Hardware Recommendations - Running Windows 7 w/ AutoCAD through Parallels 9

My fiance is doing some independent interior design work and requires AutoCAD for rendering/drafting. She's much more comfortable with the Windows version of Autocad, so I looked into a VM install. She currently has a late-2008 Macbook pro, 2.5Ghz dual-core processor with 4GB of RAM. I installed Parallels 9 with a Windows 7 VM to run AutoCAD, but it's almost unusable. When Parallels is on the machine is already running hot, and opening AutoCAD takes at least 10-15 minutes and is very slow to respond.
Since her macbook is almost 6 years old, it would seem that hardware is the major issue here. I'm looking into a newer machine for her but I'm concerned with how much processing power she'll need without spending an-arm-and-a-leg. Is anyone else running a similar Parallels/Windows7/AutoCAD setup? How much CPU power is recommended? I would assume 4GB of RAM isn't going to cut it, at least 8 would be beneficial. How about hard-drive speed?

A late 2008 MBP can accept 8 GB RAM with the following specifications:
204-pin PC3-8500 (1066 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM
The most reliable vendors of Mac compatible RAM are OWC and Crucial.
Ciao.

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Looking to run windows on my MBPro through Bootcamp or Parallels, but would like to use a downloaded Windows 7, is it possible to install without the Windows Disc?

Looking to run windows on my MBPro through Bootcamp or Parallels, but would like to use a downloaded Windows 7, is it possible to install without the Windows Disc?
Need to set up a workstation on my MBPro that will only run on Windows. Im willing to use Bootcamp or Parallels to see what works best. Need to get this set up this week to enable working from home on my MB - rural and hoping to buy Windows 7 online - am I able to get windows working through either bootcamp or Parallels without the actual Windows disc? Bootcamp set up guide calls for a disc.

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
First, the answer to your question is yes, it IS possible to install Windows in Parallels without a disc, using an .iso image file.
Boot Camp since OS X 10.8 also installs Windows without a disc: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4889551?tstart=0
Parallels has complete documentation, series of forums, and a knowledgebase. You can also download the current release of Parallels 9 and try it for free for a few weeks before you decide to purchase it.
The Parallels Desktop for Mac product page: http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/
The Desktop for Mac forums: http://forum.parallels.com/forumdisplay.php?58-Parallels-Desktop-for-Mac
Documentation: http://www.parallels.com/support/desktop-virtualization/desktop/#c12970
The Knowledgebase for Desktop for Mac: http://kb.parallels.com
The primary difference between a Boot Camp installation and a Parallels installation is that in the Boot Camp installation, you're installing Windows into a separate partition on your internal mass storage device (hard drive or SSD) and then rebooting your Mac directly into Windows.
In Parallels, you're always running OS X on the Mac and Parallels is running a Windows virtual machine.
Not to get too technical here, but it is also possible for Parallels to run an installed Windows Boot Camp partition as a virtual machine. If you're evaluating system performance with a trial copy, that might be the way to go, because you only have to install Windows once on Boot Camp as a dual-boot system, then install Parallels Desktop and run the Boot Camp partition as the virtual machine.
There is a performance difference between the two, with the Boot Camp Windows installation being faster, but without the convenience of running both Mac and Windows applications simultaneously offered by Parallels. Sometimes that convenience outweighs a performance hit.
I can't give you more Mavericks and Parallels 9 specifics, because I'm currently running Windows 7 with Parallels 7 on OS X 10.8.5. Parallels 7 will not run on OS X 10.9 Mavericks.
I've been using Parallels (to run a few old rarely-used WIndows applications with features that would require a steep learning curve and major expense to purchase and learn a similar Mac app) occasionally since Parallels 3 and Windows XP. With each new release of OS X, each new release of Parallels, and each new Windows release, there are ALWAYS 'early adopter' bugs that get worked out over time.
Message was edited by: kostby

What's the best specifications for 27" iMac in order to run Windows for best performance?

