Windows 11 on an M1 Mac Mini with Parallels

[N9JIG]

So when I bought my wife a new M1 iMac (she loved the blue one...) I inherited her M1 Mac Mini. I have been running Parallels forever on my Macs, currently a 2018 Mini. The M1 only has 8GB of RAM (My Intel has 32) but so far that has not been a problem.

I installed the latest version of Parallels (17.1.0) and downloaded the Insider Edition of Windows 10 for ARM. After installation it immediately wanted to upgrade to Windows 11. I let it do so and when it was complete I tried my apps. Everything seemed to work just fine.

I am not a hardcore kind of guy, I don't use Final Cut often, I am not a gamer etc. Most of my work stuff is browser-based so it is platform agnostic. I use a couple Windows applications for my WFH job, mostly for the company phone system. I use Sentinel a lot. I also co-host a live YouTube show each week, that is all browser based so I can do that from almost any device with a camera and mic.

Both the phone software and Sentinel seem to work just fine in Windows 11 Pro. I have read about some driver issues related to ARM for certain instances but I haven't gotten that far yet as I use my NUC for that most of the time anyway. I can say that ARC536, ARC-XT and ProScan seem to run fine but I haven[t tried to connect to a radio with them yet.

When I tried this before with Windows 10 I had some problems getting DotNet going but it appears that this installation already had that. Both the phone and radio software use DotNet Framework 2.0 or 3.5 (apparently 3.5 has 2.0 included) so either Windows 11 already had that installed or it was inherited from my Windows 10 installation.

I am going to run this way for a week or two and see if it fits my needs. If so I might seriously consider replacing my Intel Mini with whatever Mini comes out next. The Intel 2018 is fine, I have no problems with it but it is 3 years old now and that is usually the time I upgrade. I don't mind extending it for a year if needed however so I can afford to wait a bit to see what comes up. Either way I will normally use the NUC for programming and running Virtual Control on the radios other than Sentinel.

In the meantime I will run the 2020 M1 Mini and see how it handles my work but keep the 2018 going just in case.

 

[Enjoi19]

Hey @N9JIG, sorry to bump a now older thread - did you ever end up connecting your radios to your M1 via Parallels? I've got an M1 air (I love it) and would be happy to be able to program my G4 and SDS/436 from it occasionally, without having to dig my Windows laptop out of the closet.

 

[N9JIG]

Hey @N9JIG, sorry to bump a now older thread - did you ever end up connecting your radios to your M1 via Parallels? I've got an M1 air (I love it) and would be happy to be able to program my G4 and SDS/436 from it occasionally, without having to dig my Windows laptop out of the closet.

It works and I did run it that way for a while. After I retired I no longer needed to run Windows on my daily driver Mac as I have my NUC next to it. I will let my Parallels subscription lapse in September as I really do not need it anymore and I no longer have any Intel based Macs.

The Windows Insider program is free but there are constant updates as it is effectively a beta program. If MS decides to have a public release of an ARM version of Windows I will probably go back to Parallels and use that on my Mx Macs.

I had no problems with Sentinel, ARC-xx and ProScan running but there are occasionally issues getting USB serial ports working properly.

 

[Enjoi19]

Thanks! Much appreciated.

 

[SBSteve]

Thanks! Much appreciated.

I have an M1 Mac Mini and run Windows 11 in the latest version of Parallels. The latest version of ProScan seems to run just fine in this environment but won't connect to the scanner. The problem seems to be, as N9JIG describes, "getting the USB serial ports working properly". I can't get Windows to let me change the driver and Parallels Support is less than helpful when it comes to USB serial port issues. So... I just use my older Intel MacBook, old Parallels & old ProScan, and don't allow any upgrades. If you figure out the USB serial port problem, please let me know, otherwise I'm not going to renew my subscription to Parallels or Windows.

 

[N4DJC]

I’ve yet to try Parallels on my M1 MBP, still use it on my Intel based MBP. Hopefully it will last long enough for an ARM version of Windows. I use Windows infrequently and despise paying for the renewal of Parallels.

