If you downloaded Windows from Microsoft hoping (like I did) to just select the installer executable, you're going to have a tough time. ISO file straight into the interface to start the installation. In the latest version of Parallels, you also can drag and drop a. As long as you have an internal or external DVD drive, you can select it from the Parallels Launch Center, and start installing straight away.

If you know you'll need to run Windows for the long term, the easiest option is a box copy of Windows 8 on a DVD. The wizard also lets you move a PC, including Windows and all of its applications and files to your Mac so you have everything you need on one computer Microsoft no longer has a deal with Parallels, but Parallels Desktop 10 enables you to download and install a 90-day trial of Windows.

Past versions of Parallels had the option to purchase and install Windows 7 from within the software, so you could get started right away. From the Parallels launcher, you can download free operating systems including Chrome OS, Ubuntu Linux, Android OS, or even another version of Mac OS X using your Mac's recovery partition. To get Parallels up and running, you're going to need to have the full version of another operating system on hand. While it is not cheap, if you identify with one of the use cases above, it's worth the money. But be warned, that in order to use this software with Windows as I did in this demo, you're going to be spending $80 for Parallels, plus the price of Windows 8.1 (currently available for about $120, £70, or AU$130). If you're going to use Parallels with one of the free operating systems offered in the app (more on this later), you'll only need to spend the $80 for Parallels. In this particular case, your mileage may vary because your Mac may not have the video processing power of high-end video cards. Parallels is also useful for people who play video games because it lets them pick from the much larger library of Windows titles and play them on a Mac.

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