Problem with graphics driver.

I use parallels to run SkyTools 3. For several months i have been experiencing the problem described here, concerning a bug in the graphics driver.:
http://skyhound.com/problems3.html

I am able to get the chart to display correctly, but if i do then the text on another page is not rendered correctly. I can get one page correct, or the other, but not both!

As this seems to be a bug in the driver, can you tell me when this bug is likely to be fixed, and how to get both pages working correctly in the mean time?

 

I have 512Mb assigned, but I cannot cannot change it. There is a banner saying "This page cannot be changed until the virtual machine is shut down", but when I shut down the virtual machine the configuration window disappears with it!

(The other two settings are already as you specified.)

 

It does that because you might have configured the Parallels Desktop application to quit automatically when Windows is shut down. Please re-open the configuration window, navigate to Options -> Startup and Shutdown -> Custom and select 'Never' for 'Start Automatically' and 'Close window' for 'On VM Shutdown'.

 

Those are the settings that I already had.

 

Then, Windows should not start automatically when Parallels Desktop is launched. So, just open Parallels Desktop (but don't start Windows), access the configuration window and perform the steps that we suggested earlier.

 

Ok, with Windows not running I started "Parallels Desktop", this opened "Control Center". I clicked on the cog wheel, which gave me a window named "Windows 10 1 - Hardware". This had a banner which said "To be able to change the settings on this page resume the virtual machine then shut it down." It still would not let me change anything!

 

This means Windows has not been shut down, but rather suspended. Please resume the virtual machine and shut Windows down properly.

 

I shut Windows down by clicking on "shut down", then changed the memory to 1024GB, and then restarted Windows and started Sky Tools 3. But the problem with the chart display is still there.

 

Did you perform those steps as well?

 

Those settings were already selected.

 

Please try toggling between Direct X10 to Direct X9, reinstall Parallels as suggested in the article and let us know how it goes.

 

I set Direct X9 (Vertical Sync, 1GB memory) and reinstalled Parallels successfully by Scenario 1. The problem with the display still exists.

 

Can you please remove SkyTools 3 in Windows completely, reboot Windows, reinstall the software and then check for the issue again?

 

I uninstalled SkyTools in Windows 10 1 from the Programs and Features menu, selected Restart from the Shutdown or Sign out menu, reloaded Skytools from the CD (still with Direct X9 specified).
The problem still occurs.

 

Hi @AlanC7 , when was the last time it was working properly? Also please check with Skytools if the software is compatible to work with virtual environment and keep us posted.

 

I have contacted Greg Crinklaw, who produced SkyTools, and this is his reply:

This is definitely a bug with the video driver. SkyTools 3 uses an unusual system for drawing the charts, which allows for faster drawing. While is is completely standard Windows and should be expected to always work, it is more complex than most drawing systems. I suspect the bug is in some low level code, because it has appeared on a variety of video hardware. Most work, some don't. Some have been fixed, others have not. You should report the issue to makers of the video hardware. Tell them it is related to the scaling of screen items with complex metafiles. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a video manufacturer who is willing to work with me on this sort of thing. They will merely tell me that I am not a customer.

Be sure to try changing your screen scaling. Try every scale. Be sure to log off from Windows and then back on again (assuming this is appropriate for your emulator) to see if the change has worked. The trick is to find a scaling that works, but is also large enough to read.

 

While the reply from the application producer is comprehensive, it fails to mention whether or not SkyTools 3 is actually compatible with virtual environments by fundamental design. We need to clarify this point before we can decide that there is indeed a bug in Parallels virtual video driver.

 

Greg's reply to your request for clarification:

That phrase sounds like it was written by a lawyer. I have no idea what it really means in practice. Windows software developers don't generally design their software with virtual environments in mind. They design it for Windows.

Here are the relevant facts:

The SkyTools graphics system has not been changed since 2010. It worked in all cases, including virtual environments, until late 2015.

I know of no cases where it failed to work properly, in any way, in a virtual environment. We have many customers happily using Macs and Linux.

In late 2015 some sort of change occurred in many Windows 8 graphics drivers, apparently in anticipation of Windows 10. I presume it had to do with handling much larger resolution screens.

I have not been able to discern any pattern, such as manufacturer, or chip set, that ties the failing drivers together. It is not tied to the use of high resolution devices; the problem can occur using older lower resolution devices.

The issue has continued, for some systems, with Windows 10. For example, I had a Win 10 desktop and an Nvidia gaming card that showed the problem, but it was eventually fixed in an update.

People reported the problem with the Surface Pro tablet when it first came out, and it was eventually fixed. But the Surface Pro 2 now suffers from the same problem.

Greg

 

Please shut Windows down, open the virtual machine configuration window, navigate to Hardware -> Graphics and change 'Resolution' to 'Scaled'. Then, close the window and check for the issue again.