We’d like to thank Parallels for sponsoring this post.
A couple of months ago, I desperately needed to get a software for creating sheet music and audio files for our church choir. I wanted to help some choir members who were finding it difficult to master their notes using our demo CD so I figured I could just recreate the demo and tweak some parts.
I knew there had to be at least one software that can do exactly what I needed — or at least I believed that there must be at least one software developer out there who has thought of addressing my need.
After minutes of searching the internet for that one software that can help me, I finally found it! I got very excited! My belief that you can find everything on the internet just got reaffirmed! There was just one problem: the software did not have a Mac version! And, at that time, I did not have a Windows computer. Bummer!
So I figured, there has to be a way to run a Windows software on a Mac computer. I did another search and finally came upon Parallels.
Parallels is the easiest, fastest and most powerful solution for running Windows applications on a Mac computer without rebooting. It’s the #1 choice of Mac users for over 8 years with over 5 million copies sold. In short, it was the perfect solution for my problem!
Using Parallels is very easy. Simply download and install the program on your Mac computer, install Windows on your Parallels Desktop and voila! You may now run any Windows program on your Mac computer!
I should make it clear though that a purchase of the Parallels Desktop software does not include Windows which means you’ll have to have a copy of the Windows Operating System and install it on your own. You don’t have to be afraid though because it’s actually very easy to install!
How to install Windows on your Mac using Parallels
- To install Windows, click on “File” then “New…”. You may also opt to simply click on the “+” sign on the small Parallels Desktop Control Center.
- Click “Install Windows or another OS from a DVD or image file.”
- If you have an installation disk or bootable USB installer, insert it so it can be detected. If you only have an image file, click and drag it to the Parallels window.
- Once it detects the installer, it will ask for your Windows Product Key.
- Then just simply wait for it to install Windows onto your virtual machine.
Be sure to choose Express Installation when prompted. You will also be asked for other preferences so just choose the options you’re more comfortable with (location of installation, Windows 7 vs Windows 8, customized settings, etc).
Now instead of installing Windows, you may also choose to Migrate Windows from a PC. You may want to do this if you already have a Windows computer and you just want to import all your data to Parallels Desktop on your Mac. That way, you can continue to work with all your existing Windows programs, files and data.
What I like about Parallels Desktop is that you can opt to run it on full screen which means you can focus on what you’re working on in your Windows virtual machine. The Windows installation on your Mac works exactly the same way it would work on a regular Windows computer so you’re not getting a beta version or an abridged edition of the operating system.
Another thing that I like about Parallels Desktop is that I can actually run Windows 8 on a window the same way I use browsers! It doesn’t always have to be on full screen.
The beauty of working on it like it’s just a regular window is that I can drag and drop files from the Mac side to the Windows side and vice versa!
Parallels Desktop is an awesome software that anyone with a MacBook should have — especially if you know you’ll be needing programs that may not have a Mac version. It’s so easy to use and it doesn’t use up a significant amount of resources on my system.
Now I can have the best of both Mac and Windows worlds on just one computer! Be sure to check it out here!
Disclaimer: I am a member of The Social Media Panel, LLC. who was given the opportunity to review this product. However, the brand or company has not influenced me in any way to provide any type of review other than my true and honest opinions. I am disclosing all information provided in this review according to the information provided in Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.