3186 is buggy, very buggy

Discussion in 'Parallels Desktop for Mac' started by dacloo, Mar 2, 2007.

  1. dacloo

    dacloo Bit poster

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    I am now running version 1970 again (very stable) because 3186 is one buggy release.
    Why it has been released as a non-beta is beyond me.

    I am running MacOSX 10.4.8 with 2GB of memory (first Core Duo iMac).
    Parallels runs Windows XP SP2, no BootCamp partition.

    Using version 3150, 3170 and 3186 results in BSODs all the time, especially
    when resizing or dragging windows, but sometimes totally random.

    The bug seems to be the videocard driver according to Windows.

    I want to help, but the developers never respond.
     
  2. transient

    transient Bit poster

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    Have you tried using the BootCamp assistant to generate the Apple drivers disk? It may be that updating your drivers from that would fix your problem, just a thought.
     
  3. darkone

    darkone Forum Maven

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    of course, it could be something left over from the betas that has caused the problems. Personally, Ive not had any issues what so ever with any of them or 3186. Everything has run smooth and certainly no bsod or kernel panics.
     
  4. dacloo

    dacloo Bit poster

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    Hi,

    I am not using Bootcamp at all... you suggest using a Bootcamp driver disk anyhow?

    Thanks
     
  5. weejames

    weejames Bit poster

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    I keep getting BSOD's due to a problem with BUGCODE_USB_DRIVER. I think im going to have to go back to 1970 again.
     
  6. rascuacho

    rascuacho Bit poster

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    Yes, with the 31XX builds, you can install BootCamp windows drivers. This will for example enable using iSight inside windows.

    I haven't had any issue with those builds (1st generation Core Duo MacBook Pro).
     
  7. transient

    transient Bit poster

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    I'm suggesting it's worth a try. At the end of the day it's a collection of Windows drivers provided by Apple for use with their hardware, however you don't get to pick and choose. There's an exe on the disk that installs everything so I'd make a duplicate of your vhd first.
     
  8. Horizontal

    Horizontal Member

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    I guess it's the OP's personal opinion that 3186 is buggy, I don't find it to be. Initially I had a problem with it when I upgraded the original (no betas ever installed) so I completely deleted Parallels from my HD and installed 3186 straight on. I've experienced no problems as a result and it's running really well.
     
  9. fbronner

    fbronner Pro

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    384
    No issue with 3186 here either. I am not using Bootcamp, I am not using coherence, my install is windows XP SP2 professional. My XP is running full screen on my secondary monitor and it works very well.

    If you are having so many issues with your video driver under your windows. You might want to switch windows back to VGA driver, reboot windows. Remove Parallel driver, and then reinstall the Parallel tools to reinstall the video driver. Then of course you reboot again.
     
  10. dkp

    dkp Forum Maven

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    That's an absurd suggestion. Parallels should not rely on Apple's beta code to run properly, and it may even introduce additional instability.
     
  11. transient

    transient Bit poster

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    I'm quite happy to bow to your superior knowledge as I'm very new to Parallels, but could you be more specific? On the face of it I would've thought Apple were the better qualified to produce drivers for their hardware, hence the suggestion. I'm currently running a VM converted from a Bootcamp partition, are you suggesting I should replace the Apple drivers originally installed under BootCamp with Parallels ones to improve performance / stability? If so where do I find them or are they installed over the top of the Apple ones when the VM is created?
     
  12. dkp

    dkp Forum Maven

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    1,367
    The OP is not using boot camp and so should have no need for anything Apple has cobbed together to make boot camp work. A plain installation of Parallels with a plain installation of Windows should run according to Parallels promises. It should not be necessary to pull down beta code drivers for an unrelated product in order to make all this stuff work.
     
  13. RRB

    RRB Bit poster

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    Black screen with 3186

    I upgraded to 3186, apparently with no problem, but when prompted, I tried to install the new version of Tools. During that install, I saw a flash of the BSOD and now when XP comes up, instead of switching to the final screen resolution, it goes black. XP appears to be running but with no video. Is there any way to recover, other than reinsatlling Windows (and its 78 security patches)?
     
  14. sjs

    sjs Junior Member

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    Parallels virtualizes the hardware, so Apple's drivers have no relevance at all. Parallels exposes virtual components that do not necessarily operate the same as the real hardware underneath, and hence require different drivers. In fact if Windows running in Parallels is using the Apple drivers at all it would be surprising.
     
  15. fbronner

    fbronner Pro

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    384
    Boot your windows into safe mode. Go to the device manager and get rid of the current parallel video driver.

    Reboot windows

    Reinstall the parallel tools.
     
  16. RRB

    RRB Bit poster

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    That works, after you finde out that it takes fn-f8 to get to safe mode. Bob
     
  17. krunnch

    krunnch Bit poster

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    >>The OP is not using boot camp and so should have no need for anything Apple has cobbed together to make boot camp work

    not true. they are prohibited by Apple from shipping the iSight driver.
     
  18. andrew.christensen

    andrew.christensen Bit poster

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    Busted for me too!

    I just did the upgrade from the previous version (3120?). It was working pretty well except that everyone in a while it would inexplicably shut down and Mac would offer to submit a report. Since's that about as useless as genital warts, I always skip it. So I figured that the new upgrade might fix this problem.

    NA-DA!!!!!!!

    I launch the 3186 and try to run my Boot Camp installation as I have been all along and now it's suddenly telling me:

    "More than one Windows partitions are found. This is not a standard Boot Camp configuration. Please refer to the Parallels Desktop for Mac User Guide, Using Boot Camp Windows XP Installation chapter for instructions on how to configure Parallels virtual machine in case of a non-standard Boot Camp configuration on your Macintosh computer"

    WTF????????????????????????????

    I have ONE Boot camp partition. I do have an external Firewire drive but I even disconnected it to try to launch. No go.

    Can ANYONE shed some light on this?

    Thanks!
    Andrew
     
  19. andrew.christensen

    andrew.christensen Bit poster

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    Ok. I figured it out. I had to actually physically disconnect the firewire hard drive from the laptop even though it was unmounted. What a JOKE!

    If this can't get fixed soon, this application is USELESS to me and i will have to torrent a 3120 build and go back to that.
     
  20. swehba

    swehba Bit poster

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    Me too!

    I'm having the same problems as you describe on my iMac regarding video drivers in the VM. 3186 is unusable and support is non-existent.

    I went to download the .DMG for 1970, but Parallels looks like they removed it from their site. Have you been able to find it?
     

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