Vista in Parallels ... going around in cirlces

G'day and greetings from Adelaide South Australia

Hope someone can help ....it is a little frustrating. Here is the dot point history

1. Got new Macbook pro .... installed Vista Home Premium in bootcamp ...runs well.

2. Decided to get Parallels (3.0 at time) installed and pointed to bootcamp without realising it was supposed to be Business or above. It opened OK and authenticated fine.

3. Run without hassle until decided to upgrade to Parallels 4.0

4. Parallels 4.0 asked for re authentication .... bummer it failed

5. Purchase at university (where I work) a copy of Vista Business. Thought it would be simple matter of upgrading ... NOT!

6. Found after installing lots of PC specific elearning software Home Premium cant upgrade to Business only Ultimate which I cant get unless I spend heaps of bucks. Business will clean install not just upgrade but that means hours of rebuilding.

7. Now Vista HP is really messing up in Parallels can't even open Control Panel with Windows Explorer. OK in Bootcamp but Parallels seems almost broken

8. I think Microsoft might even authenticate my HP version but cant follow Microsoft's instructions until i get it to work.

Heeeelp please! Can anyone suggest what I should do. I would like to be running Business edition which I have a Key but a Clean install will be really time consuming and full of problems I think

Am I missing something or really got it all wrong

Looking forward to some community wisdom .... and will appreciate it

Regards
Allan

 

Allan,

I went through the same processes as you have described in 1 to 4 having very similar setting as yours (brand new, late MacBookPro, initially installed Parallel 3.0).

The only thing that really worked for me (after trying to countless possible fixes), was to remove Windows Vista Home and reinstall it again under BootCamp and than clean install 4.0. Honestly speaking, you might waste more time to figure out the solution to your current problem vs. reinstalling Windows. I can only tell you, that the outcome was rewarding for me. Parallels work nicely with Home Edition after all.

Kris

 

We are working on Control Panel fix, and try to provide solution as soon as possible

 

Hi John

Thanks mate as they say down here. I guess from this that Microsoft did something in an upgrade that caused a problem in Parallels. I am just happy to know it is being fixed ... Would you be kind to notify me/us when it is ready.

For Kris: Vista Home Premium (HP) was running great in Parallesl 3 and even ran great in 4.0 but it became obvious from pop up boxes that when I upgraded to Parallels 4 that it demanded new reactivation and it failed.

Microsoft didnt seem to mind reactivating it but I could not get that far as I couldn't get the control panels open to follow the support guy's instructions. When the Parallels team give us a fix then I will reconnect with Microsoft and request authentication. I am still not sure what the position is. Does Microsoft let you (legally that is) run Home Premium on as a virtual machine? Are there any ongoing problems from Microsoft or the Parallels end if I/we continue to use HP I hope this is the last time I need to call Microsoft support on this issue of activation.

Again guys thanks for the help
Regards
Allan

 

I bought Vista Home specifically to run on MacBook Pro. They did not mind to re-activate the program. As of your problem of not getting to Control Panel I encountered this as well when I was trying to fix problems after upgrading 3.0 to 4.0. Again, the solution I proposed cured the problem, because I could get to the Control Panel and get through re-activation.

Kris

 

Any news on this fix?

My MacBook Pro running Parallels 4 keeps asking me to re-activate windows vista ultimate. I've already been through the process with Microsoft over the phone and don't want to have to call Microsoft to activate each time I boot vista!

 

This is priority, please wait, we will inform when it is ready

 

Sorry but I still have the problem

I am sitting in the hallway at the Moscone Center for MACWORLD .... saw the Parallels booth and was told with a passion that every problem in the forum becomes a support ticket. OK feeling confident that this problem of control panels not opening will be solved. Overnight during this very week I get advised by the software update that there is a new Parallels update.

I downloaded and installed with great expectations ..... BUT! sadly even after this recent update the problem still exists.

When can we expect a fix please - my Vista in Parallels is seriously flawed

From San Francisco
Allan

 

Check for build 3810

 

reactivating Vista in parallels

Having the same problem after installing update of Parallels 4

What is the solution?

 

Sorry it has taken so long to answer your question John ... I have been traveling. I checked and my build it is 3810. What do I do now please. I still can't get my control panels to open at least from the PC desktop lower left start button/control panels. The window tries to open then disappears. I am also using Parallels to address my bootcamp drive and I am not sure if it is an authenticated "legal copy" with Microsoft - how do I check that as well please

Regards
Allan

 

Could you please create ticket in support we can check situation more closer?
http://www.parallels.com/support/desktop/request/