Custom Installation Mode

Start Parallels Desktop and launch New Virtual Machine Assistant by clicking New Virtual Machine from the File menu or choosing Virtual Machines Directory from the Window menu and clicking the

button in the displayed window.

In the Introduction window, click Continue to proceed with the virtual machine creation.

In the Operating System Detection window, click Skip Detection .

In the Select Operating System Type and Version window, select the type and version of guest OS you want to install in this virtual machine and click Continue .

You can either select an operating system from the list, or select Other in case you cannot find the required one there.

In the Virtual Machine Type window, select Custom and click Continue .

In the CPU and Memory Options window, specify the number of CPU(s) and the amount of RAM for the virtual machine and click Continue . You may use the slider or arrow buttons to set the value or simply type it into the corresponding field.

Setting CPU and Memory Parameters

In the Hard Disk Options window, select the type of virtual hard disk you want to use and click Continue . You can create a new hard disk image, use an existing one or a Boot Camp partition, or create a virtual machine without any hard disk at all.

In the current version of Parallels Desktop, you can use your Boot Camp Windows Vista (SP1) or Windows XP (SP2 or SP3) partition as a bootable disk or as a data disk in virtual machines. For more information about using Boot Camp partition as a virtual hard disk for a virtual machine, see the Using the Boot Camp Partition in a Virtual Machine chapter .

Custom Installation Mode - Choosing Disk Type

If you have selected the No hard disk option, go to Step 9.

If you chose to create a new virtual hard disk on the previous step, in the New Virtual Hard Disk window, specify the size and type for the disk and click Continue . If you have chosen to use an existing image file, in the Existing Virtual Hard Disk window, specify the hard disk image to be connected, its interface type and position. Click Continue .

Choosing Virtual Disk Type

In the Networking Type window, select the type of networking you want to use in the virtual machine and click Continue .

Shared Networking . If you select this option, the virtual machine will use the host computer's network connections and will be visible only for the host computer and other virtual machines registered on this server.
Bridged Networking . If you select this option, the virtual machine will be visible on the network as a separate computer.
Host-Only Networking . If you select this option, the virtual machine will access only the host computer and the virtual machines running on it.
No Networking . If you select this option, the virtual machine will have no network adapter.
Note: You may reconfigure the networking settings after the virtual machine is created, using the Virtual Machine Configuration dialog .

If you selected Bridged Networking , on the next step you will need to select the network adapter to be used by the virtual machine:
Default Adapter . Select this option to use the adapter specified as default in the primary OS.
Parallels Shared Networking Adapter . Select this option to use Parallels Shared Networking adapter installed together with Parallels Desktop.
Parallels Host-Only Networking Adapter . Select this option to use Parallels Host-Only Networking adapter installed together with Parallels Desktop.
The host computer network adapters included in this list are also available for selecting. Select the Connected option if you want the virtual machine to start up with this network adapter connected.

In the Optimization Options window, select the optimization mode you prefer and click Continue . The available options are:

Virtual machine (Recommended) . Select this option to allocate more host computer resources to the virtual machine and its applications.
Mac . Select this option to allocate more resources to the host computer and its applications.

In the Name and Location window, define the main parameters for your virtual machine:

Name . Indicate an arbitrary name to be assigned to the virtual machine. By default, the virtual machine gets the same name as the operating system that will be installed inside this VM. If a virtual machine with such a name already exists, you will be prompted to indicate another name. The name must not exceed 50 characters.
In the More Options section, you can configure the following virtual machine parameters:
Create icon on Desktop . Select this option if you want to create a shortcut to the virtual machine configuration file on the Mac desktop.
Share virtual machine with other Mac users. Select this option if you want to share this virtual machine with other users of your Mac. In this case all virtual machine-related files will be saved in the \Users\Shared folder on your Mac.
Location . Use the Choose button if you want to change the default location of the virtual machine-related files.
Enable file sharing. Select this option if you want to have access to your Mac home folder from your Windows virtual machine. In this case the Mac home folder will appear in the My Computer window as an independent folder.
Enable user profile sharing. Select this option if you want to access Mac desktop objects from the virtual machine's Windows desktop. With this option enabled, Windows folders and icons will be substituted with Mac desktop folders and icons, thus, allowing you to access them from both desktops.
Note: A number of Windows-specific icons (such as the Recycle Bin and Shared Folders icon) always remain on the Windows desktop.

This option also allows you to share the following user folders to Windows: Documents, Pictures, and Music. You can share all these folders or only some of them. To this effect, enable this option and go to the Shared Profile Options pane of Virtual Machine Configuration.

After the virtual machine is created, in the Prepare to Install Operating System window, specify the source of installation files and click Start . You can use the following types of installation media:

Real CD/DVD-ROM Drive . Select this option to use a disc inserted into the CD/DVD drive of the computer. Choose the drive to use from the Drive list.
CD/DVD Image . Select this option to use a CD/DVD disc image connected to the virtual machine's CD/DVD drive. Type the path to the file in the File field or use the Choose button to locate the file.
Note: Parallels Desktop does not provide users with OS ISO images or OS installation discs. You should purchase an OS installation disc or an OS ISO image if you do not have any.

Note: If your Mac OS X version is Mac OS X Leopard, and you want to use the F8 key when installing the Windows guest OS, refer to Using F8 Key in Windows Virtual Machine on Mac OS X .