I had a virtual machine running WinXP Pro - I noticed a few quirks so I decided to re-install. Upon reinstallation of WinXP Pro, I got the blue screen stating that there was a memory error. I removed the 3120 RC and reverted back to the 1970 build, and was able to re-install WinXP Pro. I then upgraded 1970 back to the 3120 RC, and then installed Parallels tools. Upon installing Parallels tools, I chose to install the drivers automatically, however the video driver that it installed caused my screen to just fade to black. When I booted the machine in 3120 RC, the screen was still black. I've reverted back to 1970 which seems to be stable. Why am I not able to use this virtual machine correctly? Did I install the Parallels tools incorrectly? Are you supposed to let the drivers install themselves?
Post that information in the form of a statement, not a question, to beta@parallels.com. Tell them as much about your installation and system as you can. If you are using 3120 then you are a beta tester - your job is to give them information about your experience, their job is to try to fix it before the next RC or GA release, assuming they can reproduce it. The more info you provide the more likely they are to reproduce the problem and correct it. If you want something that is supported then stay with the 1970 release as it is production code. Questions for that should go to support@parallels.com. This forum is largely a user support group, very informal, and you get what you pay for.
Black screen on boot When you go from 1970 to 3120, there are some major changes in the video. The video driver installed by the 1970 Parallels tools doesn't work in 3120. I was able to overcome this by installing the update tools on 3120 in "blind" fashion. Select the option to install the tools from the Parallels menu. Wait until you see disk activity stop and press the ENTER key. Wait a few seconds, press it again. It took about 5 cycles of this and then it restarted with the new tools installed and everything is fine. Generally 3120 is better than 1970, but don't try to run an external USB drive on 3120. It doesn't work on 1970 - OS X gets the drive and you can't get it to go to Windows. On 3120 it may lock up your Windows VM.
