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    can Boot Camp, VM Fusion and Parallel share same Partition?

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by dumpav, Apr 22, 2008.

  1. dumpav

    dumpav Notebook Enthusiast

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    I have just install Boot Camp on my MBP, i want to know if i also install VM Fusion and Parallel, can they all share the same Boot Camp XP partition? Can it read without any modification or preparation? BTW, my bootcamp partition is format ntfs.

    Also if i plan to install both VM fusion and Parallel, which one i should install first if i plan to create another partition for Vista (not for bootcamp) just want have Parallel and VM fusion share same Vista partition, thanks
     
    dumpav, Apr 22, 2008
    #1
  2. Budding

    Budding Notebook Virtuoso

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    You cannot have both VMWare and Parallels share your Boot Camp partition by default. There might be some way to work around this, but it would be a hack or something requiring modification.
    Virtual machines created by VMWare or Parallels are not compatible with each other. So, you will not be able to use your VMWare image in Parallels or vice versa without converting it into an image that is usable only by the specific application.
     
    Budding, Apr 22, 2008
    #2
  3. hollownail

    hollownail Individual 11

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    Don't bother with Parallels. I have had numerous issues with it and bootcamp, and my coworkers wife has it crash her mac all the time. Which, since it runs in ring0, if it crashes, it will take your mac down with it.

    But in theory, they can all share your bootcamp partition. You just cannot share actual VM's between Parallels and Fusion.

    Get fusion. There is 0 reason to own both unless you were in a situation like me... where there was only Parallels around for a good while.
     
    hollownail, Apr 23, 2008
    #3
  4. sulkorp

    sulkorp Notebook Deity

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    Yea I used parallels at first, and it was a pain, and it messed up stuff for a while.
    Then I switched over to fusion, and havnt had any problems at all.
     
    sulkorp, Apr 23, 2008
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  5. masterchef341

    masterchef341 The guy from The Notebook

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    i'll third that. vmware fusion can be setup to work with your boot camp partition.

    do not buy parallels.
     
    masterchef341, Apr 23, 2008
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  6. WilliamG

    WilliamG Notebook Deity

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    I fourth or fifth that. Whatever number we're up to. Numerous issues with Parallels. Fusion = works.
     
    WilliamG, Apr 23, 2008
    #6
  7. kgeier82

    kgeier82 Notebook Deity

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    ill go against what others are saying.

    NOT ONE problem with the latest parallels here.

    both are good.
     
    kgeier82, Apr 23, 2008
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  8. Sneaky_Chopsticks

    Sneaky_Chopsticks Notebook Deity

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    They're referring to whether or not you can use the same partition.
     
    Sneaky_Chopsticks, Apr 23, 2008
    #8