P Tools crash, shutdown problem etc.

Hi there,

I already contacted the support team via email on these issues (ticket #345040), but still have no solution. They provided some hints, but it didn't help. Unfortunately the support team just didn't react anymore to my emails. So, I'll try it here.

I am running an Windows XP Pro installation under Mac OS 10.4.11. Even after upgrading to build 5584 I still have the following problems:

After booting my VM, the drag'n'drop and copy&paste functions seem to work. After a while Parallels Tools crash without error message or anything else. They just disappear and are gont until rebooting. After the crash the drag'n'drop and copy&paste functions do not work anymore.

I also have problems with shutting down my VM. It only works every 4 to 5 times. The other times it hangs up in the process of shutting down.

Until now, I must say, that I am very disappointed with the way the support team works. Maybe anyone can help me out?

thanks
joge

 

Ok, why is it so hard to get an answer form the support team these days? This is all but satisfactory.

I'll post my config again:

MacBook C2D 2Ghz
2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

Parallels 3 build 5584

VM Windows XP Professional SP2

The problems I have can be found in my previous post...

Oh, and I did a clean re-install of 5584, and also did un- and re-install Parallels Tools several times.

 

This is starting to get annoying.

The support team obviously seems to turn a blind eye to certain topics or emails, for whatever reason.

This is really a poor, poor service. I mean, I paid for the software, and I expect it to work. They came up with some hints, and when these hints didn't work, they just cut off communicating...

 

Dear support team,

this is getting ridiculous. How many times do I have to post and how many times will you ignore my need for help?

This is just not the service I am used to get from a professional company.

If this topic is better discussed via email, please let me know. It's just, as I wrote, that my last emails remained unanswered, too.

joge

 

Hello,

I need some additional information. How do Parallels Tools crash? What do you mean they 'just disappear'? What do you do at the moment of crash?

Best regards,
Stacey

 

Hey, thanks for the reply, Stacey.

With 'crash' I mean they really just disappear from the info area of the taskbar. The 'ParallelsToolsCenter.exe' remain in the task manager, but I cannot restart it. The only thing that helps is restarting Windows.

Then everything seems normal, I can use the clipboard in both OS's and can drag and drop. Until all of a sudden the samt thing happens all over again...

Regards,
joge

 

I did not quite understand but after restart everything is working fine, right?

And you did not answer my last question.

Best regards,
Stacey

 

I'll quote myself:

After every start (or restart) of the VM everything seems to work fine. But only until Parallels Tools crash.

And I am doing nothing specific when it happens. Most of the times I realize it when I try to use the clipboard form Mac OS X to Windows or the other way or I try to drag and drop something in either direction, and nothing works.

 

When you are trying to restart 'ParallelsToolsCenter.exe' did you try to run 'Start' -> 'Programs' -> 'Parallels Tools' -> 'Parallels Tools'?

Best regards,
Stacey

 

Yes, I have. Nothing happens.

 

Please answer some more questions.
First of all, right-click on Parallels Tools Center in tray of Windows (taskbar, near the time message) and click 'About Parallels Tools Center'. I need a screenshot of this window. You can attach the screenshot in 'Go Advanced' mode.
Second, when Parallels Tools crash, does the mouse synchronization work? I mean, can your mouse simply roll virtual machine screen to Mac OS and back without pressing any keys? After crash does Dynamic Resolution Tool work (Dynamic Resolution Tool allows you to work with dynamic resolution. Drag the lower right corner of the Guest OS window to resize the window, and the resolution will change automatically now in both Windows and Linux guest OSes.).

Best regards,
Stacey

 

For the screenshot I'll first have to restart Windows because the Parallels Tools are gone again.

For the other questions you asked: yes, all of this still works. But no drag and drop and no clipboard synchronisation.

 

Thank you! I will wait for a screenshot.

Best regards,
Stacey

 

So, restarting Windows didn't help. Like I said in my first post the Windows VM doesn't shutdown, so I had to restart Parallels Desktop.

But here's the screenshot you asked for:

 

Hello,

please check your e-mail.

Best regards,
Stacey

 

I would like to report the same issue occuring with my build 5584.
Copy/Paste starts not carrying over to the Mac or other Parallels instances (IE the affected Parallels VM has it's own isolated copy/paste buffer that no longer interacts with the copy/paste buffer of the Mac or other Parallels instances). When this occurs the Parallels Tools icon in the System tray has vanished though Task Manager shows that ParallelsTolsCenter.exe is still running. Going to the start menu and manually trying Parallels Tools does not bring up the tool center UI, nor does it cause any error dialog. Using the task manager to try and kill ParallelsToolsCenter does not work. Rebooting fixes the issue for some indeterminate period of time.
Neither the application nor system logs show anything related to Parellels during this timeframe.

 

Oh, and in answer to some of your other questions:
Mouse sync is still working
Dynamic resizing is still working

 

HinckleyScott,
please tell me what do you do when such an issue occurs.

Best regards,
Stacey

 

I live without copy/paste as long as i can, then do a shutdown, then start that copy of Parallels up again.

 

HinckleyScott,

just fyi:

the problems on my system obviously were related to my usage of Macromedia (now Adobe) Director MX 2004 in my Windows VM. Every time I closed Director for the first time since booting, the Tools crashed. Only thing that helped was a reboot, but only until I closed Director again...

The Parallels support team said that they could reproduce the error and wanted to get in contact with Adobe. The also wrote that since this is a third-party company the solution to this issue could take wuite some time. So, I think I can wait forever. Unfortunately my work with Director is very important, so I will have to try and deal with this situation...

Regards,
joge