Hey there. I'm based in the UK and in the process of saving up for my first ever iMac (the new 27" model starting from £1699) after years of owning PC's and laptops, but now I'm finally fed up with Windows-based machines, they just don't cut it when it comes to performance and workload...etc.
I wanted to pick iMac users on the community to get clear advice on what the ideal specifications I should consider configuring my iMac when I finally get round to placing my order in March/April. I aim to run Windows 7/ or 8 via Parallels as I hear it's very good and from what video tutorials of it I've seen on YouTube it appears impressive to think the iMac can handle this at the same time as running Mountain Lion.
The ram I plan on upgrading myself manually, yes - I've sussed that one that very quickly due to Apple's extensive £400 fee to simply upgrade the iMac to 32GB, Crucial here I come!
...I digress a little. I'm torn between the Quad-core i5 and i7 as I don't want to get something that won't deliver best performance when it comes to running Windows in parallel (or coherence mode as I hear it's called). Below are some specs I've configured on 2 saved iMacs in my saved baskets.
CONFIGURATION #1
3.2GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
1TB Fusion Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2GB GDDR5
Order total: £2,019
CONFIGURATION #2
3.4GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
3TB Fusion Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2GB GDDR5
Order total: £2,299
I'd appreciate anybody's time and patience on this little matter. Thank you.

You don't need to go overboard on your hardware to run windows effectively. I bootcamp win7 on a late 2008 MacBook Pro with no issues. However, for an intense windows game I boot straight into windows. If you do not plan on gaming other than an occasional instance by your brother than this should be an acceptable solution.
One caveat is ram which you have already stated your are upgrading.
A general rule of thumb I live by is get the best you can afford now and it will prolong the need to upgrade in the future. That being said... The choices you have provided are all good choices. Preference on screen size will dictate your overall decision, of course. The need for i5 vs i7 CPU is normally not a factor for the majority of users. If you need to save some money then by all means choose the lesser configuration as it will handle windows fine.
One place you should consider the upgrade is the video card. Since you cannot upgrade this after purchase it is advisable to do this now. Also, the differences between the 675mx and the 680mx are far greater than what the naming implies.
Also, as mentioned in a previous post, the 3TB fusion drive can't bootcamp windows. There is a hack for the non-fusion version, but I have not heard of anyone getting that hack to work on the fusion drive. There are other creative options you can implement to make this work, however, it will require an additional investment in some 3rd party hardware. For a novice Mac user I would recommend the smaller fusion drive and external thunderbolt/USB storage as dictated by your needs in the future.
HTH

Running Windows / PC Software on my new Mac

I've recently converted to Mac - delighted to be here - but sadly need to be able to run specialist mathematical modelling software only written for PC's. I'm very reluctant to purchase a PC just for this purpose, so wondered what experience people have of using the various software such as Bootcamp, etc for running less mainstream PC applications on a Mac (some of the software I use is very processor hungry). I understand some of these products create virtual environments and others are coded to work more closely with the Mac Hardware (Bootcamp)? Can anybody give me some pointers / advice? Many thanks in advance!

If your application is a heavy resource user, install Windows using Bootcamp Assistant. This method of installation creates a Windows partition that natively uses all your computer's hardware when running Windows. It is as though you have changed your Mac into a PC. The disadvantage of this method of installation is that if you want to change to OSx you have to reboot your computer.
In a virtualized Windows installation (Fusion, Parallels, Virtual Box) Windows shares your computer's resources with OSx. So Windows does not have full use of all the computer's RAM for example. The advantage of a virtualized installation is that you don't have to reboot to start using the other OS.
My advice given the heavy resource usage of your application is to install Windows using Bootcamp Assistant then install Fusion or Parallels and use the Bootcamp installation as the virtual target OS. This way you have the best of both types of installations without the disadvantages of either. So if you want to run your resource heavy app you boot into Windows, otherwise you access your Windows installation through Fusion or Parallels.

HT1477 I am trying to install a new iPod Shuffle and my pc does not pick it up. My pc is running windows 8.1 os. I do not see that os in the list of operating systems.

I am trying to install a new iPod Shuffle and my pc does not pick it up.
My operating system is Windows 8.1 and windows 8 does not appear
in the list of operating systems.

You are referring to OFFICE 2010, not Windows XP or 7.
And which version of Windows do you have?
NEVER begin before you have a backup, ideally one you have tested and know works.
You don't really install Boot Camp, the Assistant is a partition tool utility.
You may just want Office 2008 for Mac.
If you need Office for Windows, perhaps run Windows in a VM like Parallels or Fusion.
Buy some backup drives and start using TimeMachine for one backup, then weekly backup with SuperDuper.
IF there is now a partition for Windows, all you need is to buy Windows, and I would recommend Windows 7 Home Premium (retail) which is about US$149.
Has nothing to do with free space. Office 2010 isn't to boot from. In fact, you can copy the disc to a folder (1.25GB) and run SETUP from there.

