How to improve the speed of Parallels Workstation on OS X
From ArticleWorld
Parallels Workstation is already starting to become a pretty popular project on the new Intel-based Apple computers. Blending easy access to Windows programs along with good emulation speed and easy configuration, Parallels Workstation is one of the best emulation solution at the moment.
However, emulation (or, more correctly, virtualization) is still quite far from the speed of the native computer. If you find that the speed of the virtual operating system is not enough for your needs, here are a few ways for you to improve it.
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Procedure
- Start by installing Windows 2000 instead of Windows XP. There are very few programs that run only on Windows XP, and, if you install all the service packs, you may find Windows 2000 to be even more stable than XP.
- If you do decide to stick to Windows XP, you may find that the performance improves quite significantly if you disable the advanced graphics effects and switch to the Classic theme.
- Some Windows programs, like Microsoft's infamous PowerToys, offer a few tuning options which may improve the speed you obtain. You should briefly go through its settings, consulting the documentation wherever you find something you do not understand.
- Go through the usual Windws performance tuning articles and guides you can find in your favorite PC magazine. They apply on native systems as well as on emulated systems.
- As obvious as it may seem, try not to run any CPU-killing programs while running Parallels Workstation. Playing a movie in Quicktime or burning a CD can drain away quite some processing power, with negative impact over the virtual machine's performance.