 

[ProScan]

I have an M1 Mac Mini and run Windows 11 in the latest version of Parallels. The latest version of ProScan seems to run just fine in this environment but won't connect to the scanner. The problem seems to be, as N9JIG describes, "getting the USB serial ports working properly". I can't get Windows to let me change the driver and Parallels Support is less than helpful when it comes to USB serial port issues. So... I just use my older Intel MacBook, old Parallels & old ProScan, and don't allow any upgrades. If you figure out the USB serial port problem, please let me know, otherwise I'm not going to renew my subscription to Parallels or Windows.

This link should help getting the serial port working. If still a problem then perhaps you need to install the serial port driver.

ProScan: - Proscan compatibility with Parallels 14 desktop on Mac

Is the Proscan software compatible with Parallels 14 desktop on Mac? I have a Macbook Air running Windows 7 utilizing Parallels 14. Downloaded free trial of Proscan but so far, the scanner (BCD436HP) fails to communicate with my Mac via USB.

forums.radioreference.com

 

[EricRF]

Hoping no one minds if I bump up this thread...

I'm currently running Windows 11 Pro ARM from the Insider Program on my M1 MacBook Pro, using UTM which is free virtualization software. All is working pretty well, except Windows keeps telling me "This version of Windows has expired; you should move to a new build as soon as possible." I have two issues doing this, and I'm wondering if they exist with Parallels.

First, various things tell me that the system doesn't fill the requirements to run Windows 11.
Second, it looks like the only way to run a newer version of Windows 11 Insider Preview is with a new virtual machine. There's nothing iso-like to do an upgrade, so I'd have to configure a whole new VM. Am I missing something here?

Do these issues exist with Parallels? I used to use it years ago (Parallels 7), and like it a lot more than VMWare. Another question: Is the Parallels Home Edition enough to run Windows 11 without complaint? I really don't like the subscription plan.

Thanks for any assistance!

 

[N9JIG]

When I get that message in the latest build of Parallels I just update Windows thru Windows Update and it goes away. I am pretty sure one can turn the warning off somehow.
I have the subscription plan for Parallels so I don’t know if other tiers would work but if it is the later builds it should.

 

[EricRF]

OK, thanks! I hope the "home" edition presents a supported hardware configuration to Windows. It's seems that Parallels is one of the few (only?) subscription plans that makes it so you can't use the app at all once the subscription expires.

 

[N9JIG]

It appears that the Whistler EasyScan software will not work in Windows 11 under Parallels on an M1 Mac. There is an access violation error message. I think the software as written does not like the ARM processor as this same message has appeared in other instances with other software.

 

[N4DJC]

I'm ditching my Parallels subscription for a one time license version. It's ridiculous to pay that much every year. This is going to push me to buy a PC for radio stuff when my 2015 MBP is no longer supported. Anyone have a recommendation for a lower cost PC? Maybe one of those NUC's like Rich is talking about?

 

[N9JIG]

I'm ditching my Parallels subscription for a one time license version. It's ridiculous to pay that much every year. This is going to push me to buy a PC for radio stuff when my 2015 MBP is no longer supported. Anyone have a recommendation for a lower cost PC? Maybe one of those NUC's like Rich is talking about?

This is probably a better solution for most people. I prefer the Parallels subscription due to my use case but it makes more sense for a lot of people to get a cheap PC instead.

Check places like MicroCenter and your local reseller for lease-returns and trade-ins. There are some good deals to be had. There are now several manufacturers of small form factor PC's that look like NUC's, the Minisforums seem to be getting good reviews lately.

Remember: you do not need a ton of horsepower to do most radio tasks, even for virtual control like ProScan or ARC-xx.

 

[N4DJC]

@N9JIG

Rich, thanks for the info. I have Winlink, Icom and Yaesu (for firmware updates), along with Proscan. I would probably try others if I had a native Windows machine.

It seems incredibly slow on the older MBP, but the MagSafe and legacy ports are really handy.

Jerry