Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac - OEM

Pros: After lots of trial and error and installing another company's NTFS <->HFS+ software, it seems to be doing what I need i.e. running Windows so I can continue to use Quicken on a Mac.

Cons: Customer service. I was supposed to get a free upgrade to vers 8. It was advertised as buy vers 7 and get vers 8 free. Period. When I contacted Parallels, they said oh, you didn't know there was a time limit we didn't tell you about or include with the product? Too Bad so sad.

bottom line - don't trust Parallels if you want to buy from companies that appreciate their customers.

Other Thoughts: I'm afraid to mention the additional software I had to buy and install to finally make Parallels function as I needed because of the review guidelines against mentioning other companies. But it's a legal software that you can buy online that let's windows read HFS and MAC read/write NTFS. If you get that you can have complete transparency between Windows and the MAC.

Pros: good price but don't plan on free upgrade.

Cons: Per parallel website:

The Parallels Desktop for Mac Tech Guarantee 2012 eligibility period has now ended.
The Parallels Tech Guarantee has ended as of October 31, 2012 for eligible purchases. Upgrade requests had to be filed via our online portal by November 15, 2012. Please visit our online store if you wish to purchase a copy of Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac.
Customers who purchased a copy of Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac from an authorized reseller on or after July 25, 2012 are eligible to request an upgrade to a new version of Parallels Desktop for Mac at no additional cost, subject to certain conditions.

Pros: Works great with my 2008 Macbook Pro after I upgraded to 8 gigs of ram and a SSD. It runs both so fast I can run multiple windows and mac applications side by side. Makes my macbook the best of all worlds.

Cons: None

Pros: It's true! Free upgrade to Parallels Desktop 8! I received the upgrade key on the same day I got this CD. It's useful, and reliable. Sometimes, we have to run Windows applications on Mac, while I do consider Parallels Desktop is the optimum choice.

Cons: Haven't found any uncomfortable.

Other Thoughts: This software is great, and easier to use. If you are looking for method to run Windows on Mac, Parallels Desktop is always the best.

Pros: FAST and Easy to use. I love being able to run Windows Apps without having to use the Windows interface.

Cons: I wish the advanced options were just a little easier to access. But thats not really a true con.
Also I wish you could chose Widescreen resolutions when in windowed mode.

Other Thoughts: Reminds me a lot of VMWare for PC. So for someone that never used Virtual Machine software, just follow the directions and you should be fine.

Pros: Did the eval between Parallels 8 and Fusion 5. While they seemed very comparable, Parallels had the better support for the retina MacBook Pro. Bought v7 here with the free upgrade. Parallels honored upgrade from this OEM version and sent an upgrade code via email within a day of applying for it.

Cons: none for the product. works well.

Other Thoughts: Newegg's super saver shipping is very hit or miss. This took about two weeks to arrive, even though Newegg shipped it right away. It was going from NJ to FL via UPS "Mail Innovations".

Pros: I have been using this software for quite awhile and while it is not as robust as VMware Fusion (soon to be 5), the hardware acceleration by far outperforms. Utilizing the chameleon bootloader familiar to anyone with hackintosh, in Parallels 7 Mac VMs could finally be created on a Mac!) I am not sure what will be in Parallels 8 which is why I truly bought this software because the price was just right.

Cons: This is about the merchant and not the product: Newegg shipped the stupid software to NY from NJ only to return to me back in NJ! C'mon Newegg; 8 days to ship within the state! I received a monitor from Korea in 48 hours, an unnamed Online Giant which Newegg regulations prohibits me from mentioning regularly ships me items within a 24-48 hour window and you can't do what the Post Office can do? This is not the first time it has taken more than a 48 hour period for me to receive orders. If this is the future case especially where I get penalized with taxes, I will just buy from Tiger Direct because I expect them to ship it slower from Illinois.

Other Thoughts: Really frustrated with the state of Newegg service over the past year.

Pros: Seems to run win7 pretty well
I like this product in concept

Cons: Had issues installing. Spent long time with customer service and got nothing but incorrect/incoherent answers. Finally decided to Google it and figured out was a fairly easy answer

Didn't fully consider the ramifications of gaming. Should of just installed windows on separate drive

Would have settled for the above and been content, but final straw was their upgrade offer. I bought product about 2 weeks ago. I submitted the paperwork for the free upgrade from Parallels 7 to 8. I just got an email from them thanking me for buying parallels 6, with an upgrade code for 7. My time is worth more than this hassle so going a different route

Was actually ok with the above and was fairly happy with product.

Other Thoughts: I was excited to try gaming with v8, oh well. Look like I am going to move to VMware

Pros: 1. I can run all my Windows applications in my Mac August 2011 no problem
2. I can run them in a virtual window if desired
3. The best, I can run them in "Coherence" mode which does not need a seperate window. The programs are just in my dock. There are two ways to get to them, an icon with all the programs as well as one that is like clicking the start menu in Win7. Freakin awesome!
4. I too needed a special program for school and this was a great solution, not I use it for a whole lot more.

Cons: This was not a con for me but it may be for someone. 8GB was not enough for my taste so I upgraded to 16GB and it's smooth as glass. Come on people! 16GB here on Newegg was $85, well worth it!

Other Thoughts: I don't know how those other people messed it up. If you have Parallels, why bother with boot camp?? 2GB of RAM for Mac OS and a virtual machine? Seriously?? User error!

Basically, make sure your Mac is compaitable, has the hardware to run it (at least 8GB of RAM), forget bootcamp, and enjoy!

Pros: None

Cons: MacBook 2009, Snow Leopard with a Boot Camp partition, 2 GB RAM
1) I chose to have Parallels use the Boot Camp partition in MacOs for the virtual machine. I booted in Windows, did some light work and shutdown the machine from the start menu with no problems/errors. When I started MacOs, Parallels could not start the Windows virtual machine. Then I restarted pressing Alt, and Windows in Boot Camp would not start, stating there is no drive. To keep it short, the Boot Camp partition got damaged beyond repair. I could still see the drive in Mac Os and save my documents, but I could not save the Windows partition and had to erase it
2) Tech support is from India and knowledgeable about Parallels, but kept saying that this is a Windows problem and I need to reinstall Windows. Denial, denial and more denial that the screw up happened after installing Parallels
Bottom line: Do not buy if you plan on using it with Boot Camp

Other Thoughts: Not worth using even from the point of view of efficiency. Whatever configuration I used, starting the Windows virtual machine in MacOs took almost as long as shutting down MacOs and starting Windows in Boot Camp.
Once the virtual Windows works, the speed is half that of the Windows in native mode. Maybe on other systems with more RAM and processing power, the experience is better, but then specify this in the system requirements.
2) Later the same day, MacOs would not start, and the computer kept looping on the Windows Disk that was left in the DVD drive. I was able to Alt restart in MacOs and found that the startup sequence in MacOs was changed to network disk first, then hard drive. How the heck was this possible ? Parallels was in Mac and Win was reinstalled
Conclusion: My experience with the program was dismal and the tech support, while fluent in their domain, have no knowledge of and keep denying that Parallels can change/destroy vital parts of your system and make it unusa