Failure to install WinXP stop code after drivers load

G

generatech

Bit poster
I'm a tech and have installed Parallels from beta to the most recent 3.0 56xx build on several Macs, including my own, without a hitch.

BUT today, 2 macbooks running 10.5.3 (disk permisssion repair ok, disk verify ok, clean install of parrallels latest build 56xx ok, tried 3 different WinXP CDs (2 Pro SP2 and 1 Home SP2; one upgrade, one full) and also removed parallels cleanly (its uninstaller and sudo removes as recommended) several times then repeated the above after reboots,
YET WINDOWS ALWAYS FAILS TO INSTALL AFTER THE DRIVERS LOAD IN THE PRE-INSTALLATION PHASE, I.E., THE ACTUAL INSTALLATION SEQUENCE DOESN'T CONTINUE AFTER THE VARIOUS DRIVERS LOAD WITHIN THE WINDOWS INSTALLATION THEN A STOP CODE APPEARS BUT GOES BY SO FAST BECAUSE THE VM WINDOW FLIPS BACK AND DOESN'T DISPLAY THE STOP CODE ANY MORE.

Driving me crazy!!! and I'm losing money trying to get this installed! I can't charge for this failure.

I also tried the above with ISO CD images and the same thing happens.

I also tried a static hd image of 20Gigs instead of expandable - didn't help.

I also tried with airport connection then with ethernet connection.

I also tried with bridge ethernet and stardard.

I BASICALLY TRIED THE PURE DEFAULT SETTINGS WITH THE DIFFERENT CDS AND ISO IMAGES, THEN TRIED WITH MANY DIFFERENT CUSTOM AND TYPICAL OPTIONS.

THE SAME THING ALWAYS HAPPENS.

IF THIS ISN'T RESOLVED, I'LL HALT MY PARALLELS RECOMMENDATION FOR MY OVER 350 CLIENTS COMPRISING OVER 1500 COMPUTERS. I'LL TRY FUSION INSTEAD.

THIS IS MY FIRST PROBLEM WITH PARALLELS.

THE MACBOOK PROS BOTH ARE ABOUT 6 MONTHS OLD WITH 10.5.3, AND NO WEIRD STARTUP ITEMS.

NOTE: THEY BOTH HAD BOOT CAMP BUT I DELETED THE BOOTCAMP PARTITIONS BEFORE TRYING ANY OF THIS AND REBOOTED.
 
I'm also not able to install XP SP3 from official (store bought) CD. The installation crashes/stops and no errors are displayed - the VM just stops. This is a brand new "virgin" Mac Book Pro with 2GB OS X 10.5. I installed all Apple updates and let parallels update too. I tried Express install and Custom install giving more RAM (1024KB) and it still fails in the same way. Right now I'm trying 'fixed disk' (not expandable) to see if that makes any difference.
 
Here's capture of the screen after pausing the VM just as the error displays:
xpsp3err.png
 
generatech said:
I'm a tech and have installed Parallels from beta to the most recent 3.0 56xx build on several Macs, including my own, without a hitch.

BUT today, 2 macbooks running 10.5.3 (disk permisssion repair ok, disk verify ok, clean install of parrallels latest build 56xx ok, tried 3 different WinXP CDs (2 Pro SP2 and 1 Home SP2; one upgrade, one full) and also removed parallels cleanly (its uninstaller and sudo removes as recommended) several times then repeated the above after reboots,
YET WINDOWS ALWAYS FAILS TO INSTALL AFTER THE DRIVERS LOAD IN THE PRE-INSTALLATION PHASE, I.E., THE ACTUAL INSTALLATION SEQUENCE DOESN'T CONTINUE AFTER THE VARIOUS DRIVERS LOAD WITHIN THE WINDOWS INSTALLATION THEN A STOP CODE APPEARS BUT GOES BY SO FAST BECAUSE THE VM WINDOW FLIPS BACK AND DOESN'T DISPLAY THE STOP CODE ANY MORE.

Driving me crazy!!! and I'm losing money trying to get this installed! I can't charge for this failure.

I also tried the above with ISO CD images and the same thing happens.

I also tried a static hd image of 20Gigs instead of expandable - didn't help.

I also tried with airport connection then with ethernet connection.

I also tried with bridge ethernet and stardard.

I BASICALLY TRIED THE PURE DEFAULT SETTINGS WITH THE DIFFERENT CDS AND ISO IMAGES, THEN TRIED WITH MANY DIFFERENT CUSTOM AND TYPICAL OPTIONS.

THE SAME THING ALWAYS HAPPENS.

IF THIS ISN'T RESOLVED, I'LL HALT MY PARALLELS RECOMMENDATION FOR MY OVER 350 CLIENTS COMPRISING OVER 1500 COMPUTERS. I'LL TRY FUSION INSTEAD.

THIS IS MY FIRST PROBLEM WITH PARALLELS.

THE MACBOOK PROS BOTH ARE ABOUT 6 MONTHS OLD WITH 10.5.3, AND NO WEIRD STARTUP ITEMS.

