Despite the Mac's recent gains in market share, Windows is still the dominant operating system, especially in businesses. That means there may be times when you need to run the Microsoft OS: perhaps there’s an application your company uses that’s only available for Windows, or you’re a web developer and you need to test your sites in a true native Windows web browser. Or maybe you want to play computer games that aren’t available for OS X. Whatever your reason for running Windows, there are a number of ways your Mac can do it for you.

If you need to run just one or two specific Windows apps, you may be able to do so using CrossOver (), which can run such applications without requiring you to actually install Windows. (CrossOver's vendor, CodeWeavers, maintains a list of compatible apps.)

If you need a more flexible, full-fledged Windows installation, you still have several other options. You could use Apple’s own Boot Camp, which lets you install Windows on a separate partition of your hard drive. Or you could install one of three third-party virtualization programs: Parallels Desktop 7 (), VMware Fusion (), or VirtualBox (), each of which lets you run Windows (or another operating system) as if it were just another OS X application.

Of those four options, Boot Camp offers the best performance; your Mac is wholly given over to running Windows. But you have to reboot your system to use Boot Camp, so you can’t use it at the same time as OS X; it's Mac or Windows, but not both. And while VirtualBox is free, setting it up is complicated—downright geeky, at times—and it lacks some bells and whistles you might want. Which leaves Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion as your best alternatives.

So, of those two, how do you decide which one is right for you? In the past, I tried to answer that question by comparing virtualization programs head-to-head, to see how they did on specific tasks. This time, however, that task-based approach didn’t work, largely because (with a couple exceptions that are noted below) the latest versions of Fusion and Parallels Desktop are nearly indistinguishable in performance. So instead of picking one program over the other based on how well it performs a given task, the choice now hinges on some more subjective factors. So this time around, I’ll look at those and try to explain how the two programs differ on each.

Note that, for the most part, I've focused primarily on using these programs to run Windows on your Mac. You can, of course, use them to run other operating systems—including OS X Lion itself—but that’s not the focus here.

General Performance

With Parallels Desktop, you can switch between Mac and Windows without ever needing to reboot your computer. If you have already installed Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, or Windows 7 on your Mac using Boot Camp, you can set Parallels Desktop to run Windows from the Boot Camp Partition or import Windows and your data from Boot Camp into.

As noted, both Parallels Desktop and Fusion perform well when it comes to running Windows 7 on a Mac. Macworld Labs ran both programs through PCWorld’s WorldBench 6 benchmark suite, and the results were close: overall, VMware Fusion beat out Parallels Desktop by a very slight margin (113 to 118, meaning Fusion was 18 percent faster than a theoretical baseline system, Parallels Desktop 13 percent). Parallels Desktop was faster than Fusion in some individual tests, Fusion was faster in others, and in the rest the differences were almost too close to call.

Parallels Desktop 7 vs. VMware Fusion 4

WorldBench 6 uses automated test scripts and eight different applications to simulate the real-world use of a system; we run the full suite multiple times then average the results together. For WorldBench scores, higher is better. All other results are in seconds; lower is better. Best result in bold. Tests run on a 2011 17-inch 2.2GHz Quad Core i7 MacBook Pro with 4GB RAM running OS X Lion 10.7.1; both Virtual Machines were configured to use a 200GB drive, 1724MB RAM, and 4 processors

Distill these numbers to their essence, and what you have are two fast, capable ways of running Windows on your Mac.

Symptoms No sound in Mac OS X virtual machine. Cause Guest OS misconfiguration / Parallels Tools are not installed properly. Troubleshooting Sound Issues. NOTE: Parallels Tools must be installed in your virtual machine. Make sure audio is working properly on your Mac side. The easiest way to check whether audio is working on your Mac is to try to play any audio or video file or online audio/video on your Mac. May 08, 2016  Home Forums > Parallels Desktop for Mac > Windows Guest OS Discussion >,Windows 10, no sound, no microphone Discussion in ' Windows Guest OS Discussion '. Parallels for mac no sound.

Advantage: Neither (or both).

Specific types of performance

While the two programs are practically indistinguishable in general usage, there are three specific scenarios in which greater differences emerge.

The first of them: gaming. If you want to run Windows in a virtual machine to play games that you can’t play on a Mac, then you’ll want to use Parallels Desktop 7. In my testing, it handily outperformed Fusion, especially on newer titles. One reason is that Parallels supports up to 1GB of video ram (VRAM), versus only 256MB in Fusion. Parallels Desktop also has better DirectX support; one game I tried looked fine in Parallels using DirectX, but awful in Fusion; switching to OpenGL in Fusion solved that problem, but not all games offer this option.

Overall, Parallels Desktop’s 3D engine seems to work much better for games in Windows than does Fusion’s engine. So if Windows gaming is your thing, Parallels is the one you want to use.

