Sharing My Documents folder between OSX and Parallels

After having receintly installed Parallels software on my Mac Book Pro I quickly realized that I needed to be able to share files between my OS X OS and the Parallels / Windows XP Pro OS if it was to be of any use. I found a couple of ways to accomplish this but my favorite by far is detailed below.

Step 1: Install Parallels

-This one is a no brainer. Just follow the installation instructions included with Parallels to install the app and then Windows XP.

Step 2: Install Parallels Tools

-Here is a quick how-to install Parallels Tools

Step 3: Stop the Parallels VM

-Click on the Red Square on the right side of the screen if Parallels is running.

Step 4: Enable Shared Folders in Parallels

-First Click on Edit at the bottom of the screen to edit your current Parallels VM
-Second Click on Shared Folders in the left view (if you don't see Shared Folders, click on the add at the bottom of the screen and add that item in)
-Third Click the check box to enable shared folders and then add in your shared folder by click on the plus at the bottom of the box.
-Fourth select the directory you wish to share. I chose the full home directory but you could just use the Documents sub directory depending on your needs.
-Finally, Click OK.

Step 5: Map the Windows My Documents Folder to the Parallels Share

-First start the Parallels VM (Click on the green play button on the right)
-Second right click on the My Documents Folder in Windows XP
-Third change the Target of the My Documents Folder to the Parallels Share to map the Windows My Documents to any folder you wish in your OS X directory.

Notes:

-Some initially had problems with the Parallels Shared Folders but they have adressed those and I have had no issues.
-Windows WILL create its own directories for My Music, My Pictures, My Movies etc in whatever directory you map My Documents to.
-I kept everything simple by mapping My Documents on XP to Documents on OS X but that decision is up to you.
-You can set up Parallels to show your share on the Desktop or make sure the share is running through Parallels Tools, that you installed in Step 2 above.

WARNING:

-You have now opened up your previously protect OS X files and directories to Windows XP. This means any viruses and spyware you may get now can potentially cross the Windows OS X barrier and cause unplesant issues. Proceed with Caution.
-It was my decision that without those files being accessible in Parallels, I had no real use for Parallels, so I set it up. Just remember to use protection ;-)

How to install Ubuntu on an Intel Mac under Parallels

Screencast how-to install and run Ubuntu x86 on an Intel CoreDuo Mac as a Parallels VM.
Video is about 21 minutes (no cuts) from starting Parallels to having Ubuntu working after installation. The only tricky part is using the Live CD and click the install icon on the desktop to get Ubuntu installed in Parallels.


View the Install Ubuntu Screencast | digg story

Running Beyond Compare on a Mac Book Pro

The Problem: No Mac OSX software exists that halfway compares to Scooter Software's Beyond Compare FTP & dif program all in one. Since I recently switched to a Mac, I have been unable to find anything close.

I tried using Panic's Transmit for FTP but once the demo ran out I really had no desire to continue using it. I then switched to Fetch Softwork's Fetch FTP client. I like Fetch better but the necessity of having a separate Finder window open was annoying and I still don't have half the functionality of Beyond Compare.

Why is Beyond Compare so great?

• Connected file tree browsing with remote FTP and local files liked. So, when you expand or minimize a folder, Beyond Compare does the same action on the Remote/Local. This is an AMAZING time saver.
• Built in dif functionality. Beyond Compare is able to link the file systems because it compares the contents of the folders and their names using its dif engine. Even if you have folders locally or remotely that have no pair, Beyond Compare links up the paired folders. When you need to sync local with remote, it is a snap to see the changed files then, if necessary, double click to view the detailed documents in a side by side dif display with the differences highlighted.

The Solution: Parallels + Windows XP + Shared My Documents Magic == Beyond Compare goodness on a Mac.

The Details: Although this seems like a very difficult way to run a program, with Parallels and OSX its really easy to set up and once you have XP up and running there are lots of other uses for the framework.

• Step 1: Buy & Install Parallels. Really its as easy as that. Download, Double Click the DMG, and Install.
• Step 2: Start Parallels and create a New Virtual Machine for a Windows XP Install. There is a wizard and I pretty much used the defaults. NOTE: I have read that if you bump up the RAM over 512 your actually loose performance but you can always adjust those after the machine has been created.
• Step 3: Put in the Windows XP Disk, Start the Virtual Machine, and Install Windows. Again it was as easy as that for me.
• Step 4: Reset your My Documents Folder to be shared with your OSX Documents location. This allows you to work on the Code from OSX then just switch to your Parallels XP Machine running Beyond Compare to manage your uploads.
  • I found a great How To Set up Your parallels My Documents Folder as your OSX Documents Folder on TechPedia's Blog.
  • Follow the directions there which uses Apple's Bonjour to create a Mapped Network Drive which you can set as your My Documents location.
  • IMPORTANT: This method has some security implications that you should consider before implementing. This sharing is opening up security holes that previously did not exist on your Mac.
• Step 5:Install Beyond Compare and enjoy!