Beginner question for BootCamp/Windows 7

Hi,

I am now to the world of parallels, and certainly impressed, however I need a little assistance.

I have been running Windows 7 via BootCamp, and have just set up parallels 5 so that I can access windows without restarting. For some reason when I set up the VM using the wizard and telling it to use the bootcamp partition it created 2 VMs (and put 2 parallels icons on the desktop) - one called "My Boot Camp" and the other "Windows 7". When both of them were clicked they started up a 30min setup process, but both appeared to be identical. I have therefore deleted the "My Boot Camp" VM.

However, now when starting the Windows 7 VM I got a message informing me that the DVD drive would not work. I have resolved this by changing the drop down box in the CD/DVD hardware configuration to the real drive (as opposed to an image file??) and clicking the 'connected' checkbox. But this means that the drive works either in OSX or in Windows. Can they not share it, as they do for keyboard, network etc.? Or is this how it is meant to be.

If I have messed it all up by deleting "My Boot Camp", I guess I'll just delete the other VM and start all over again! Just want to get this sorted ASAP before I reactivate windows.

Many thanks.

 

I think you are asking if you can share DVD drive with OSX and Windows VM .. the answer is no, either the VM controls it or OSX controls it. I have two DVD drives and let OSX have one and VM have the other.

If you use Windows in Bootcamp and VM you will need key's for both, the hardware configuration between the two modes are too different and Windows requires a new key. I run Bootcamp for games and VM in normal mode when working in OSX and Windows programs, I called MS and activated the Bootcamp Windows over the phone with no issue ... just told them I had to reinstall it on the same computer.

 

I also just installed Parallels Desktop 5 after already installing Windows 7 Pro (64-bit) in Boot Camp. I too am curious about the two VMs - one called "My Boot Camp" and the other called "Windows 7".

Do I need both? Can I blow one away?

Based on the experience of the OP, I'm guessing no? What does each VM do?

Thanks in advance!

 

Hi Ben Tsui,
are both virtual machine working and based on Boot Camp? It is hard to answer your question without further details. By default, Boot Camp based VMs are called 'My Boot Camp'. As for 'Windows 7' - did you create this VM on virtual hard drive, or from Boot Camp, too? If both VMs are based on Boot Camp, you can definitely remove one of them.

 

Superfluous VMs Automatically Created/Activation Loop

I have the same problem/question here, which I'd posted as a response in another thread.

Windows 7 64-bit in Boot Camp. Worked fine. Installed Parallels Desktop 5 and used existing Boot Camp to set up VM. Ended up with two (2) VMs in PD5 for Mac OS X, one called "Windows 7," which is the one that I created as I remembered using the default name, and another that I didn't create called "My Boot Camp." Both VMs required the same installation process when switched-on (found that out by accidentally starting the "My Boot Camp" VM).

I have yet to see an answer about why the additional VM is automatically created and/or whether or not one can be removed. I-che stated by default Boot Camp based VMs are called "My Boot Camp" when, as noted above, I'd created a VM using the existing Boot Camp partition, the default name for the VM during setup was "Windows 7," since PD5 recognized the existing Win7 installation on the Boot Camp partition. Having since worked in the "Windows 7" VM and then starting up directly in Windows, I can confirm that the "Windows 7" VM is indeed based on Boot Camp, i.e., files placed on the desktop while using the VM were present in Boot Camp.

Note I've now also entered the dreaded activation loop, where Windows 7 on my Boot Camp partition is "not genuine" (when starting up directly in Windows 7), and if I re-activate it, which I now have to call Microsoft to do, the activation for my VM will be null. And so on and so on. I realize this is an issue with Microsoft, but it doesn't make the overall experience with Parallels any less frustrating.

I need Windows for AutoCAD, and even the standard version seemed a bit too slow for use in the VM on a 27" iMac with Core i7 and 8 GB RAM (but works great natively). Maybe I didn't allocate enough physical resources when I set the VM up, but to change that I'd have to remove it and set up a new one?! I'm thinking Parallels (or VMs in general) is/are not worth all of this trouble!

 

Java, you named my problem

I was reading this post because i didn't know how to explain my issue (I'm not too well educated in the technical lingo of computers), but Java actually hit it right on the head...but didn't post the solution. Basically I'm running Windows 7 on my Macbook Pro using Parallels 5, and when I insert a CD/DVD into the physical drive on my Macbook, it gets read as a shared folder in the Windows 7 VM. I wanna know how to switch control of the physical drive from the Macbook (or OSX) to the Windows 7 VM.


P.S: I apologize if this is an issue that has been answered somewhere else, but because I don't even know what this issue would be called, I really have no way of searching the forums for it. Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

 

Chad & Java,
I think I know what you're asking for -
If (once in your VM) you look at the menu bar, under the Devices dropdown you'll find all the associated devices (USB, CD/DVD, Floppy, etc.) Here's where you assign the drive to the appropriate OS. If you insert a disk and it shows up in Mac, eject it from the desktop on that side, and then check the CD/DVD in the Devices in the VM. Windows will grab it then. Same with USB's. Works the other way to - Windows to Mac, just check the "disconnect" and it will show up on the Mac side. Fairly painless.

I also set the USB to ask whenever it's connected which OS it should mount to.

Hope this helps,
Trevor

 

I originally created a 108GB boot camp partition on my mbpro before i got parallels 6 and it was working fine, the MacOS partition is 220GB (total 320GB drive). Then I got Parallel 6 and have been successfully using it from either the MacOS or by booting directly into the boot camp partition.

As long as i am only interested in using the windows 7 software from within the MacOS (I have an 8GB mac with 4GB allocated to the vm), can i DELETE the original boot camp hard drive partition (via Disk Utility) and expand my MacOS partition size back up to the full 320GB space?