Official "Error loading operating system..." Thread (Boot Camp)

Discussion in 'Parallels Desktop for Mac' started by rainmanbk, Dec 22, 2006.

  1. defender1844

    defender1844 Bit poster

    Messages:
    7
    maybe it's progress

    I went from error loading operating system to unable to load boot camp image.
     
  2. rainmanbk

    rainmanbk Bit poster

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    9
    Well I tried it, and I get the same exact error. But this time, there is the dialog telling me that Parallels is installing Parallels tools, and I am not to interrupt this process. Of course there's no possible way it can be doing anything, because it gets the "Error loading OS". So I'm still not sure what to do. I may just reinstall Boot Camp. My new thought is that the old Parallels tools may have screwed something up, though it doesn't seem likely, because I did remove it.
     
  3. rainmanbk

    rainmanbk Bit poster

    Messages:
    9
    Wow, good thing I just wasted an hour reinstalling windows to get the same exact error. This is definitely something wrong with Parallels Desktop, and not the windows installation. Parallels must be looking in the wrong place for some reason. Either way, I give up. Parallels can fix it and then I'll use it. No more trying to fix it myself by reinstalling. Clearly that is just a waste of time. I just wish one of the Admins would acknowledge our problem, and let us know they're working on it. This is really starting to tick me off.
     
  4. TonyErcolano

    TonyErcolano Bit poster

    Messages:
    5
    Might it be that it simply can't find the OS

    For those that are getting an "Error loading operatiing system" message, I think a common "theme" is that they've all installed boot camp/xp on a secondary internal drive.

    Might parallels simply not know from where to load the OS?
     
  5. jbsolutios

    jbsolutios Junior Member

    Messages:
    17
    I have installed Parallels on a second drive too and have exactly the same problem. I have tried with Beta 2 and Beta 3.

    I am using a MacPro with 2Gb RAM, 1 x 500Gb Boot disk (Mac OS), 1 x 250Gb WinXP Disk.

    Bootcamp won't boot from Parallels, but will when booting "normally" through the EFI loader.

    I really think that we need a way to be able to change the config of Bootcamp as it seems that the automatic config does not work when loading Windows from a second disk.
     
  6. rainmanbk

    rainmanbk Bit poster

    Messages:
    9
    I think you may be right. Ironically I just read something in another thread about modifiying the boot.ini file. This could possibly fix our problem of parallels not being pointed at the right drive? Let's investigate.
     
  7. rainmanbk

    rainmanbk Bit poster

    Messages:
    9
    Here's mine. Now tell me that first option doesn't look right.

    [boot loader]

    timeout=30

    default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS

    [operating systems]

    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
     
  8. TonyErcolano

    TonyErcolano Bit poster

    Messages:
    5
    I'd be surprised if it was boot.ini

    The boot.ini you are looking at works fine for boot camp.

    It's been a VERY long time since I had to think about the initial nt boot sequence, but what I believe needs to happen is that code is placed in the VERY first logical sector of the disk drive (AKA MBR). In a pc the BIOS knows exactly where to find this code. The bios loads the code from the MBR and begins to execute it. That MBR code knows how to get to the boot partition where it can find ntldr. It then begins to execute the code in ntldr. ntldr is the actual code that reads boot.ini, and from that can get ahold of the hal.dll and the actual ntoskrnl.exe.

    My contention is that parallels doesn't even know what disk the MBR is in.

    It can't be that the booting sequence is screwed up on the secondary drive. Bootcamp works. Bootcamp knows how to mimic the regular pc bios booting environment correctly.

    Somehow parallels in mimicing the pc boot environment is forgetting how to set up the initial disk mapping correctly. (This IS conjecture on my part.)

    Heres a shot in the dark. What happens if you move the Macintosh system boot drive from bay 0 to some other bay. Can OS X still boot? If so, at that point what would happen if you took the drive that the XP installation is on and moved it to bay 0?
     
  9. jbsolutios

    jbsolutios Junior Member

    Messages:
    17
    Hi Tony

    I tried this yesterday, but to no avail.

