I never miss a chance to adulate Parallels Desktop for Mac, which I've run practically since it first came out _ it's now up to version 12. Parallels allows you to run Windows and other operating systems such as Linux in separate windows on the Mac desktop. It makes using a Windows PC as anything more than a paperweight redundant. I use Parallels every day. I edit photos and movies on the Mac side and run Microsoft Word and Quicken, among other programs, on the Windows side. That means I don't have to buy Mac versions of those programs. Most Macs with at least 8 gigabytes of memory can run Parallels. It will not run well on Macs with less than 8 gigs of memory because Parallels uses virtual memory to run other operating systems. My iMac has 16 gigs of RAM, which means I can run OSX Sierra, Windows 10, Linux and Chrome at the same time without a hitch.
Last year Parallels introduced a toolbox for the Mac side that has 20 useful utilities. Now they've introduced a similar toolbox for Windows that has fewer utilities but performs the important tasks as well as the Mac version.
My favorite in both versions is a screen-recording tool, which is useful for folks who want to demonstrate how to do something on their PC. I turned on screen recording as I wrote this column. If you think reading this column is a bore, try replaying each keystroke and watching how many typos I had to correct as I rattled on. For practicality, you could use a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation and run through the steps on your PC or a larger video screen. The utility also can take screen shots.
A downside: Employers could record everything a worker does, including web browsing, without the employee knowing that he's being watched. Another downside is an office hacker could run the utility to steal sensitive information.
For folks who shoot movies on their smartphones, there's a converter utility that will allow playback and editing on a PC. Just drag and drop the file onto a popup box.
Other utilities include screen lock _ it can't be unlocked unless you know the Windows password. Audio can be recorded if your PC has a webcam and a mic. To discourage all but the most sophisticated hackers, the webcam can be turned off _ folks who are concerned about privacy will use this utility a lot. Files and folders can be archived (and unarchived _ especially useful if you want to hide files). A utility can hide your desktop so that only the generic desktop is visible to others. Videos can be downloaded by dropping the video file onto a popup box.
The Mac version of Toolbox has several utilities that aren't included in the Windows version, such as an alarm, date countdown, stop watch and timer, which I hardly missed in the Windows version. When I'm using Parallels, I can use either the Mac or Windows versions.
Best news of all is price: Both versions are $10 apiece for a year's subscription. A free trial download and more information can be found at www.parallels.com.
