any other program.
Paint Shop Pro 7 is the only reason I am going to run Windows, I have tested pse 8,acorn,photoline, etc to no avail, all found lacking.
Alternate suggestions appreciated.
I had a problem when installaing parallels on my new Mac Pro with setting up internet access.
On installing parallels I got totally confused and ended up stopping file sharing which enabled the Mac to be set up for airport. But I forgot the password I used in parallels and now cannot access the .psf files because I have forgotten the password I used. How do I reset this or do I have to totally uninstall parallels (and XP) before I can use again? It keeps asking for the p/w for the .psf files now.
huntermf, my experience was that you can’t even get a pre-SP2 version of XP to install, so there’s no way to “install it then run an update”.
Caleb, if it hasn’t yet registered with Microsoft, then theoretically you haven’t used up your license yet, but once your system checks in with the corporate servers, I believe it associates your license with a specific CPU ID and that license is used up.
Sandy, I am guessing that the OS you bought was through Amazon but from a third-party fulfillment service, not Amazon itself. What you got is not intended as a standalone OS and if I were you, I’d send it back and ask them to send you a standard end-customer version of Windows.
I have been trying to get someone to tell me what version of Windows XP to install on my Mac. I recently purchased the OS from Amazon and thought I was getting the one I needed but when it arrived, the package had a red warning sticker on it saying, ” WARNING: By opening this package you agree that you have read and understood the Microsoft OEM System Builders License affixed to this package and agree to its terms and conditions.”
What is a OEM System Builders Pack which it says is “Intended for system builders ONLY” and can I use it or do I need to return to Amazon? IF so, then what one should I buy? Thanks … I tried for 2 hours to find a phone number on MicroSoft’s website to no avail! Now I know why I like Macs better.
I have a question. i was installing office home and student 2007 on my acer travel mate 4200. and it shut down randomly half way through installation. Will this use up 1 of my licences?
My copy of XP Home was prior to SP1,2,& 3. Can I use my XP disk and then download the updates? Do I need those updates on the Mac? Or, is there a way to put XP SP3 on flash drive and use that? Thanks!
Hi Dave and friends,
I’m facing a problem with the update of windwows XP, sp2 using parallels 5 wih error code 0x8007000D. Any suggestions??
kind regards lido
Naseem, nope, you can’t do that. VMWare Fusion lets you run Windows and Linux operating systems within the Mac OS X world, but there’s nothing I’m aware of that lets you run Mac applications on a PC / within Windows.
Hi my name is naseem rashid.I saw VMware Fusion.Iliked the software,but i have some question
before buying the sofware.I`m using window xp service pack 2.My question is that can i install WMware Fusion in windows xp so that it will convert into Mac os x system and can i run all mac application in windows xp with the help of WMware Fusion.Is there any other software which can convert windows xp windows 7 or window vista into mac and i can run all windows (PC) application on mac.Please tell me all this things if yes so i will buy it and please tell the price also.Thank you.
Steve, you can try reinstalling WinXP over a previous installation to see if it’ll fix things, but it might make more sense to just start over with a fresh install. Good luck either way!
For anyone experiencing problems with Parallels 4 and Snow Leopard, my understanding is that you need Parallels 5:
http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/whyswitch/upgrade/
Hi,
Using Intel Mac with Parallels desktop.
my windows xp is corrupted. It says
system 321 into skrnl.exe
Do I need to replace Windows xp entirely?
If so, do need to uninstall it first? or can I just install in on top of the corrupted one?
Thanks
Steve
Aaron, yes, it’s a full standard Windows environment that’s running in its own little universe within Mac OS X, so if you install applications, change your configuration, alter your desktop image, etc., it’ll all be persistent until you change it yet again.
Mike, yeah, well, “not a valid Parallels virtual machine” is a bit of a nightmare. What you should do is see if you can find a “.hdd” file that’s the image of the hard drive. Move it to your desktop or similar, then create a new virtual machine and when it’s configured and running, replace its new .hdd file with the old one. According to the Parallels folk, that’s the workaround. And, yes, it’s ugly. Good luck.
I have been running Parallels Desktop 3.0 for about two years on my Macbook. Now I can’t get my Parallel program to open. I get the following error message:
File /Users/user/Documents/Parallels/Microsoft Windows Vista/Microsoft Windows Vista.pvs seems to be not a valid Parallels virtual machine configuration file!
Any help would be greatly appreciated.