Beta Update for Parallels Desktop for Mac is available!

[STim]

As part of our commitment to leading the Mac consumer market, we're releasing an update for Parallels Desktop for Mac that improves performance both for VMs and OS X, and includes a number of great new features that make Parallels Desktop even easier to use. Some of the key features in this update include:

New Features and Fixes:

* Video output improvement and acceleration
* Added multi interfaces USB devices support (including Windows Mobile 2005 devices)
* Added isochronous USB devices support (including WebCam devices)
* Minor USB fixes
* Keyboard support improvement: Eject CD key support, left/right Shift/Ctrl/Alt (Option)/Windows keys difference support
* Added virtual disk cache policy option: Mac OS X performance optimized or guest OS performance optimized
* Image Tool fixes
* Optimized disk cache policy for Suspend/Resume feature
* Windows ME Suspend/Resume fix
* Shared Folders first time access acceleration
* Clipboard synchronization tool fixes (unreadable symbols sometimes added during copy and paste)
* Sound playback improvement
* Sound recording improvement
* Minor Full Screen mode fixes
* “Unable to allocate virtual memory” during virtual machine power on fix
* Minor GUI fixes and improvements
* Solaris doesn’t work with more than one virtual disk fix

You can download this update from http://www.parallels.com/en/download/desktop/update/

[livesNbox]

Downloading Now! Sounds great!

Just curious -- when will parallels be able to run Vista? I think it was something along the lines of ACPI support in the bios that was missing.

Also -- dual monitor support would be really nice....

--chad

[Edd]

Installed and running XPSP2 on my macbok pro with no negative change in performance .. will tinker with the new settings .. when i can find them!

[pazu]

Still no way to boot from physical partitions? Too bad, I was really expecting that. Will this be a free update?

[akac]

With all that's in that beta update - I'm impressed. The 2d video is MUCh faster. The USB improvements and that are major. I do wish to have physical partitions for speed - but I'm very happy right now.

[Ricochet]

Wow, that sounds well worth a download :) Cheers Parallels, you're giving VMWare a lot to catch up to ;-)

[rjgebis]

Are there any changes made to Solaris network driver in this Beta after GA?

[wrighth1]

Nokia E61 and TomTom Rider GPS still don;t work

[luz]

My Windows Mobile 5 devices now work perfect with USB!

And thanks a lot for passing the Right and Left Modifier keys separately. This finally ends a a lot of work around hacks :)

I also appreciate inclusion of the Mac OS X disk cache option so quickly such that the Application Enhancer Hack is no longer required.

Despite many comments on this forum about Parallels not responding any more and all developers in vacation - you've proved them wrong by fixing a lot of important things in this update. Thanks!

[Olivier]

As part of our commitment to leading the Mac consumer market, we're releasing an update for Parallels Desktop for Mac that improves performance both for VMs and OS X, and includes a number of great new features that make Parallels Desktop even easier to use.
You can download this update from http://www.parallels.com/en/download/desktop/update/
Up and running here, installed over the previous released version.
No issues to report for now, but have only run it on an existing VM for less than 30 minutes.
First impression looking at the Activity Monitor is that the VM *might* take a bit less cpu when left really idle (I may be wrong on this one but it looks like).

[Olivier]

First impression looking at the Activity Monitor is that the VM *might* take a bit less cpu when left really idle (I may be wrong on this one but it looks like).
Second impression: the 2D video display speed is indeed much improved. Superb.

[bcjenkins]

Installed the beta, the video performance didn't increase enough to work with SageTV's placeshifting client. Is there anything which can be done to optimize the video driver's settings?

Thanks,

Brandon

[jasonlcomp]

Does this mean USB HID devices work yet? I'm still waiting to be able to use my Timex DataLink USB again. Thanks, and keep up the good work!

