Can I delete the annoying Mail app which I never use?

I tried Parallels to see if I could use PowerPC software for our scanners (all VM software requires a Server version of Leopard or Snow Leopard). But the scanning software couldn't see the scanner, which it will only locate via a FireWire connection, and no VM software supports FW port linking. Only USB.

Otherwise, VM software does work very well. Though you do need a fair amount of RAM installed (bare minimum of 8 GB) so you aren't choking either OS for space. That, and don't expect resource intensive apps (read, games like Halo) to run well under Windows within a VM, within OS X. For those, you would want to boot directly into a Boot Camp installed copy of Windows so it has full use of the hardware. But running Windows within a VM is fine for most other things.

Kurt Lang wrote:

I tried Parallels to see if I could use PowerPC software for our scanners (all VM software requires a Server version of Leopard or Snow Leopard). But the scanning software couldn't see the scanner, which it will only locate via a FireWire connection, and no VM software supports FW port linking. Only USB.

Have you tried accessing your FW scanner through a Thunderbolt hub in an updated version of Parallels?

No, but that is a great idea! Parallels own site simply says you can access devices via Thunderbolt with this message:

Connect External Devices

Parallels Desktop allows you to use USB, Thunderbolt, and FireWire devices with Windows. Many external devices, such as mice and printers, are available by default to both Windows and Mac OS X when you connect them to your Mac.

What it doesn't tell you anywhere on their site, or even in the PDF manual, is that it's only for hard drives. And it does that by passing the Thunderbolt connection through to the VM as if it were a USB drive.

If it does see both Thunderbolt and FireWire drives as what they are (not faked USB connections) in Windows, then why not on a Mac? I did try it a while back with the version 9 demo. Installed SL Server and checked the connections. I have a FireWire 800 drive attached to the Mac. It wasn't even on, and Parallels still reported it in the list of recognized devices. The scanner (FireWire, and on), however, was nowhere to be seen. Which is all I really would like it to work for.

But that is a really good idea. The hub may fool the VM into seeing anything attached to it. Though if anything attached to hub is still seen as a USB connection to the host OS in the VM, the scanning software still won't see the scanner.

I gave up on that idea for now and purchased a used 2010 Mac Mini I could put Snow Leopard and the scanning software on. The I purchased a Gefen 2x1 DPKVMSwitch. That way I can use one monitor, keyboard, mouse and even speakers for both Macs. Just press a button on the switch to flip to the opposite Mac.

Kurt Lang wrote:

The[n] I purchased a Gefen 2x1 DPKVMSwitch. That way I can use one monitor, keyboard, mouse and even speakers for both Macs. Just press a button on the switch to flip to the opposite Mac.

You could also use Screen Sharing to accomplish the same result, but of course having spent the money on hardware, it is probably the best solution.

D'oh! Didn't even think of that. That would work, too. For free! Though I'm not sure how I'd share one monitor that way. It only has one DisplayPort input. It it had two, then it would easily work.

Oh well, got the switch pretty cheap.

Duh! Took a while to sink in. The mini doesn't need a physical connection to the monitor. At least not after you set up screen sharing from it. Then it runs as a headless Mac each time you turn it on.

Kurt, I tried both vmware and parallels (I just have to use some simple microsoft windows software for my work). I found these problems (I did not use bootcamp to partition or anything like that):

Parallels:

- only explorer brower runs fast (for web search, etc.). Firefox or Chrome runs *slow*.

- font face is somewhat deformed (can read but ugly).

- mouse pointer focuses about half an inch away from where it is supposed to be

(I have macbookpro with 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5; Memory: 8GB, 1600MHz, DDR3)

- generally overall *low resolution* graphics (I mean low).

- keyboard mapping is funny. Really a pain in the ***.

Vmware:

- all browser speed is great

- resolution is excellent

- mouse pointer in right location

- PROBLEM: cannot copy files from microsoft windows directory to macbookpro finder at all - and without this file transfer ability, it is useless to use windows on vmware (with low resolution and other problems in Parallels, file transfer is *no problem*.)

I would even pay someone to get this working good for me. Really helpless on this.

Kurt Lang wrote:

D'oh! Didn't even think of that. That would work, too. For free! Though I'm not sure how I'd share one monitor that way. It only has one DisplayPort input...

You set up the other computer to allow Screen Sharing and on this computer connected to the monitor you connect to the other computer using Screen Sharing and it appears in a separate windows (not unlike how Parallels has separate screens for OS X and Windows).

I have two "headless" Mac Mini's (one of which has a defective logic board, in that the video out will not work), so that I can use and access them without the expense or need for a monitor.

Robin208 wrote:

Parallels...

Robin:

I find your posted results about Parallels puzzling...

Which version of Parallels are you using; find the complete version number under About Parallels and its date.

Robin208 wrote:

Vmware:

- PROBLEM: cannot copy files from microsoft windows directory to macbookpro finder at all - and without this file transfer ability, it is useless to use windows on vmware (with low resolution and other problems in Parallels, file transfer is *no problem*.)

Parallels also supports copy/paste across environments.

Robin208 wrote:

I would even pay someone to get this working good for me. Really helpless on this.

You are in Japan?

In europe now

So you cannot check your Parallels version number and date until you return from Europe?

Why did you offer information to Kurt about Japan?

Parallels build is: 8.0.18003

July 31, 2012

I have no problem moving files with parallels. Had zero luck with vmware.

I've never tried VMWare, so can't comment on that.

Parallels:

- only explorer browser runs fast (for web search, etc.). Firefox or Chrome runs *slow*.

Could have to do with how much RAM your Mac has, and also how much of it you assigned to the VM.

- font face is somewhat deformed (can read but ugly).

No idea, there. Didn't notice any issue with fonts in version 9 of Parallels.

- mouse pointer focuses about half an inch away from where it is supposed to be

Now that's a weird one. I've never seen that problem.

(I have macbookpro with 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5; Memory: 8GB, 1600MHz, DDR3)

- generally overall *low resolution* graphics (I mean low).

That's actually normal. Parallels defaults to running Windows in a confined space that tops out at 1024x768. You can break out of the confining window by running Parallels in Coherence mode. From the Parallels manual:

If you opted to use Windows "Like a Mac" when you first installed Windows, Parallels Desktop is already set to Coherence mode. Parallels Tools must be installed for Coherence mode to work.

There are various ways to set up full screen mode for the Windows environment. See page 54 of the Parallels manual. Page 221 for using Parallels Tools, and page 169 for installing Parallels Tools in Windows.

- keyboard mapping is funny. Really a pain in the ***.

If you mean you need to press Ctrl+C to copy rather than Command+C, and other similar keyboard commands, that is also completely normal for Windows.

Kurt

This has been annoying me for 5 years, many thanks for putting my life at peace again.

L*

I don't know what I did, but you're welcome. 🙂