NOTE: THEY BOTH HAD BOOT CAMP BUT I DELETED THE BOOTCAMP PARTITIONS BEFORE TRYING ANY OF THIS AND REBOOTED.
Click to expand...

Disable Intel-VT-x and Hardware Acceleration in Parallels Desktop -<Virtual Machine name>-Edit-Virtual Machine-Options-Advanced
 
mrblog said:
I'm also not able to install XP SP3 from official (store bought) CD. The installation crashes/stops and no errors are displayed - the VM just stops. This is a brand new "virgin" Mac Book Pro with 2GB OS X 10.5. I installed all Apple updates and let parallels update too. I tried Express install and Custom install giving more RAM (1024KB) and it still fails in the same way. Right now I'm trying 'fixed disk' (not expandable) to see if that makes any difference.
Click to expand...

Are you using Boot Camp?
if yes
1) Go to Configuration Editor of this VM > Hard Disk >Advanced
2) Click "Clear" button. This will remove Parallels information from
Boot Camp partitition
3) After it finishes boot this VM
4. Normal shutdown
5, Try to boot in Boot Camp
 
In case it helps others, the solution to the SESSION3 INITIALIZATION FAILED problem I describe above for me was to install from ISO instead of directly from the XP CD. If you have never made an ISO from a CD on the Mac, it may not be obvious how to do it. Go into Disk Utility. Selected the Microsoft install CD and click 'New Image'. In the dialog that comes up, change the image format to 'read-only' and ensure encryption is 'none'. It will make a ".dmg" file but that file can be renamed to a ".iso" (I do this with Terminal, because that's what I know). Then have Parallels install from that ISO file instead of from the DVD/CD drive.

Given how, for a lot f people, the whole purpose of Parallels is to install Windows XP, and given that many people are probably doing it from a real Microsoft CD, and how Parallels is supposed to be user-friendly for non-techies, and based on reports on this board and others as to how frequent this problem is, Parallels should almost just do this automatically, or warn people that installing from a real Microsoft CD doesn't work.
 
John@Parallels, where is Parallels suggesting that? Certainly not during the installation process when installing Parallels and then XP, that I saw, anyway. I had to search all over the place for an answer to this and afaik it didn't come from a Parallels rep, but another user. I saw lots of unresolved cases without any solutions or recommendations from Parallels folks. Also, the process for making the ISO from the install CD is not obvious or user-friendly. If Parallels says do it that way, why doesn't the software make that an option where Parallels will make the ISO and install from it automatically? I'm trying to sell this to non-technical Windows people as a user-feriendly and easy way to migrate to Macs - these aren't Mac people or tech experts. I thought Parallels was for that kind of user. I've sold (recommended) a lot of copies of Parallels to people on that basis. These people just want it to work, the same way, and as easy as it does on their Windows box.
 
FWIW, I'm not sure it's clear, the but the ISO that worked was made from the Microsoft CD that didn't wotk (gave the SESSION3 error every time, no matter what). Also this machine has bever seen Bootcamp - it is a virgin OS X 10.5.3 with nothing on it other than what it came with and the automatic updates from Apple. Parallels was the first thng installed on the machine. Microsoft XP CD fails - installing from an ISO of that same CD worked.
 
mrblog
Perhaps you missed something from my answer, we only suggest to make ISO http://kb.parallels.com/en/4917, in order to make sure that Windows XP disk is not corrupted, and this should be out of Parallels Desktop in order user understand that CD is corrupted, or CD/DVD-rom is not working correct, and this is not something caused by Parallels Desktop - default option is to install from Windows XP CD
 
Thanks John@Prallels. But, let me understand. So you are saying that all cases we see here and elsewhere about the SESSION3 INITIALIZATION FAILED are due to Macs with bad DVD/CD drives? That seounds like a heck of a lot of faulty Mac drives. Are you suggestiing that I need to send in this brand new Mac laptop for repair? What do I tell Apple? "Everything works, except installing XP using Paralells"

If it's a corrupt Microsoft CD and/or a bad DVD/CD drive in the Mac causing this crash, it does seem strange that making a copy of that exact same corrupt Microsoft CD to an ISO using the exact same bad DVD/CD drive in the exact same Mac works fine.
 
Well, let us see
1. When Mac OS tried to read CD,DVD, disks it performs up to several thousands attempts
to read from CD-DVD
2. While Windows tries only several times, and if somehow disk is not clear, or scratched, or somehow not ideal - Windows gives BSOD
3. As stated in step 1, you can create good ISO, and this gives a Windows good point to be installed, because Mac tries all the best to retrieve data from CD
 
PROBLEM SOLVED:

I installed VMware Fusion instead of Parallels and the installation went like breeze (the way Parallels USED TO BE).

I no longer recommend Parallels but will maintain existing installations among my client base.

P.S.
Parallels used to have free call in support. If Parallels has the audacity to charge for installation support it needs to make a better product. You can't sell an buggy iteration requiring hours of song and dance AND charge for support it from the start. Well, actually you can, but I certainly don't have to use it or recommend it, and I'm not.
 
Dear Generatech,
First please check that your Windows CDs are not OEM version. Then please try to use Custom installation instead of Express.
We have no problems with Windows installation in PD 56xx
 
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