[Recto Bold]

I have a MacBook Pro which is happily running Parallels 3. I've just ordered a new iMac to replace my ageing G5 Dual and would like to be able to run Parallels on that too. Ideally I'd use it on there most of the time then when I go away just copy the image file to my MacBook Pro using my ChronoSync scripts. Has anyone ever done this and does it work OK? I am assuming that since everything is contained within that image it should be fine but you never know....

Thanks

RB

[rehoot]

Are you talking about copying the Windows image or the Mac image or both? I don't use Parallels, but I use bootcamp. In the bootcamp world you would have to run bootcamp to partition the drive so that it installs the boot record stuff. I think that code is outside the normal volume area that is affected by normal disk copies and imaging. Once the partition is made, you can restore a Windows volume using Disk Utility (I have done it).

As for the Mac volume, I assume that you know that if you have different versions of OS X you will have plenty of headaches copying files from the old computer the new one (because some preference files have new names or locations, and there are other program changes). Assuming the two computers are of the same OS version, you could try installing a G5 image on a new iMac, but I wouldn't have very high expectations because the lowest level programming has to be in a native code for the CPU before the OS loads the universal code libraries.

This might be a good opportunity to start from scratch and install only the programs that you really need onto the new computer and leave the old mystery programs on the old computer. Plus you start with a less fragmented drive this way.

[Recto Bold]

Sorry - Maybe didn't explain it. I'm not going to copy the Mac Volume. I'll just do the usual clean install on the new iMac and migrate my user folder across from my old G5 - That's not an issue. I am just interested in finding out if I am able to copy the Parallels Windows XP Disc Image file that I use on the MBP to the iMac where I will have Parallels installed, and use it right away on that or if when Parallels is installed any part of it is specific to the Mac it is installed on. I don't use Boot Camp (too much of a nuisance to have to keep rebooting). Being able to move the disc image file between the 2 Macs means not having to maintain 2 totally separate copies of XP and all the associated files.

[Cold Warrior]

I don't see any reason why it wouldn't, assuming both Macs are running the exact same version of Parallels (in order to avoid potential conflicts between different versions of Parallels Tools fighting over the same image). But I don't have any way to test it.