I am so confused. I just purchased Parallels Desktop 4.0 for my Mac (I have not even opened the box yet). I normally use a PC with Windows XP. I want to run Windows programs on my Mac, obviously, but read that I would need to purchase the windows operating system separately. Initially, I had thought Parallels WAS the windows operating system for a MAC. SO, after I install it, will I need to go buy the windows operating system, and all my programs (word, money, etc..) that I would like to run? If so, this seems a bit pricey. Can I use my operating system disks and other program software from my old PC? It is not terribly outdated and works fine for me. The MAC was given to me so it is not brand new. It is a MAC OS X Version 10.4.11. 1.25 SDRAM. I have 23.7 GB of space available. It works beautifully. Any help would be wonderful since as you can see I am lost. Thanks very much.
Parallels Desktop simply provides the ability to run Windows, Linux etc. operating systems right in MacOS environment. Yes, you can use your old installation CDs to run your favorite applications in a virtual machine. Moreover, it is possible to migrate Windows copy installed on your PC to a virtual machine by means of Parallels Transporter -- see its user guide. Also I'd recommend you to read Parallels Desktop user guide