How can i run Windows on a macbook Pro

Hello
I am close to a business decission to use in future a MACBook Pro with Retsina Display
For Business reasons i have to be able to run also Winodws in a Virtual machine as some company internal applications need Windows
Which program would i use here on the newest MAC-OS
I want to use for private the MAC-OS and run Windows in a virtual environment to avoid Dual boot
Is the winodws Machine from Network, Printer drivers and all other transparent to the network?
bluetooth and other ports transparent supported in Windows?
any restrictions you may know on such environment
What versions of Windows are supported in such a virtuell environment?
Can i run Outllook from Microsoft in MAC-OS ?
Thanks very much for the answers

I second jopilkie's recommendation for Parallels. I've been using Parallels for years - currently using Windows 7 Pro 64-bit with MS Office 2013, a ton of Adobe apps, etc. I use it primarily for Office, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Adobe LiveCycle Designer and a few other apps that aren't available for OS X.
The answer is 'yes' to most of your questions - your network, printing, scanning, Bluetooth, DVD drive(s), external and internal hard drives, etc. can be accessed both in the Windows environment as well as OS X. And you can run Outlook either in on the Mac side or on the Windows side (personally, I signed up for Office 365 - $100 a year and you can install Office on up to 5 machines) - I use Outlook 2013 on the Windows side for three of my email accounts and Outlook 2011 on the Mac side for an additional 3 email accounts: it's nice to keep things separate that way!
I would recommend running Windows 7 - 64-bit, but whichever 'flavor' you prefer. Personally, Pro works just fine for my needs.
But beware Office 2013 on the Windows side - it really takes some familiarity until you become accustomed to it! Too much like Windows 8, but I'm getting used to it...
Call back if you've other questions.
Good luck,
Clinton

I am going to buy either a Mac Air or Mac Pro Retina 8GB RAM and 256GB. And as I have to still run Windows I will install Parallels 9. As the Mac are both 64bit machines does that mean I need to install Windows 7 64bit ? And office pro 2013 64 bit too?

I am going to buy either a Mac Air or Mac Pro Retina 8GB RAM and 256GB. And as I have to still run Windows programs I will install Parallels 9. As the Mac are both 64bit machines does that mean I need to install Windows 7 64bit or just install 32 bit? (Going with Win7 as I hate Win8). And I will install Office Pro 2013 64 bit too or 32 bit or is that automatically selected by the underlying OS (I use Word, Excel and Access mainly for a membership database of a local club) ? I am not a power user so would appreciate advice on way to go

Again thank you. If I only use word, excel and access in the Win environment and Mac OS for email and safari for internet do I need anti virus software . Ie my connection to the world is mac only and I use office pro only to ruin the club, newsletters, membership database etc. and of course anything I do there can drag/drop to the mac environ to email. That's my understanding anyway. Next will my existing .pst file copy directly into mac mail or do I have to runs translator as I recall reading something about that ages ago when I started thinking Mac

Using USB Device through Parallels Desktop / CIT200 Skype Phone

Hi. I have the Linksys CIT200 cordless phone that I use with Skype. I am a recent convert from PC and this is my first mac. I have Parallels desktop installed and everything in that seems to work fine.
When I plugin the CIT200 base station, it does not give me the popup that says "Would you like to use this device in Windows XP....." Also, in System Profiler, I do not see the CIT200 device even recognized. It is getting power because it powers up...
How can I get my mac to recognize this USB device, and then give Windows control of it through Parallels?

No, not at all.
The application works just fine. I mean a wireless handset (basically, a telephone that connects to the computer via a USB docking station. Much like the one I linked to in the original post, although hopefully one that actually works with the OS 10.6.
Without the "skype phone" you have to physically sit down at your computer to make a skype call. With the handset, you can walk around the house while on a skype call. You can also both initiate and receive calls from the handset while not physically at your computer (so long as the skype application is running and you are within range, usually 100-300 feet).

What is the price of Windows 8 if bought from Parallels Desktop 8

What is the price of Windows 8 if bought through Parallels Desktop 8 ?
I know Parallels 8 cost $79 but what's the additional cost to download the full version of Windows 8 ?
Also if its downloaded do I get a CD also sent to me at no additional cost ?
Thanks

1. The same as buying a regular version of Windows 8.
2. See #1.
3. Through Microsoft, no.
(87486)

Recommendations for running Windows on Macbook with OSX Lion version 10.7.2?