Advantage: Parallels Desktop.

Linux with Accelerated Graphics

The second big difference between the two: Only Parallels includes accelerated 3D graphics in Linux virtual machines, so if you need that, you’ll need to use Parallels.

Advantage: Parallels Desktop.

Virtualization Explorer

The third big difference: If you want to explore operating systems other than Windows, Fusion offers a much broader universe of alternatives. Both programs support “virtual appliances”—dowloadable, pre-configured operating systems, often bundled with specific applications. VMware’s appliance library is huge, with over 1,900 appliances available; Parallels Desktop’ library, on the other hand, contains only 98. (Desktop can use VMware’s appliances, but they must first be converted to the Parallels format; it doesn’t really seem fair to give the program full credit for that capabiity, if it’s reliant on the VMware ecosystem.) So you want to explore the wild world of operating systems and applications, Fusion is the way to go.

Advantage: Fusion.

Parallels for mac snow leopard. We’ve been able to test both Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac and Parallels Desktop Switch to Mac Edition products, and we’re happy to confirm that they’re both compatible with the new OS X Snow Leopard. Find Snow Leopard OS (if it is listed) or click Locate manually and choose Image File drag the Snow Leopard image file (for example SuperDrive.cdr) created in step 1 above, and then click Continue. Mar 03, 2012  Parallels 6 was optimized for OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. But, Parallels 6 upgrades are no longer sold at Parallels.com. I entered 'Parallels 6 upgrade' into a popular search engine and found online vendors selling it for as little as $30. Nov 06, 2009  Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Parallels Desktop for Mac compatibility topics. Discussion in 'Installation and Configuration' started by Forgiven, Oct 2, 2009.

So much for the three categories with relatively clear winners; now for the more subjective criteria.

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Purchase and license

Fusion and Parallels Desktop both normally cost $80, but pricing for both is a moving target. For example, VMware is currently offering Fusion at a promotional price of $50. Meanwhile, Parallels will sell Desktop 7 as an upgrade to owners of older versions for $50; if you’re currently using Fusion, Parallels will sell you Desktop 7 for $30. No matter how much you pay for a virtualization program, remember that you’ll also need to factor in the price of Windows itself.

There’s a big hidden cost in those prices: the software license. Fusion’s license (for non-business users) allows you to install and use it on any Macs that you own or control. Parallels Desktop, on the other hand, requires one license per machine, and it uses activation to check those serial numbers. So if you want to run your virtualization program on more than one Mac, Fusion will cost less—potentially much less.

Advantage: Fusion (for the moment).

Installation and general operation

Installing Fusion 4 is surprisingly simple: You just drag and drop the program to any directory you wish. There’s no installer to run, and you can store the program anywhere. When you first launch Fusion, it asks for your administrative password and activates its extensions. But those extensions aren’t hidden away in some low-level system folder where you’ll never find them. Instead, they remain within the Fusion application bundle and automatically activate on subsequent launches.

More importantly, they’re deactivated when you quit Fusion. In fact, when you quit Fusion, unless you choose to leave the Windows applications menu item in your Mac’s menu bar, absolutely nothing Fusion-related is left running. This setup also makes uninstalling a snap—just drag the app to the trash, and you’re done. Taking a program as complex as Fusion, and making it as easy to install and uninstall as any simple utility, is a major accomplishment.

Parallels, by contrast, is installed via an installer, its extensions are installed in the System folder and are always present, even when Desktop isn’t running. In addition, two background processes continue to run after you quit Parallels. Parallels desktop 13.3 full version for mac. These processes don’t take much RAM or CPU power, but they’re there.

Advantage: Fusion.

Preferences and virtual machine settings

Both of these programs have lots of settings options; Parallels Desktop has more of them and, consequently, has a more complicated preferences screen. Both of their preferences panels are reasonably well organized, doing a decent job of categorizing the various settings. One thing I don’t like about Parallels is that it automatically enrolls you in the company’s Customer Experience Program, which collects anonymous usage data; you have to opt out by disabling it in the Advanced section of Preferences. Fusion offers a similar program, but you have to opt in, not out.

When it comes to changing the settings for a virtual machine, the two programs take a slightly different approach: Parallels Desktop uses a floating window that’s independent of the virtual machine being configured; that makes it easy to toggle between the settings and the virtual machine, but it’s also easy to lose track of the settings window if you click another window to the foreground.

Fusion, by contrast, dims the virtual machine, and presents a fixed window in the center of the screen, on top of the virtual machine. Its settings window mimics that of System Preferences, while Parallels uses a tabs-and-lists layout. Some users may prefer one over the other, but I find they both work reasonably well.

Advantage: Neither (or both).

Windowed windows

Both programs can be run in an “integration” mode, meaning Windows applications aren't bound inside a single Windows window; rather, they appear side-by-side in the OS X graphical user interface with Mac programs. (VMware calls this mode Unity; Parallels calls it Coherence.)

