Coherence mode grey desktop

Discussion in 'macOS Virtual Machine' started by JeremyR4, Apr 1, 2020.

  1. JeremyR4

    JeremyR4 Bit poster

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    I have Mojave running as the guest OS in a VM under Catalina. When I enter Coherence mode, the entire desktop is made mid-grey in colour and I can't see any windows of any application running under Catalina. Have I misunderstood what Coherence is for? I thought I'd see the Mojave windows and the Catalina windows side-by-side on the Catalina desktop.
    Is this fixable?
    Thanks
    Jeremy
     
  2. GowthamR@Parallels

    GowthamR@Parallels Member

    Messages:
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    @JeremyR4 Hi, using the coherence mode you can run guest OS side by Host OS. It seems like the Parallels Tools is not installed properly. Please start Mac OS virtual machine > go to Actions > reinstall Parallels Tools and check this issue.
     
  3. JeremyR4

    JeremyR4 Bit poster

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    Ah, where were you when i needed you, two months ago? I've now found ways around my problems which don't involve Parallels.
    Jeremy
     
  4. Dear Jeremy, please accept our apologize for the inconvenience caused.
    If you decide to investigate the issue we will be glad to help.
     
  5. MatthewS25

    MatthewS25 Bit poster

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    I have exactly the same problem. I have worked with the Parallels team to find a solution and so far they have not found one. They have passed my case on to their programmers. Do you mind explaining your workaround (which doesn't involve Parallels)? That might offer a clue.
     
  6. JeremyR4

    JeremyR4 Bit poster

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    It wasn't a workaround, more an adaptation to reality. My motivation was to continue to use a very old version of Word, which I liked. With reluctance, I stopped using Office 2011 and moved to 365, or whatever MS is calling it this week, and spent some time with Keyboard Maestro and AppleScript so I could carry on using the same keystrokes. To put it another way, I let go of the past and embraced a 64-bit future, albeit without much enthusiasm.
     
  7. MatthewS25

    MatthewS25 Bit poster

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    Thanks for your reply. Unlike you, I loathe Word 2011, but it's the only version of MS Word that does everything I need in my work. I looked at upgrading and using Keyboard Maestro and AppleScript to customise it but the programmers have removed some of the underlying code on which my work depends, so later versions simply won't support my work. I am glad that Parallels can allow me to continue to use it, as much as I loathe it, because it does the job (highly specialised scientific editing).
    The fact that you installed Mojave as the guest and I have Sierra tells us that the guest OS is not the problem. I put this to the Parallels support man, who observed that Word 2011 likely does something non-standard to draw the screen, which Parallels hasn't taken into account.
    It was intriguing to observe that the grey desktop does not appear when either Excel 2011 or PowerPoint 2011 is active. It was also intriguing to see that the grey desktop is present when Word 2011 is visible but not when it is hidden (which supports the tech man's observation).
    At least I can still use Word 2011 and continue to earn an income! In the meantime, the programmers are looking into it.
     
  8. JeremyR4

    JeremyR4 Bit poster

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    The problems I had weren't confined to running Word 2011, so I don't think it's as simple as that either.
    What do you do with Word that's broken in 365?
     
  9. MatthewS25

    MatthewS25 Bit poster

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    One of the biggest omissions in Word 365 is the removal of toolbars, as my work relies on several toolbars that avoid having to navigate menus. Other problems are the breakage of several macros, continual dialogue box repositioning and the all-or-nothing approach to reviewing changes.
     
  10. Hello, thank you for your post.
    This issue is still under investigation with the Parallels Engineering team.
    Once we get any updates we will contact you here and by email.
     
  11. ChristopherS21

    ChristopherS21 Bit poster

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    Just wanted to say that I'm having the same issue with Word 2011 (and Word 2008) having a grey screen behind when using coherence. The issue is not present when using Excel or other apps.
    The issue is present regardless of the screen size/resolution I select (ie. best for retina, scaled etc)

    Am using Parallels Version 16.5.0 (49183)
    Guest OS: MacOSX Lion 10.7.2
    Computer: MacBook Pro 16" 2.4 Ghz i9, 32 Gb Ram, AMD 5600M running Big Sur 11.2.2
     
  12. MatthewS25

    MatthewS25 Bit poster

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    I'm still persevering and still hoping that the programmers discover the cause and can resolve the grey background.
     
  13. ChristopherS21

    ChristopherS21 Bit poster

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    Yeah, it makes using Word a mess. I'm mainly using Excel which is fine and then I switch to windowed mode for Word when I use it. I'd imagine it wouldn't be a difficult thing to rectify... but it may not be on their priority list! Fingers crossed the next update fixes it.
     

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