2 users, one VM?

I have two user accounts set-up on my machine - One for me and one for my wife. My wife is the one who needs Windows, but when I configured Parallels and installed Windows I was logged in to my account (dang!) So when I try to connect through her account, is says "No boot volume available" Do I have to install Windows all over, or can I some how link up her VM, to what I already installed? I email Parallels support and got an incoherent response about reseting the permissions, but I couldn't make sense of it.

 

Resetting the permissions is what you need to do. each Mac account has a different user ID and group ID. Normally no user can read another user's files. If you more the VM to a shared directory such as /users/shared, and change the permissions on each file in the VM directory to allow everyone to read and write it (by using terminal or Get Info), you should be able to open the VM in the shared directory and use it from any account.

This allows access to anyone who can reach your machine. It's possible to restrict access to two accounts, but that's a bit more complicated. Get a good UNIX book and read it if you're interested.

 

That worked like a charm - I moved the VM to the Shared folder and reset the permissions using the Get Info window, Thanks.

 

What do I need to change the permissions to? I've moved to the /shared folder, and can succesfully run the VM on multiple accounts. However, when I start the VM on the second user account, I get an "unable to lock out the configuration file" message (which doesn't seem to affect the operation of the VM). Also, when I try to suspend the VM on the second user account, I get:

"Error occurred while suspending virtual machine.
Reason: Bad file descriptor.
Virtual machine's internal state was not correctly saved."

These error messages do not occur on my primary user account (which I used to install and configure Parallels initially).

 

Sounds like a permissions/ownership problem. What are the permissions on the VM folder and the pvs, sav and hdd files? If it's like my set up, it will be owned by account one with full read/write permissions, but read-only for other users.

 

The folder and the files within it need to be read-write for each user who needs to run the VM. This probably means read-write for all users as a practical matter.

You can't move a suspended VM and expect it to resume.

 

View of Permissions Settings

Can you please provide the settings in text form? For some reason I can't see your .jpg attachment. Thanks.

Go to the folder containing your VM, select it, then press Command (apple key) + i to bring up the info window. Toward the bottom you will see the "Ownership & Permisions" change the settings to match the screenshot I attached:[/QUOTE]

 

OK, this may be difficult to write out, but I will give it a shot.

First, select the "Parallels" folder that contains your VM (at this point it should have already been moved to a shared folder - ie HD > Users > Shared)

2. Press Command + i to bring up the info window. You should see "Ownership & Permisions" near the bottom. You may need to click the small triangle to the left to expand this section. Where it says "You can..." click the drop down and choose "Read & Write"

3. Below this section it says "Details:" you may also need to expand this section to see the rest of the options. If the other options are grayed out, click the small padlock to the right, so that it is "unlocked" then you should be able to make changes. I will list them in sequence below :

Owner: Admin (in this case I selected my user name which is the Admin)
Access: Read & Write

Group: Everyone
Access: Read & Write

Others: Read & write

Finally, click the "Apply to enclosed items.." button at the very bottom. I would restart just for kicks, but you should be up and running after that.

Hope this wasn't totally confusing, I'm kind of a picture guy.

 

JOEM wrote:

If you more the VM to a shared directory such as /users/shared, and change the permissions on each file in the VM directory to allow everyone to read and write it (by using terminal or Get Info), you should be able to open the VM in the shared directory and use it from any account.

I am preparing to do this over the upcoming weekend. Can you give me a step-by-step on how to "Move the VM" ?

Thanks!

- Dan Ashley, Chicago

 

Step by step for moving a VM:

1. Drag, and
2. Drop

(In other words, just do a Finder copy from the old location to the new location)

 

Thank you! I have more questions:

• What is the name of the VM that is in the old location? Is it a folder? Is it a file ending in .hdd? Is it a bunch of files, like music in iTunes is a bunch of files?
• Regarding the typical old location, would you be kind enough to tell me what that typically would be? Please assume the defaults were selected during the original installation.
• Regarding the typical new location in the shared directory, is this shared directory under anything? Like under "Macintosh HD", or under "users" or something?
• Regarding Drag and Drop: I am kind of clumsy with drag and drop. I have a trackpad on this Macbook, not a mouse, and lots of times it just does not seem to work out for me. I get to the edge of the trackpad and have to lift up my finger and everything goes tragically wrong. (Sorry, I'm coming out of a Windows environment, and I'm not very coordinated. I always got picked last in gym class for anything that involved hand eye coordination. I'm persistent, however and have a lot of determination.) Can I just hi-lite the VM to be copied, witth the mouse, and then Cmd-C to copy, and Cmd-V to drop it where it goes?

Thank you so much!

- Dan Ashley, Chicago

 

Find the .hdd file. The folder it is in, is the VM. Move the whole folder.

~/library/parallels/nameofyourvm
You could search your system and find this yourself.

/users/shared comes to mind as a useful choice.

No, copy and paste won't work.
Do yourself a REALLY BIG favor, and blow the eight bucks on a two button USB wheel mouse. If you are using Windows, you NEED a two button mouse if you don't want to drive yourself nuts.

 

Actually, copy and paste should work just fine for copying the files in the Finder. Select the folder containing your VM files (the .hdd and the .pvs files), navigate to the desired location in the Finder, and paste, and the files should copy over.

Of course, joem's advice about springing for a real multibutton mouse should not be taken for granted; it is worth the $8 even for non-Parallels regular Mac use.

 

Which Mouse?

Thank you for this excellent suggestion.

Down in the basement we have two whole shoeboxes full of two button mice that came with our various Windows computers over the last few decades. They actually work quite well! Alas, they are all the size of a small houseboat, wholly inappropriate for a Macbook that will go in airplanes, backpacks, and other areas where light weight and teensy size are so important.

Do you have any recommendations of brands or models that are small, travel well, and work well? What is/are YOUR favorite(s)?

Again, thank you very much. I am a newbie in this whole Mac / Windows / Parallels universe.

- Dan Ashley, Chicago

 

For travel, I like the Microsoft trackball. It's bigger than a mouse, but once you settle it somewhere, it doesn't have to move and I find it more convenient than a mouse. I can use it in my lap, or even rest it on the front of the keyboard. Setting OSX to ignore the trackpad when the mouse is present prevents those strange lost mouse pointer incidents too.

That trackball is designed for thumb on ball, fingers on buttons, and the extra two buttons work in OSX (but not Parallels) and can be programmed. In Parallels, it's a three button (counting the one on the wheel) mouse; in OSX it's five.

There are also trackballs available designed for index finger on the ball which have the advantage of being usable with either hand.

You will probably have a strong preference for one design or the other, so try both if you can. Someone I work with prefers the marble mouse (finger on the ball) and I prefer to use my thumb and when we work together, we keep switching which device is plugged in because we find each other's rodents awkward.

There is also a model available with a large ball in the center surrounded by buttons that may or may not work well in Parallels but works fine in OSX. I don't like it but a friend loves it.

There are some "travel" mice available, but I have large hands and find them awkwardly small.

 

Thank you, Joem

I think we are looking for travel mice.

Actually I like your comments about a trackball not having to move, and settling nicely in your lap. That makes a lot of sense in an airplane.

We need to think about a travel trackball, instead of a travel mouse!

If anybody has any suggestions about travel trackballs, including comments about what works in Parallels and what doesn't, that would be awesome!

- Dan