bootcamp or parallels

The newer versions of Parallels support multi processors. You are correct boot camp gives you native speeds on Windows.

I installed and use bootcamp which essentially turns the Mac into a Windows 7 machine. I have also installed parallels AFTER installing bootcamp. Parallels gives you the option of using the Bootcamp setup, so you can have both on your machine simultaneously. Running windows 7 from OS X works fine, and you can always restart the computer in bootcamp to have a native Windows 7 machine.

{quote:title=ShermanR wrote:}Running windows 7 from OS X works fine, and you can always restart the computer in bootcamp to have a native Windows 7 machine.{quote}

How do you handle the activation issue? Too many activation requests = broken key, or at least that's what I've been lead to believe.

Sean

Hi Richard,
the BootCamp partition will ALWAYS run faster (10% ~ 30%) then ANY virtual OS regardless what 'experts' here will try to tell you...

Sean Hayes1 wrote:

{quote:title=ShermanR wrote:}Running windows 7 from OS X works fine, and you can always restart the computer in bootcamp to have a native Windows 7 machine.{quote}

How do you handle the activation issue? Too many activation requests = broken key, or at least that's what I've been lead to believe.

Sean

If you installed Windows in a Bootcamp partition then activated it, then if you install a VM like Parallels or Fusion and tell the VM to use your Bootcamp installed Windows, Windows sees the virtual hardware as a new installation, when in reality it is not.

You just try the online activation. If that fails, call the Microsoft activation number where a recording will walk you through the process of activating your VM Windows. There is no problem doing this as you really have only one installation of Windows. In the very unlikely event that the online or automated call activation processes fail, call again and talk to a real person who will give you an activation key.

The process is simple. When you are done you will have an activated Windows running natively from your Bootcamp partition. And you will have activated access to the same installed Windows through your VM (Parallels or Fusion).

Message was edited by: BobTheFisherman

{quote:title=BobTheFisherman wrote:}When you are done you will have an activated Windows running natively from your Bootcamp partition. And you will have activated access to the same installed Windows through your VM (Parallels or Fusion).{quote}

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the quick response.

Just to clarify: this will NOT cause a new activation every time I switch Windows 7 between Boot Camp and Parallels? I've been given to understand that too many activation requests results in a broken key.

Hope the fish are biting,

Sean

Sean Hayes1 wrote:

{quote:title=BobTheFisherman wrote:}When you are done you will have an activated Windows running natively from your Bootcamp partition. And you will have activated access to the same installed Windows through your VM (Parallels or Fusion).{quote}

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the quick response.

Just to clarify: this will NOT cause a new activation every time I switch Windows 7 between Boot Camp and Parallels? I've been given to understand that too many activation requests results in a broken key.

Hope the fish are biting,

Sean

Correct. Once you've activated once from Bootcamp and from VM each will "remember the activation" I.E. each method of access, natively or through your VM will continue to work without further activation. I have had this setup for about a year. I activated my Bootcamp installation then when I installed Fusion and told it to use my Bootcamp installation of Windows I had to activate Windows again from within Fusion. Only had to do this on initial setup.

The Fusion site has an explanation regarding activating Windows. I assume Parallels also provides activation instructions.

Message was edited by: BobTheFisherman

{quote:title=BobTheFisherman wrote:}I assume Parallels also provides activation instructions.{quote}

Parallels likes to sidestep the dual-activation issue. I like the product but not the support.

Thanks,

Sean

My screen doesn't show "helpful" and "resolved" buttons, but I'd like to indicate that...

Sean Hayes1 wrote:
My screen doesn't show "helpful" and "resolved" buttons, but I'd like to indicate that...

Because only the Original Poster can mark a thread or post helpful or resolved. Start your own topic and you then can mark a post as helpful or the topic as resolved.

Richard R is the only person who can mark this thread resolved or a post as helpful as he is the original poster who started this topic.

Message was edited by: BobTheFisherman

Ah.

Just to add a little more information for you. I have a 3 year old MBP that I now run Windows 7 on via Boot Camp, Parallels 6, and VMWare Fusion 3.1. Each time I update VMWare or Parallels I seem to need to re-activate my Windows installation. I think I've used the on-line activation 7-8 times in the last 6 months with no issues. I know that once you get above a certain number of activations in a period of time Microsoft will no longer accept an on-line activation process, but then the automated phone method usually works (I've only had to use it twice since Windows XP was released). I'm not sure what the limits are now for online activation, but I seem to recall they used to be 6 activations in 6 months, and then for a while it went to 10 activations in a year. That meant that as long as you never tried to active online more than 6 times in a rolling 6 month window (or later 10 times in a 12 month window), it would work.

I have run a processor-intensive math package in the Windows 7 partition (bootcamp) and via Parallels. The application via Parallels was 15% slower than via bootcamp (which is essentially a Windows 7 machine). So, the 10-30% performance loss seems reasonable. For most uses, 15% is probably not serious. I have no idea what the difference is for graphics-intensive programs.

Is there a link to instructions on how to install Boot Camp and then point Parallels to that partition? Also, how are files stored? Are they accessible from the Boot Camp partition or in other words how to I get to them from Parallels? What size partition do I need for Windows 7 plus Applications (and other files if needed?) Can the Boot Camp partition be expanded if necessary?
I think I have enough Ram and Cores to run in Parallels for now, but the programs always want more, more, more as new releases come out so I would rather make sure I get the setup right now than reconfigure down the road.