Think of a virtual machine as a stand-alone computer on your Mac. It behaves as if it has a Pentium processor (though the Intel chip inside the Mac is something different). It works best on Macs with a lot of memory — Parallels recommends at least 1 gigabyte — because the software can put a strain on the system.Parallels does more than just Windows. It works with Linux, OS/2, MS-DOS and other operating systems. You choose a guest operating system during installation.
In most cases, you’ll have to buy a new copy of Windows (not an upgrade) and activate or authorize the software online or over the phone. It’s Microsoft’s way of making sure your copy of Windows is legit.The XP Pro version I used for testing cost $300. Ouch. However, if you already have a version of Windows loaded on the Mac and are using Boot Camp, you need not reinstall it for Parallels. Microsoft will make you reactivate, however, since it now thinks you are running Windows on a different computer.
