New iMac, new installation of freshly downloaded Parallels Desktop 6, and brand new Windows 7 installation disk. Tried to follow all the instructions on the Parallels website and in various forums (I thought I had researched the heck out of this before starting), but the Windows 7 installation process running in Parallels Desktop refuses to accept the Product Key on the label in the Windows 7 package I unwrapped today: "The product key is invalid". Tried to call Microsoft thinking it was a validation problem, but they kept asking for an "installation ID" number which does not appear anywhere. I don't see a backout method to abort this attempt until tomorrow, so I guess I'm going to have to simply close the Parallels desktop window or Force Quit if need be, but that's in the middle of the Windows 7 installation. Bummer. Any suggestions? Microsoft Tech Support told me to call Customer Support, but the automated voice there says this is outside business hours. Dead in the water for now.
Blush so bad it hurts: the store sold me an upgrade version, but I did tell them I needed a clean install version. Sigh. Well, maybe this will be of use to someone else. And after trying to get all the other i's and t's crossed first...
