Mac Virtual Machine Update Runs Vista

Parallels Inc. has released previews of updates to its virtualization software for both the Mac OS and Windows that let users run Windows Vista alongside other operating systems.

Release candidates of Parallels Desktop for Mac and Parallels Workstation can be downloaded free of charge from the Herndon, Va.-based developer's Web site, the company said.

The update to Parallels Desktop for Mac includes support for the recently-released multi-processor Mac Pro tower equipped with 3.5GB of RAM, as well as support for the developer build of Mac OS X 10.5, code-named Leopard, that Apple debuted in August at its annual Worldwide Developer's Conference.

In addition, the new version will run beta and release candidate builds of Windows Vista in a virtual machine on any Intel-powered Mac. Parallels has come to the forefront of the Mac virtualization market this summer because Apple and analysts have touted Desktop's ability to run Windows and Mac OS X side-by-side on the new Intel Macs.

The final release of Desktop will come "in the next few weeks," Parallels said in a statement. The release candidate can be downloaded from here. New users can run the $79.99 program for 15 days free of charge, while current users can update for free.Parallels Workstation, which runs any version of Windows, any Linux distribution, Solaris, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, OS/2, eComStation, or DOS in a virtual machine on a computer powered by Windows or Linux, has also been updated. The release candidate of version 2.2 adds better support for Intel- and AMD-based hardware virtualization technologies, and like Desktop, lets users install Windows Vista preview builds in a virtual machine.

Parallels Workstation can be downloaded from here and run free of charge for 15 days. A single-system license costs $49.99.