The first thing you must do as a former Windows user is to drop the assumption that a Mac needs the same daily maintenance that Windows PCs require just to keep them operating. The vast majority of Mac-related problems reported on this site are the direct result of installing 'anti-virus' or 'security' garbage. Macs need no such pampering. They are designed to be used, not fussed over constantly. Installing extra 'anti-virus' or 'cleaning' apps is only likely to cause problems, despite what their developers claim. The most highly visible and aggressively marketed products are often nothing more than scams.

With Parallels Desktop, you can switch between Mac and Windows without ever needing to reboot your computer. If you have already installed Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, or Windows 7 on your Mac using Boot Camp, you can set Parallels Desktop to run Windows from the Boot Camp Partition or import Windows and your data from Boot Camp into.

Microsoft has equivalent Office products for OS X but there are many alternatives available today that you may find superior to Microsoft's bloatware. I correspond with many Windows users and have had no need to use any Microsoft products on my Macs for years.

I have been led to believe that Apple are imune to viruses is that true? If not what is a good anti virus to get?

OS X already includes everything it needs to protect itself from viruses and malware. Keep it that way with software updates from Apple.

A much better question is 'how should I protect my Mac':

• Never install any product that claims to 'speed up', 'clean up', 'optimize', or 'accelerate' your Mac. Without exception, they will do the opposite.
• Never install pirated or 'cracked' software, software obtained from dubious websites, or other questionable sources. Illegally obtained software is almost certain to contain malware.
• Don’t supply your password in response to a popup window requesting it, unless you know what it is and the reason your credentials are required.
• Don’t open email attachments from email addresses that you do not recognize, or click links contained in an email:
  • Most of these are scams that direct you to fraudulent sites that attempt to convince you to disclose personal information.
  • Such 'phishing' attempts are the 21st century equivalent of a social exploit that has existed since the dawn of civilization. Don’t fall for it.
  • Apple will never ask you to reveal personal information in an email. If you receive an unexpected email from Apple saying your account will be closed unless you take immediate action, just ignore it. If your iTunes or App Store account becomes disabled for valid reasons, you will know when you try to buy something or log in to this support site, and are unable to.
• Don’t install browser extensions unless you understand their purpose. Go to the Safari menu > Preferences > Extensions. If you see any extensions that you do not recognize or understand, simply click the Uninstall button and they will be gone.
• Don’t install Java unless you are certain that you need it:
  • Java, a non-Apple product, is a potential vector for malware. If you are required to use Java, be mindful of that possibility.
  • Disable Java in Safari > Preferences > Security.
  • Despite its name JavaScript is unrelated to Java. No malware can infect your Mac through JavaScript. It’s OK to leave it enabled.
• Block browser popups: Safari menu > Preferences > Security > and check 'Block popup windows':
  • Popup windows are useful and required for some websites, but popups have devolved to become a common means to deliver targeted advertising that you probably do not want.
  • Popups themselves cannot infect your Mac, but many contain resource-hungry code that will slow down Internet browsing.
  • If you ever see a popup indicating it detected registry errors, that your Mac is infected with some ick, or that you won some prize, it is 100% fraudulent. Ignore it.
• Ignore hyperventilating popular media outlets that thrive by promoting fear and discord with entertainment products arrogantly presented as 'news'. Learn what real threats actually exist and how to arm yourself against them:
  • The most serious threat to your data security is phishing. To date, most of these attempts have been pathetic and are easily recognized, but that is likely to change in the future as criminals become more clever.
  • OS X viruses do not exist, but intentionally malicious or poorly written code, created by either nefarious or inept individuals, is nothing new.
  • Never install something without first knowing what it is, what it does, how it works, and how to get rid of it when you don’t want it any more.
  • If you elect to use 'anti-virus' software, familiarize yourself with its limitations and potential to cause adverse effects, and apply the principle immediately preceding this one.
  • Most such utilities will only slow down and destabilize your Mac while they look for viruses that do not exist, conveying no benefit whatsoever - other than to make you 'feel good' about security, when you should actually be exercising sound judgment, derived from accurate knowledge, based on verifiable facts.
• Do install updates from Apple as they become available. No one knows more about Macs and how to protect them than the company that builds them.

How Good Is Parallels For Mac

Parallels For Mac Free

Summary: Use common sense and caution when you use your Mac, just like you would in any social context. There is no product, utility, or magic talisman that can protect you from all the evils of mankind.

• Faster to launch and use
• Touch Bar ready for Windows apps
• Requires less hard drive space

• No DirectX 13 support for games

Parallels is still the best way to run Windows on a Mac simultaneously and the latest version of Parallels 14 has just been released.

Parallels allows you to conveniently run all those Windows only applications and games that don’t run on Mac.

Here we’ve taken a first look at the new macOS Mojave ready version of Parallels.

In a nutshell, here’s what’s new and what we like in Parallels 14.

Parallels For Mac Support

• The biggest improvement we’ve noticed with Parallels 14 is speed. One of our biggest gripes with Parallels has always been the amount of time it takes to open but Parallels 14 launches Windows noticeably faster. Parallels claims it opens “four times faster” than Parallels 13 and while it doesn’t quite feel that fast, it’s a big improvement. While using Windows, it also feels a bit snappier than before with less lag when using big apps or games.
• Parallels takes up less space on your hard drive than previous versions. It now takes up to around 20GB less space which is a significant saving. However, this mainly applies to Windows 10 installs – the savings for other versions of Windows are a lot less.
• Parallels 14 is optimized for macOS Mojave. Parallels usually release a new version with every new version of macOS and it’s guaranteed to work with Mojave. Mojave hasn’t been released quite yet but you can test the Public Beta version of Mojave in Parallels if you want to give it a spin.
• Touch Bar support has been enhanced from the previous version. There are now pre-configured Touch Bar shortcuts for Windows software like OneNote and Quicken and you can still customize Touch Bar controls for any app you like.
• If you use a drawing tablet with your Mac, you can now use Microsoft Ink with pressure sensitive support to edit Windows Office documents on Mac. This works with Windows apps such as PowerPoint, CorelDRAW and Photoshop.

Some of the other highlights worth mentioning include:

• Dark mode can be used in Windows applications
• The new enhanced Quick Look and Screenshot features can be used in Windows
• Camera Continuity imports pictures from iOS 12 into Windows
• Graphics Support has been improved for OpenGL
• Unused virtual video memory is now used by macOS for smoother and faster operation when running Parallels
• 4K video cameras are now supported for video conferencing

There are also specific improvements to Parallels Desktop Business edition the most notable being automatic Smart Card reader availability in macOS and Windows.

On the downside:

• There’s still no support for DirectX 13 that would allow users to play games like FIFA on Mac.
• Many of the biggest 3D performance improvements are only for the latest iMac Pros so won’t be of much use to the vast majority of Mac users that have iMacs and MacBooks. This will mainly benefit those that use graphics heavy 3D modelling apps such as CAD applications on Mac.

Parallels pricing remains that same as before depending on which version you need.

As an incentive, Parallels are also offering Parallels Toolbox for free with new purchases of Parallels 14.

You can also try a free trial of Parallels 14 to test it for yourself.

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