Dualing Upgrades: Which to do first?

I am upgrading from Mountain Lion to Sierra; and from Pv8 to Pv12 - which to do first? (mid-2011 iMac). If I upgrade the OS from Mountain Lion to Sierra first, will Parallels 8 work well enough for me to upgrade to Parallels 12? Or is it better for me to upgrade from Parallels 8 to Parallels 12 first? Does Parallels 12 even work on Mountain Lion? (I'm of the impression that it does not.) I trying to figure out the cross compatibility to determine which I should do first, and I'm frankly just not sure.

 

Hello RonaldW1, Parallels Desktop 12 don't support Mountain Lion. Please check this article to know more about Parallels Desktop and Mac OS (HOST) compatibility. I'd suggest you to create a backup of your Windows Virtual Machine if you have any as suggested in the article and upgrade your Mac OS X Mountain Lion to Sierra. After upgrading you Mac OS to Sierra, you can purchase and install Parallels Desktop 12.

 

My question is exactly the same as yours RonaldW1!! I now don't feel too alone with my dilemma!
Did you manage to upgrade both Mac OS to Sierra and then parallels 12 without too much hassle? I am about to do as Swati@Parallels has suggested but having read some horrors with upgrading parallels 8 to 11 from another thread. I am just a little apprehensive. I would very much like to understand how you have done it, so I can follow suit. Thank you!
On top of the above question, my second questions is, would PV12 support Windows 7? If not what are the most economical option/s for me so that I don't need to upgrade Windows as well?
Thank you!

 

Thank you PaulChris@Parallels.
I have two more questions:
1. windows7.pvm file - I found this file in both the Mac and windows. Are they the same? Should I be backing up the file stored in the Mac section with the red Parallels logo and use this file to start windows when I have downloaded Pv12?
2. Since I have Pv8, can I upgrade to Pv12 or I need to buy a new licence version?
Thank you!
AnitaS

 

1. Yes, it is a single file as the shared folder is enabled you can see the Windows7.pvm on the Mac in Windows.
2. You cannot upgrade from Parallels Desktop 8 to the latest version. Please purchase the full version.

 

Hello, I just want to say that I have done exactly as the answers I have given on this thread and both systems upgraded fine without any hassle! I am totally updated and good to go! Thank you very much!

 

We are glad to hear that! Feel free to reach us anytime for support.