Virtual Machine Window

When you choose a virtual machine from the Parallels Virtual Machines list , the virtual machine window appears. If you start this virtual machine, the virtual machine window changes to the guest OS window that acts as the virtual machine's display. You can resize the virtual machine window by dragging its right corner. Its resolution changes automatically in Windows (starting from Windows 2000) and in most Linux operating systems if Parallels Tools are installed .

The virtual machine window consists of three parts:

• Status bar - contains items for managing the virtual machine's devices and changing the view mode and state. For more information, see Status Bar .
• Screen - acts as the virtual machine's screen.
• Toolbar - comprises buttons that can be used to manage the virtual machine and its appearance.

When a guest operating system is running, you can switch between several display modes of the guest OS window. For detailed information on the view modes, see Changing the View Mode .

Status Bar

The status bar is the primary tool for managing virtual machines. To start, shut down, suspend, pause, resume, and stop the virtual machine, use the virtual machine state menu . To change the virtual machine view mode, use the view mode menu . To open the Virtual Machine Configuration dialog, click the Configure button .

The status bar also displays the icons of the virtual machine devices. You can easily connect or disconnect the devices using these icons: right-click the device icon and choose the necessary option from the shortcut menu.

For more information on the status bar functions, refer to the Status Bar section .

Toolbar

You can also manage your virtual machine using the Parallels Desktop toolbar. The toolbar is hidden by default - to show it, click the button in the upper right corner of the virtual machine window.

If the toolbar does not contain the necessary buttons, you can easily add them to the toolbar - right-click the toolbar, choose Customize Toolbar from the shortcut menu, and drag the items you need to the toolbar.