1. Am I susceptible to viruses on my Mac if I am running Windows on it through Parallel? If I am will the virus only effect the Windows program, or my entire system? And will I be able to get rid of the virus by deleting the Windows program?
2. Can I drag and drop images from Windows XP to Mac?
3. Does having Windows XP and Parallel on my Mac OS X void my warranty?
4. Is downloading Windows XP or Parallel from a torrent site or online illegal or risky? If so how do I go about it legally, does it cost much?
5. Is there anything different about a Windows installation on a Mac? Can I just use a disk my friend has, or will it fail?
6. Do I have to install Parallel or Windows in a specific order?
7. Will Windows and Parallel slow down my Mac? (4GB Ram and 2.4 gHz and Intel Core Duo processor)
8. Do I have to drag and drop programs into Windows for them to run on Windows? What if I have a Windows-only compatiable program on my Mac, can I just open it on my Mac and it will work?
9. How does parallel work? Is it an active or passive program? Do I have to click on Parallel, then on Windows to use a Windows-compatible program, or do I just click Windows and then the Windows-compatible program.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
1. Yes. It creates a virtual machine that's as vulnerable to viruses as any other XP machine. However, at this point there are no viruses that can cross over from Windows to Mac OS. Deleting the VM will delete the virus.
2. Yes, Parallels can be configured to do this.
3. No.
4. Of course it's illegal and risky. Installing illegal software is one of the few ways to infect a Mac.
5. Parallels creates a virtual machine, which has some drawbacks. It has to share system resources and there's a virtual graphics card, for example. Your friend's disc will fail since the license has already been used. You'll need to buy a full (not upgrade and not OEM) copy of Windows to install.
6. Install Parallels, then Windows within Parallels.
7. Yes. Again, the VM will use system resources.
8. You have to install Windows apps within the VM, just like any other Windows machine.
9. Parallels is configurable, but most people start Parallels, then start Windows, then start the app.