In this mode, both programs seem to treat these windows as though they're regular Mac apps. But there is a subtle but telling difference: Parallels Desktop actually treats the windows of your Windows apps as one, even though they display separately. You can see this if you activate Mission Control in OS X Lion: Regardless of how many Windows applications you’re running, they’ll all be lumped together in one Parallels Desktop entry. This means, among other things, that if you use a window-management utility, it may not work correctly.

Fusion, on the other hand, treats each Windows app like a window from any OS X application: The system treats them as truly separate from one another. If you open Mission Control while you’re using Fusion, each running Windows app gets its own entry.

If you prefer to think of your virtual machine as a single entity, you’ll probably prefer Parallels Desktop’ Coherence mode. But if you’re going to the trouble of using an integrated mode, chances are you want your Windows apps to behave just like your Mac ones. And in that case it makes more sense to treat the windows the way Fusion does.

Advantage: Fusion.

Updates

Programs of this complexity require frequent updates; there’s just so much going on that there’s always going to be another feature to add or another bug to fix. The two companies handle updates differently, however. Parallels Desktop pushes out updates rapidly, so users get the latest features and fixes as quickly as possible. Fusion has a slower update cycle. Both programs have in-app updating now, so that portion of the routine has gotten simpler than it was in the past.

So which update methodology is better, frequent small updates or occasional larger updates? That's really up to you; some people like knowing that they’ve always got the latest bug fixes and features, while others may prefer longer periods between updates. The important thing, though, is that both companies do actively keep their products up to date.

Advantage: Neither (or both).

And the winner is…

So which virtualization solution should you purchase? In my comparison, Fusion comes out ahead (four wins, two losses, and three ties). But you may prioritize these features differently than I do. That’s why I suggest you download each program’s free trial version and see how each handles your particular needs. Both are excellent performers in the Windows arena, so you won’t be disappointed by either program’s speed. Instead, your selection will come down to your feelings about those other, less measurable factors—and for that, nothing beats hands-on experience.

Senior Contributor Rob Griffiths is master of ceremonies at Many Tricks Software.

[Updated 02/14/12 to clarify the number of apps that can be run under CrossOver.]

Once you've used the hand-helping, time-saving, two-finger scrolling and three-finger gestures on a MacBook, a standard Windows trackpad can feel kind of, well, dead. Here's how to get total finger control with a tiny app, or go further with a driver swap.

Photo by Kai Hendry.

Let's put this out there right away: This won't give you the Mac's pinch-to-zoom or rotation powers, but it will give you nearly everything else. Also, I tested this out on just one laptop, a ThinkPad T61p, and the more complex version of this trick relies on unofficial—some might even say hacked—drivers for Synaptics touchpads. Most every non-Mac laptop ships with a Synaptics touchpad, and various bloggers and forum users with different laptop builds have reported it working. You may experience some quirks or buggy behavior, and if you opt for the full driver replacement, you'll have to avoid upgrading that driver to keep everything in place. But the benefits for those who do a lot of browsing or document editing are pretty significant, and the likelihood of an absolutely crucial trackpad update is fairly slim.

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If you only want simple two-finger scrolling in your web browser without having to mess with your touchpad drivers, follow this post through only the (very simple) first section. If you'd like to get configurable two-finger, three-finger, circular and gesture-based actions on your laptop, we'll dive into that in just a bit.

The Simple Two-Finger Scrolling Fix

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Two-Finger-Scroll is a tiny little utility that doesn't require installation, configuration, or anything, really, other than a double-click to launch. On most trackpads, running two-finger-scroll will simply make dragging two fingers up and down on your trackpad scroll a window with a vertical tracking bar up and down, as if you were moving the middle scroll wheel up and down.

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If that vertical two-finger scrolling is all you want, and you want it to stick around the next time you restart Windows, check your system tray. It might be hidden away, but there should be a TwoFingerScroll icon that you can right-click to turn on and off, and right-click to select 'Settings.' In the settings, you can have TwoFingerScroll start with Windows, but you can also do a lot more. Check out the next tab, 'Scrolling,' where you can set up exactly how your two-finger scrolling should work. In my own case, I kept the speed and acceleration defaults, disabled 'Keep scrolling on edges,' and switched to 'Smooth' for the Scroll Mode. I haven't really broken them in and figured out what exactly I like, because, hey, two-finger scrolling in Windows is entirely new to me.

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Head to the next tab to the right, and you'll see that you can actually manage two and three-finger tapping from TwoFingerScroll. I haven't played with these features as much, but if your trackpad has a middle button function, or an equivalent 'Button4' and 'Button5,' you can set a two, three, or 'two plus one' (two fingers together, one just outside) tap to do what those buttons would normally do. I could see these functions being helpful for quick right-clicking or, perhaps, triggering an Escape key or the like, but I've generally left this section well enough alone. If you know of some clever uses for multi-finger taps, do tell in the comments!