    To make sure that there was no trace of the existing install, I uninstalled Parallels, removed everything in /Library and got rid of the VM, then powered off, swapped the disks so that the Bootcamp disk was in the first bay on my MacPro. I then installed Parallels again, rebooted, created a new VM and was disappointed to see that the problem remained :-(

    It "appears" that Parallels simply doesn't support booting from any other disk than the one which contains Mac OS?


    Regards

    JB
     
  10. rainmanbk

    rainmanbk Bit poster

    Messages:
    9
    Well, I gave in, and just partitioned my main hdd containing OS X, and installed Boot Camp. It worked flawlessly. Whatever.. Until Parallels fixes the problem, I'm fine with a 32GB partition.
     
  11. defender1844

    defender1844 Bit poster

    Messages:
    7
    bump. Any update?
     
  12. jbwjim

    jbwjim Junior Member

    Messages:
    10
    Error loading operating system.

    Mac Pro 2.66
    4 GB of RAM(more memory has been ordered)
    bootcamp on drive #2 dedicated solely to Windows


    Error loading operating system.
     
  13. jse75

    jse75 Bit poster

    Messages:
    6
    Same thing...
    Mac Pro 2.66
    4 GB RAM
    Bootcamp on drive #2 dedicated only to Windows
    It is XP SP2 (Corporate edition with VLK), NTFS boot camp partition

    sadness.

    jason
     
  14. sprain

    sprain Bit poster

    Messages:
    1
    Same here!

    Mac Pro
    2 x 3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
    3 GB Ram
     
  15. johnsock

    johnsock Bit poster

    Messages:
    1
    Same "Error loading operating system" problem here.

    Guess what, I'm running a Mac Pro with bootcamp on the second drive. Imagine that!

    At least the problem is consistant. Hopefully the 50lb brains at Parallels can come up with a solution. Hell, who am I kidding. This program kicks ass even for a beta. Some problems are to be expected and I'm sure they will get fixed.

    Parallels team: please let us know that this problem is being resolved. I am patient, but my 30 day trial is running out soon. Don't worry, the Visa is standing by. :)
     
  16. yanathin

    yanathin Bit poster

    Messages:
    2
    Same, except mine's on the hard drive in bay 3.

    Mac Pro
    2 x 2.66GHz
    2GB RAM
    BootCamp dedicated to drive #3
    Windows XP SP2

    I've seen it working on my friend's MacBook Pro, and I'm totally ready to dish out the $70 once I can use Parallels with my BC partition.
     
  17. fucayama

    fucayama Bit poster

    Messages:
    1
    BSOD on startup in VM


    Yep same as this guy. same specs except for 120GB drive.

    Bootcamp still works fine on it's own but not via parallels.

    Only thing I can think of that is non-standard is shortly after I installed Bootcamp I used a trial of Ashampoo's TuneXP software which might have made some tweaks to the boot.ini file?

    I've made a few "repair installs" with the XP cd and rebuilt the boot files and MBR with the recovery console but as far as going in there and editing by hand I'm stumped. :(

    Looking forward to day it's all working, sigh
     
  18. epkphoto

    epkphoto Junior Member

    Messages:
    19
    I might as well report I'm having the issue as well.

    Pretty much the same as described...Error loading operating system.

    Windows XP SP2 installed via Boot Camp on the second hard drive (80GB).
    Mac Pro
    2x2.66GHz
    4GB RAM
    etc.
     
  19. hagen

    hagen Junior Member

    Messages:
    14
    Same problem: unable to open disk image boot camp.

    BC is on a seperate drive in slot 4 (325 Gb NTFS).

    interestingly enough Beta 2 was able to open the disk image but gave the "failed to start the OS" error.

    Mac Pro etc as above.

    Oh and why does it take so long to get trial authorization codes: I'm resorting to back dating my mac to run parallels and try different combinations.

    Hagen
     
  20. mwagner

    mwagner Bit poster

    Messages:
    1
    unable to load boot camp image

    Same here. :confused:
    --

    Mac Pro 2.66
    4 GB of RAM
    bootcamp on drive #2 dedicated solely to Windows
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2007

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