I've used earlier Parallels products and they work well. However, at this point I'd recommend Sun VirtualBox. I downloaded it and set it up on my MacBook last week. It's easy to configure, quick enough for what I need to do (run a couple of Win-only apps), and best of all IT IS FREE.

http://www.virtualbox.org/

I have two virtual machines running; one XP and another one running Ubuntu.

I just installed it. It takes awhile to convert your VM to version 4 (from 3) but the whole program is faster and much more polished.

Recommended

My biggest concern when I switched from PC to Mac about 2 years back, was functionality of a specific program I used for work. More specifically, Acid Pro, a music editing program. Boot Camp was my best alternative, but as I became more productive on OS X, I dreaded switching (cause of the restarts). Long story short, I tried both VMWare and Parallels, and the main difference was in the audio delay. VMWare's software looks neat, but Parallels just has it beat. Working on VMWare was a consistent nightmare, and Parallels brought the relief.

To relate to the story, these improvements in Parallels 4 are much needed. Too bad I'm not using Acid Pro anymore and have moved on to Soundtrack Pro.

I have been a saisfied Parallels user for about two years. I participated in the Parallels 4 beta review and am pleased to report that this new software is great! Stable, very fast, new user interface, 3d directx 9.0, open GL, DirectX shaders, 32 and 64 bit operating systems, 256 video,8 gb ram, partition resizing FAT 32 support, are just some of the improvements.

The install procedure is much improved and should go smoothly (occasionally Windows install acts up, but that is usually a Windows problem). (Follow the instructions exactly!) Parallels Tools take a while to install but should work well. If you have problems installing, rebooting the Mac seems to solve most of the problems.

I think that many more games will now work in Parallels (my Roller Coaster Tycoon now runs flawlessly and fast compared to several problems before). Other beta users reported a lot of applications that will now work. I still do not think that every game will work, so don't be disappointed if your doesn't.

The configure tab is much improved over previous versions and there are lots of things you can configure. My computer worked well with the default settings. You can right-click on the mouse and configure the menu bar on the startup screen.

Printers, internet, usb, etc all worked well.

I use Windows for Quicken, EWallet (synching with Iphone), Microsoft Publisher (all 2007 products work well), and several Coffee Cup web applications, and several other applications that aren't available in Mac versions. All of these applications work well. If you sync with Ewallet, be sure you use default networking.

I particularly like the Coherence mode. It has been improved over Parallels 3 and integrated fine with Mac. I have lots of clip art on the windows side and I can access it on the Mac side as fast as Mac files (was much slower in previous version.)

The integrated help user manual is great -- and explains most that you need to know.

The supporting applications (Compressor, etc.) are much improved and there are lots of ways to back up -- including an automatic one similar to time machine.

I have also beta tested a new iphone application which will eventually integrate with Parallels 4. As of now it will turn on and off, suspend, and pause the VM. I think the uses will eventually be expanded.

I am using this in my Imac 2.16 gb 4gb memory machine with Windows XP home. I would recommend that you use Windows XP (less problems than Vista) and with the coherence mode you really don't need to see an interface -- use the superior Mac one!

I only have one minor problem with the application. Commercial videos will not display in Coherence mode but work fine in Windowed mode and Full Screen mode. Hopefully, this will get fixed in an update. I'm sure other users may have minor problems as this product is used in many ways.

I think they will still have a 30 day free trial (so no cost to give it a try). You won't be sorry.

And, no, I am not connected with Parallels in any way. Just like the product.

The new Kubuntu Intrepid Ibex has a VM machine automatic installer.

You can choose from Virtualbox, Xen, VMWare, or Parallels installation and it will help automate installation.

Kubuntu Linux is moving faster than other OSs towards enabling virtualization.

Amazon's reviews for Parallel's software is replete with criticisms of awful, or non-existent customer service. Until i hear that this has also been improved, I'm reluctant to use their product. i even contacted Parallels directly, informing them that my company is considering their product or VMWare Fusion's alternative (which is noted for superior customer service), asking whether they have improved. My answer: I received no answer.

Maybe it's worth taking a look at this again. I purchased Parallels 3, and - while it certainly worked - it was painfully slow to use. I mostly use Virtualization for checking sites I develop under Windows browsers, adn occasionally running some Win-only apps provided by the Federal Government. Run speed was generally acceptable once launched, but it had a horrible impact on my Mac apps running in coherence mode, and startup and shutdown times were painful.

Can anyone speak to the free alternatives in this sense, especially in comparison to Parallels 4? I realize the upgrade is only $40, but I'm leery of throwing good money after bad.

I tried both VM ware and Parallels and was more satisfied with Parallels but it sure overloaded my processor! I have a Macbook with 1.8Ghz processor, 2GB memory, and 200 GB of storage. I'm hesitant to give them more money when their previous product was so aggravating. I would try to determine the cause of the processor spike by looking at task manager in Windows and nothing would be running. Still my fan would be screaming and activity monitor would show Parallels as the cause. That is only for Windows, my Centos VM always takes up 40% of my processor.
Oh, and I agree with the previous post about Parallels' support. What support? They have no support worth wasting your time on. So, I will wait until I get my Macbook Pro with a better processor and more memory until I even consider using a VM again.

If you're worried about wasting your money on Desktop 4.0 for Mac, just download the trial and check it out.

The trial is just like the full version, only with a time limit. Same features and functionality.

If speed was your issue before, you might be surprised after trying this new version out. This one was actually built from scratch, not just improved from the old software.

If you already have 3.0, make sure to do a backup install when it has you import your existing VM. Then you'll be able to switch back when your trial runs out (assuming you don't buy a full-version key).

Does it still install those obnoxious network interfaces on the Mac side?

The last time I tried I to reach customer support I didn't receive an answer either. Granted my attempt was about 6 months ago but my emails to VMWare HAVE were answered (I own both) in a timely manner.

Just installed it, and I have to say this is the worst upgrade from these folks I have seen. It runs VISTA 50% slower, not faster...

And the upgrade process was a total hassle. (about 4 hours of waiting for it to time-out to manual mode install)

I am switching back to v3.0 and asking for a refund.

-z-

Hi,

I guess I was lucky because I downloaded the upgrade on http://www.novadevelopment.com/pu4/default.aspx , and had no problems installing it. By the way version 4 works way better than version 3, games and other apps run much faster.

Does anyone know how to use the Acronis stuff, or is it just integrated? I'm looking to resize partitions on one of my Windows machines in Parallels 4.

i agree that P4 is much improved. i tried an earlier version and just couldn't get it to work so have VMware on my mini. however, just tried P4 on my iMac and it is fast and stable.

like this review stated, a reboot can help if you hit a snag as i did with loosing my super drive to windows (not recognized by toast) but recovering after the restart.

it's very fast. and coherence is like magic in that it's invisible except for the fact you are running a windows program. eg. click open a doc file into office 2007.

having XP lay dormant in bootcamp (which was the fastest and most stable windows environment i ever had) was sort of sad. P4 in coherence means XP will again find usage again as i am not inhibited by the need to reboot my machine.

i'm only a casual gamer but i hope that most i try will be good to go (fingers crossed)

Much more prone to lockups than the previous version and seems to chew up a lot of CPU. Don't even think about letting it use all of the cores available on your Mac for a VM. Slows down the entire system.