Sick of TwoFingerScroll, or not seeing it do much good? Disable it from the system tray and uninstall it the way you would any program. If disabling temporarily doesn't seem to work, kill it by hitting Ctrl+Shift+Esc, selecting the Processes tab, and clicking End Process with TwoFingerScroll.exe selected.

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The Whole Shebang: Gestures, Three Fingers, and More

Want to get a bit more in control of your scrolling, and add features like circular scrolls and three-finger swipes and gestures? You'll need to install a modified version of the Synaptics drivers your laptop likely uses.

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Uninstall your existing Synaptics drivers, or the touchpad/trackpad drivers your laptop manufacturer provided, by heading to Control Panel, selecting 'Uninstall a program' under the Programs heading, and removing those choices that relate to your trackpad control. You can also use an app like Revo Uninstaller Free to hunt down those drivers if they don't appear, or are hard to discern, in your Add/Remove Programs dialog. You might have to restart after your uninstall, and it might be the first of a few restarts.

Scrolling With Mouse Is Choppy

To get multi-finger gestures on your trackpad, you're going to install a set of trackpad drivers that were intended for a certain netbook in a foreign locale, but which have been modified for more general use. The drivers I installed on my ThinkPad came from a packaged dubbed synaptics_v10.2.4.0_allOS_modded_b2.zip, and I grabbed them from a file sharing service linked at the My Digital Life blog, where you can also find 64-bit specific drivers, if needed. If that free file hosting service doesn't work for you, or you want to try and avoid the annoying 60-second download delay, run a Google search for that package, and be sure to scan the download ZIP file for viruses before you install it.

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Extract the files from the ZIP package you downloaded, double-click the Setup file to start the installation process, and if you're asked to verify that you want to install an 'untrusted' or unverified driver, go ahead and do so. Once you're through the setup process, you'll likely be asked to restart once again. Parallels desktop 12 activation key. Allow your system to restart. When you boot up again, you may be asked if you're sure you want to allow programs related to your Synaptics driver installation to run on your system, seeing as how they were downloaded from the internet and all. Un-check the boxes in the lower-left that ask something akin to 'Always ask for this type of file,' and you won't see these prompts on your next start-up.

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Open a browser, or a document with enough vertical content to scroll up and down, and see what happens when you slide two fingers up or down. If you're scrolling, hey, that's great! If not, you may still need to install TwoFingerScroll to manually enable your own two-finger scrolling.

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Problems With Mouse Scrolling

Now, the good stuff. Head to Control Panel, into the 'Hardware and Sound' section, and select 'Mouse.' The farthest-right tab should have a red icon and read 'Device Settings.' Make sure Synaptics Touchpad is selected in that tab, then hit the 'Settings' button below it. You'll see a whole realm of options there to explore and customize. The new stuff that you'll want to pay close attention to is in a few places:

• Under Pointer Motion, a selection named Sticky Borders, which controls what happens when you scroll to the edges of a window.
• Virtual Scrolling, where you may want to turn off the edge-of-trackpad scrolling that you'd been using before.
• Under the Pointer Motion heading, a sub-section named Momentum, which provides Apple-like scrolling based on scroll speed.
• Three-Finger Gestures and its sub-sections, Top and Bottom, which relate to what happens when you drag three fingers up or down, respectively. I prefer to use these gestures as page back and forward in a browser.
• Two-Finger Gestures, where you can get fancy and add actions to diagonal drags, left-to-right and right-to-left flicks, and the like.

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To repeat what was stated up top, you won't find any pinch-to-zoom or rotate gestures—at least on the laptop I was using. Your mileage may vary, but that doesn't seem to be something that made the transition to these modified drivers. Also remember that you should consciously check your Windows Updates, or other updating software provided with your laptop, to make sure your Synaptics drivers stay put in this modified version.

What do these features look like in action? Synaptics provides video demonstrations on Vimeo, the majority of which have been helpfully embedded at My Digital Life's post. Here are two examples from that collection:

ChiralScroll for vertical scrolling

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Mouse Scrolling Settings

Three fingers down

Uncontrollable Scrolling With Mouse

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As with the simple TwoFingerScroll, removing this functionality from your laptop and getting back to your old controls is fairly easy—uninstall the Synaptics package you installed from either Windows Control Panel or Revo Uninstaller, then grab your default package from Windows Update or your laptop manufacturer's drivers page.

Mouse Scrolling Settings Windows 10

I've only just begun to play with multi-finger controls on my Windows laptop, but I'm already feeling both more productive and less jealous of MacBook owners. Given multi-touch on Windows a try? Found some useful settings for your scrolls and gestures? Share with us all in the comments.

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