[Moondougie]

I still can't use my SanDisk Cruzer Titanium flash drive - but everything else seems to work well - EXCEPT that now (not before, it worked great before) when I copy text from the Mac, for instance contents of an Excel cell and then try pasting them in a Windows program running in Desktop, it cuts the last digit off the copied text. It used to paste the entire contents, now it pastes all of the contents except the last digit - any ideas on how to fix this?


otherwise it seems to work fine - I had no problems installing Tools and I'm even able to use the eject key on my keyboard to eject the CD/DVD in the drive now and ctrl-v pastes too (though it doesn't paste the last digit)

[ElGringo]

So do this version come with built in BT support? Say, for syncing a Palm Treo with Windows running under Parallels via BT. I now have to use a separate utility (Serial Client ~ I think, not at my Mac) to do this. It would be nice to have this built in.

Thanks.

[Moondougie]

ok, NOW, all of a sudden I CAN see the files on the Cruzer Titanium - so whatever was causing that problem seems to have cleared itself up - but I still don't get the last digit when I paste (though if I copy from within Windows the last digit gets pasted - it's only if the copy was outside of Desktop - somewhere within the OS X side

[jonnybradley]

Been using it all day and all is well (in fact i'd forgotten i'd upgraded to a beta!)
Well done all!
Generally better performance i reckon.

The "Built-in iSight" webcam (on MacBook Pro) still doesn't work but that's not a show-stopper for me.

Cheers & thx,

jonny

[joem]

Installed with ease, and it's working at least as well as the previous version EXCEPT that my Ross-Tech VAG adapter that was marginal in the old version is completely inoperative in the new one.

I'll repeat my request in large bold type:

I NEED full 100% USB passthrough at the bit level so the guest has no way of telling that it isn't running on the actual hardware. Anything less and I'm stuck with bootcamp or a PC.

This will solve my VAG problem, and also allow CD / DVD burning using an external USB burner.

I would appreciate hearing from the Parallels team whether or not I can expect this to be available any time soon. It's a significant part of the reason I'm using Parallels, and it doesn't work yet.

[constant]

.
I just don't know about the value of using text tricks to alegedly enhance your words on forums. In marketing brochures, yes, but on forums it's different.

Why not be a real "stand-out", and make your whole post have the text trick? Then other people could do it with different colours to be a different "stand-out". Then the forum will have degenerated into a psychedelic eyesore.
.

[pigwiggle]

Is this an update in that I can install it over the top of my current installation without effecting my existing VM? Also, when I downloaded it I was prompted to buy a registration key. I'm assuming the one I purchased for the original product is sufficient. Correct? Thanks.

[constant]

.
Yes, upgrade, in the true sense of the word.

Yes, purchased keys work with minor upgrades like this.
.

[jonnybradley]

Oh, and i meant to mention that i re-enabled the audio and it doesn't seem to lock up the guest OS when waking for sleep any more - another Very Good Thing! (now, if i could just get my headset working... :rolleyes: )

jonny

[hayes_philip]

Hi,
Anyone tried to connect Nokia data suite cables via USB yet?
It'd be good to know if this works before I upgrade Parallels.
I won't be able to try this for a week or so myself because my macbook is having a new logic board, as are thousands of other week 19/20 macbooks at the moment.

[BBH]

When I use the internal "check for Updates" menu choice inside of my store purchased copy of Parallels, it says I am up to date. Obviously, I am not. Will installing this update on top of my regular partition cause me grief or....

May I assume the "beta" upgrade will eventually be a regular upgrade that the program will recognize via its internal upgrade mechanism?

[jonnybradley]

Oh dear - looks like i spoke too soon - just came back to the machine and XP is locked up - Parallels still working ok (until i tried to suspend XP - oops).

Looks like the "sound enabled means lockup after sleep/wakeup" issue is better (for me) but not completely solved.

btw, is this where i should be reporting bugs etc? (Sorry, no time to search...)

jonny

[robcw]

Does this mean USB HID devices work yet? I'm still waiting to be able to use my Timex DataLink USB again. Thanks, and keep up the good work!
I too would like to knoe if the timex usb devices work if so let me know and I will go out and buy a new mac

[ICreel]

.
Yes, upgrade, in the true sense of the word.

