Windows & DOS: Issues & Discussions

Just a quick note for macOS users.

I just installed (and removed) Parallels Desktop 15 Edition on my MacPro (2013) with 64GB memory and 12-cores, which is running the latest version of macOS Catalina as of this post. The reason for this install was to test some RIGOL test gear software which only runs on Windows.

The basic Parallels installation went fine and so I also installed Windows 10. Everything went well. I then installed all the prerequisites for the RIGOL software, including NI-VISA for Windows and the drivers, etc.
had read a number of reviews comparing Parallels to BootCamp (and other approaches); and the bottom line seemed to be "the performance is so slow you are better off to buy a cheap Windows PC." .

But I thought to myself, since I have 64GB of RAM and 12-cores (and am quite happy about the performance of this MacPro, 2013), maybe I'll have a different outcome.

Alas, I experienced the same very slow performance others talked about in reviews. I tried adjusting various Parallels configuration switches and sliders in the control panels, rebooting a number of times, but I ended up just deleting Parallels off my Mac.

If I *really* must have Windows for some test equipment applications, I may just go the "buy a cheap PC route", which is the same advice from many reviewers and commenters out there in "discuss and share" land.

Cheers.

Update:

Just attempted to install Windows 10 on my MacPro (Catalina 10.15.2) and, during the reboot during the final part of the Windows 10 setup process, Windows did not recognize my Apple bluetooth mouse and the keyboard short cuts in the setup GUI also did not work.

So, I also deleted Windows 10 via Bootcamp on my "big Mac"......

LOL, two days ago I spent a long time moving 500 GB of data from this "big 12-core Mac Pro" to a remote Mac Mini, so to repartition my 1TB SSD drive to give Bootcamp it's on 128 GB partition; and then found out Windows 10 on macOS cannot even recognize a simple BT mouse.

And this is the year 2020? Windows 10 cannot "out of the box" recognize a BT mouse?

Amazing really.

I think I will try Parallels again, with my new disk configuration. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will be a bit faster.

Update:

Trying Parallels again on the 12-core Mac Pro running Catalina.

It's running a bit better since I repartitioned the boot disk.

Later, I will try installing NI-VISA and UltraScope for the RIGOL DS1054Z and see if I can get it to connect to the oscope, by isolating Windows 10 completely from the Mac. Earlier, I did not fully isolate them and had some problem connecting, so maybe if I isolate Windows 10 as much as possible from the Mac (an option in Parallels config) I can get RIGOL UltraScope to work.

It's only an "experiment", as I don't have an real intention to use UltraScope; I just want to see if I can get it to work since so much test equipment software (like software for arbitrary waveform generators and power supplies) are not supported on macOS, I thought "maybe" Parallels could be an option to get this Mac talking to various pieces of test gear; especially since I plan to buy an arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) in the $100 USD price range from AliExpress vendors after the Lunar New Year holiday is over and the Chinese businesses are back to work.

Update:

I have RIGOL UltraScope working on macOS Catalina using Windows 10 in Parallels.

One of the tricks is to install RIGOL UltraSigma first and install UltraScope afterwards, launching UltraScope only from UltraSigma.



This link (to PDF file) was helpful:

Rigol Software Installation and Use

It's slow running in the Parallels VM, but it works.... and so does other Windows only software for test gear.

Here is the Riden Power Supply Softare running in macOS Catalina in the Window 10 Paralles VM.

Guess I'll have to seriously consider buying an RD 6006 power supply now that I have the software working on the Mac (or so it seems without testing the device)



RD RD6006 RD6006W USB WiFi DC - DC Voltage current Step-down Power Supply module buck Voltage converter voltmeter 60V 6A aa

(If I can tolerate the slow speed of the Parallels VM, that is).

Here is a snap shot of the JDS6600 Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG) UI on macOS Catalina / Windows 10 Parallels VM:



I noticed the JSD6600 software uses NI-VISA and recognizes my RIGOL scope.

However, when looking at it's competitor, the FeelTech 6900 AWG software, it's quite disappointing, relatively speaking and does not use NI-VISA. Not using NI-VISA might be a plus for some people:

Update:

I do not have a good "feeling" about Parallels because of their licensing agreement.

Basically, the cheapest "home user" version of Parallels costs $79 / per year on a subscription basis. This is crazy expensive, I think, for a VM machine.

If you do not want the subscription, you have to pay $99 for a license which grants you no bug fixes or upgrades. This is an outrage, in my view.

So, although Parallels does install and run "reasonably" well on my 12-core Mac Pro with 64GB RAM, it is still slower than I would like it to be. Furthermore, because the licensing terms and fees are such an insult to users, I am having trouble justifying keeping this on my Mac past the trial period.

In a nutshell, I think Parallels International GmbH should be ashamed of themselves for their greedy licensing terms and conditions for Parallels.