I recently started using Parallels again - first to run a VM of Windows 7 (to run some older games and programs) and now to run a Windows 10 VM (because of the advent of loss of support for Windows 7). Is there any preference or advantage/disadvantage of using Sleep and/or Hibernate vs an actual Shut Down? (I realize that both Sleep and Hibernate take much less time to actually shut down and start up than a full Shut Down.) Also, if there is no real concern/danger of using Sleep to shut down the two VMs (again as opposed to actually shutting down Windows 7/10), how will using Sleep effect - if any - a Time Machine Backup? How about a clone backup using a program like Carbon Copy Cloner? Is it not a good idea if a restore is necessary to do it from a VM that was not properly shut down but put into sleep mode before the backup was performed? Thanks Steve
Hi Steve, we recommend to keep the virtual machine Shut Down during any backup process. And for more info about backup methods you can check this KB article https://kb.parallels.com/4859
Thanks for the reply. Sort of figured it was advised to shut down for backups. What about for general use? Any major concerns about using sleep vs a full shutdown?
Shutting down Windows in Parallels Desktop is just like shutting down Windows on a real PC. Shutting down your VM, gives an opportunity to save your working progress. Check this article for more info.
