Hi all, I have recently got Parallels (build 3188) and am running Windows XP Home. I have recently not been able to access the shared folders. I get the following errer message in Windows when I click on the Parallels Shared Folders Icon: '.psf is not accessible. You might not have. Click on + and select the folder you want to share. Keep doing this until you have all the folders shared you want/need. Personally I have 3-4 folders I constantly use so these are shared, I also share my Documents folder and Disk so that I can get to any folder if I need to and finally I share my Mac Desktop.

Parallels has announced Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac, touting the software as being the fastest, smartest and most powerful version yet, in a manner akin to that of Apple’s own announcements.

According to the makers of the popular virtualization solution, product benchmark testing showed that Parallels Desktop 6 that 3D graphics runs nearly 40 percent better than before, while boot times for Windows is some 41 percent faster.

Speed has also been improved for working with files on USB drives, networks and in shared folders, Parallels said.

The software is to begin shipping come September 14, its makers said.

“Whether it’s for school, home, work or play, Parallels Desktop for Mac is the #1 choice of customers worldwide” said Serguei Beloussov, Chairman and CEO, Parallels.

“Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac delivers again on our proven track record of innovation with over 80 new and enhanced features that provides the fastest, simplest and most immersive Windows on Mac experience ever,” Beloussov added.

In a rare move, an Apple rep is quoted in the official announcement from Parallels.

“The Mac is more popular than ever, with millions of people moving to the Mac from Windows,” said Ron Okamoto, Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations.

“Parallels does a great job of making it even easier for people to switch to the Mac and allowing them to run Windows applications if they need to, side-by-side with their Mac applications and without rebooting,' Okamoto added.

The software company also announced Parallels Desktop 6 Switch to Mac Edition, which includes features that have been tailored to facilitate the move from PC to Mac, as well as Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac.

The package includes a Parallels High-Speed USB data transfer cable, which users must employ to move all of their programs, files, user settings even browser favorites and bookmarks to a Mac.

Parallels has released a Technical Preview Program for running Parallels Desktop 16 on M1-powered Macs. The company says that it created a “new virtualization engine that uses the Apple M1 Mac chip hardware-assisted virtualization” to allow users to run ARM-based operating systems, including Windows, in a virtual machine.

Parallels points out some limitations with the first version of the Parallels 16 Technical Preview for Apple Silicon Macs:

• It is not possible to install or start an Intel x86 based operating system in a virtual machine.
• It is not possible to suspend and resume a virtual machine, including reverting to a “running state” snapshot.
• It is not possible to use the “close” button when a virtual machine is running – shut down the virtual machine instead.
• ARM32 applications do not work in a virtual machine.

The company says it continues to focus on expanding the capabilities of Parallels on M1 Macs as well:

Parallels Shared Folder Not Working

Many Parallels Desktop features depend on a virtualization engine and guest OS architecture and must be developed nearly from scratch for the Apple M1 chip: starting from running an OS itself, graphics, the ability to suspend/resume a virtual machine, seamless integration, Coherence mode, Shared Folders, and many more. While our team continues to work hard on bringing all of the best Parallels Desktop features to Mac computers with Apple M1 chip, we are proud to share the results we achieved with this significant milestone.

With those limitations in mind, however, this technically means that you can run the ARM version of Windows using the Parallels Technical Preview on an M1 Mac. Microsoft does not sell a version of Windows that will run on Apple Silicon Macs with Parallels, but the company has made a version available to members of the Windows Insider Program.

You can head to the Microsoft website to download the Insider Preview version of Windows for use an Apple Silicon Mac with Parallels. If you’re not a member of the Insider Preview program, you can also request to join through this link.

Parallels Parallels For Mac Shared Folder Software

Here’s a look at the process of installing Windows through Parallels on an M1 Mac in action:

Today’s release of the Parallels Desktop 16 Technical Preview for M1 Macs comes less than a month after the company teased that it was in development. This release makes a major milestone in the ongoing quest for a way to run Windows on M1 Macs.

Do you plan on using the Technical Preview of Parallels Desktop 16 to run Windows on M1-powered Macs? Let us know down in the comments!

Read more about running Windows on M1 Macs:

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