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Parallels Access Requirements on Windows

Q:

Is it true that Parallels Access, for controlling a PC from an iPad, won’t function on a computer running XP Pro? If so, is there another app with approximately the same functionality that will run on XP Pro?

A:

It is true that for Windows PCs, Parallels Access requires Windows 7 or Windows 8, so it won’t work with XP, which is about 12 years old. As I noted in my column, there are other iPad apps that can remotely control a computer, but none that I have seen incorporate the iPad features and gestures the way Access does. Most make you try to emulate a tiny mouse pointer with your fingertips. However, if you can deal with that, there are some that will work with XP. One popular example is Splashtop 2.

Q:

Can photo files from a Windows PC be transferred to an iPad mini?

A:

Yes, you just install the Windows version of iTunes on your PC, connect your iPad to the PC, select the iPad from within iTunes, and then go to the Photos tab.

From there, you can choose to sync photos to the iPad either from an Adobe consumer photo program, if you have it, or from any folder you designate, such as your main photos folder. Apple has a help article explaining this at: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4236.

Email Walt at mossberg@wsj.com.

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