Yes, purchased keys work with minor upgrades like this.
.
To the administrator: You may want to highlight in the upgrade newsletter or ad that you do not need to purchase a new liscence since this was not clear to me and I had to dig through a lot of forum posts to find the answer.

[jmreiser]

I tried this beta and I still get either the Kernel Panic where the curtain comes down and you have to power off, or Can't communicate with Hypervisor. Both occur when starting up any VM. I have not gotten far enough to install XP yet. Have real purchased copies of that and PD.

[constant]

.
jmreiser,

Something is very wrong there, and I would bet that it is not Parallels. There have been too many thousands of clean installs to imagine that one would mysteriously persist in going wrong.

Try a new download. If you have a friend with a Mac, try installing your copy that you burn to cd. Check some things with your Mac installation.
.

[version]

.
jmreiser,

Something is very wrong there, and I would bet that it is not Parallels. There have been too many thousands of clean installs to imagine that one would mysteriously persist in going wrong.

Try a new download. If you have a friend with a Mac, try installing your copy that you burn to cd. Check some things with your Mac installation.
.

I have two Mac Pro's and I get a kernel panic or hypervisor error on both of them. I know at least 4 other people that are getting the errors as well. I worked two solid days on fixing it and applying the workaround does work but I don't think I should have to do that. I'll wait for them to come out with a patch that addresses the situation correctly.

[medunkt]

[QUOTE=Tim Surgent]As part of our commitment to leading the Mac consumer market, we're releasing an update for Parallels Desktop for Mac that improves performance... QUOTE]

As a new user of Parallels I'm pleased to see an active development programme going on.

But I'd like to see a lot more effort going in to your manuals and user guides.

I just switched to Mac and, like many others, one of the great attractions of Apple computers is ease-of-use and the intuitive way you can find your way while you're learning how to use them.

That has not been my experience with Parallels. It took me many hours of effort to get on to the net via Parallels XP. It was thanks to some really helpful people on this forum that I finally found the solution.

I found Parallels' user information - how can I put this? - confusing and ultimately unproductive.

If it hadn't been for this forum I would have uninstalled Parallels (I'm still on the trial version) and gone with Bootcamp even though it doesn't give me the functionality I need.

So please, Parallels team, get it together and produce a clear, easy-to-understand, mutiple scenario user guide. People like me need a special section written specifically for igonoramuses who don't know a DHCP from a DC3 - and don't want to have to bother with all that stuff either. That's why people like me have switched to Mac... even if some of us do have to have MS Windows for some things we can't do on our preferred platform.

[macintologist]

I'm having a problem with networking. My Parallels network port grayed out and is unavailable. Now I can't get any networking within my VM :(

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/6053/picture2an4.th.jpg (http://img209.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture2an4.jpg)

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/8530/picture3qa0.th.jpg (http://img206.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture3qa0.jpg)

[jackgm]

I'm a little confused over the cost of Parallels. I bought it in the store earlier this month and see there's an update for it. But everything I've read here on the Parallels Web site suggests you have to pay again....this time for the update. I've sent an e-mail to Parallels but have received no answer. Am I reading it wrong and if so, what do you have to do to get the update free of charge?
Thanks in advance.

[palter]

You're reading it wrong.

This update is a free update. It is still a beta of course. If you don't mind using a beta, just download it and install it. It will automatically recognize the license key from your prior version.

If you'd prefer to not use a beta, wait until the update goes final. At that time, the automatic update feature in Parallels will notice the new update and offer to update itself.

[Ben @ Parallels]

Palter, you're spot on. This update is COMPLETELY FREE to all users. All minor updates (ie, updates like this, or "point updates" are always free for all of our products!