I Just bought a new MacBook Pro, running Lion, version 10.7.2. I am looking to run some windows applications on my mac, including AutoCAD, etc. I would ideally like to install bootcamp on my MacBook, but from what i understand, Lion is only compatible with Windows 7... I have Windows XP and VMWARE Fusion that I had run on my previous MacBook, however, I am unable to install VMWARE Fusion on my new MacBook (Lion). Any recommendations for running higher-profile windows apps on a mac without having to purchase Windows7 or a new version of VMWARE? Thanks

Newer computer = newer drivers and apps. You can only run Windows 7 using Boot Camp Assistant with the newer computers. Or, you can download and install Parallels or Fusion (the most current versions work in Lion). If using Parallels or Fusion you can install XP, Vista, Windows 7, etc.
Or, you could try the free VirtualBox.

Does running windows on MBA affect its hardware and performance??

Specs: OS X 10.9.3, 1.4 GHz 4th gen i5, 4 GB RAM, 1600 MHz DDR3, intel HD Graphics 5000, 128 GB.
I want windows on my mac to use windows compatible apps like AutoCad, ProE etc and for games.. I'm worried about its hardware and performance after installing windows..

You can run Windows either natively using BootCamp or in virtualization using a third party program like Parallels Desktop. It won’t harm the computer to run Windows but while Apple promises really good battery life with MBA you aren’t going to get that kind of battery life with Windows, at least not with Win 7 or earlier. I couldn’t tolerate Win8 so I can’t tell you if Microsoft has done a better job with battery life management or not. Lots of my Windows using friends and colleagues refer to their MBA as the best Windows notebook they’ve ever owned but like me, they don’t use 8.

I downloaded a free App called ThaiPad from Bangkok Post newspaper. I downloaded on my PC running Windows 7. The Bangkok Post recommended itunes for downloading. I completed download but it would not open. I am assuming that perhaps this App. was for iPod

I downloaded a free App. called ThaiPad from Bangkok Post newswpapers. I downloaded on my PC running Windows 7. The Bangkok Post recommended itunes for downloading. I completed the download but it would not open. I assume that this App was for iPad or iPod etc as the Bangkok Post wants to sell content, after the free content, via itunes store I assume. Can someone tell me if I can open this in Windows 7 and if so how. Thanks.

Any app that you download using iTunes is for use only on iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch, and not on a PC. It's possible they have a separate app for PC, as some companies do, but the one you downloaded via iTunes definitely will not open in Windows 7.
Message was edited by: ClayG

TS1368 Have downloaded the latest version of ITunes and now i get "Incompatable Application" I tunes will no longer open. have worked my way through FAQ and help to no avail. What am i doing wrong? currently running windows 7.

Have downloaded the latest version of ITunes and now i get "Incompatable Application" I tunes will no longer open. have worked my way through FAQ and help to no avail. What am i doing wrong? currently running windows 7.

Have downloaded the latest version of ITunes and now i get "Incompatable Application" I tunes will no longer open. have worked my way through FAQ and help to no avail. What am i doing wrong? currently running windows 7.

I currently run Windows 7 on my iMac using the Parallels software on a Virtual Machine. I now wish to use Windows through bootcamp. How do I remove windows from the Virtual Machine

I currently run Windows 7 on my Imac through a Virtual Machine format with the Parallels software. I now wish to remove Windows from the VM restore the Hard Drive to a single partition then install windows 7 using bootcamp. How do I go about it

The virtual machine isn't a partition on your hard drive, it's just a file. You can delete the vm by going into Paralells preferences or just drag t to the trash. Bootcamp will partition your hard drive for a Win 7 install.

Can't install quicktime or itunes I recieve error code 2738. I'm running windows Vista 32 with Service Pack 2. I have tried old and new version of both programs. Also, have gone through Apple's online help with no good outcome

Can't install quicktimeor uninstall it for that matter and itunes I receive error code 2738 with both downloads. I'm running Window Vista with Service Pack 2. I have check for all window update. I have gone through Apple itune help list. Even going into cmd to do regsvr32 vbscript.dll which was successfull. Can you help...my son had to register his ipod at the neighbors house..What going on.
Son even call apple with no help and was give Microsoft number no help there either they wanted me to call HP.....run around

Excellent news!
Strange how sometimes the fixit works better than the manual methods, and sometimes the manual methods work better than the fixit. It differs from Microsoft fixit to Microsoft fixit too. (Unfortunately, because these "anomalous 2738s" are pretty rare as install errors go, I don't have a good feel yet for whether or not it's the fixit or the manual method that's more likely to work in iTunes/QuickTime installation contexts.)
Afraid I'm not very good on earbud troubleshooting, but fingers crossed the folks over at the iPod communities might be able to help:
https://discussions.apple.com/community/ipod

Hardware Recommendations - Running Windows 7 w/ AutoCAD through Parallels 9

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