3106 Beta 3: No Keyboard or Mouse at XP Login

I felt what aarroneous had to say made some sense, so I tried to re-install Parallels and tried the VM of Bootcamp with no USB things plugged in -- just what is natively on my Macbook Pro. However, while that changed some behavior with the way in which the VM works now, I'm afraid it goes even deeper -- that before I install any external things to my native Bootcamp via USB, the VM needs to be created in Parallels, and Tools needs to be installed to the system.

I'm gettting pretty confident about this idea. Unfortunately, I simply have too much on the Windows partition now, installed applications and data, that it simply is not worth it for me to pursue it. I am so tired of re-installing all my software in Windows and waiting so long for everything to get tweaked just right.

But I'll have to keep it in mind if I ever re-install Windows on my system fresh.

So summing things up, I feel pretty confident about these problems being related to hardware conflicting somehow with Tools, in that aside from the basic installed stuff on a bare Mac system, everything else should be installed to native Bootcamp AFTER the Parallels VM is created and Tools has been installed. I think aarroneous was right on the money with this. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to try it on my system because starting over with my Windows partition is simply out of the question.

 

Just thought I'd let you guys know that it still doesn't work after installing the new build (RC1). I'm going to try uninstalling Parallels completely (and deleting Parallels Library files). Then booting into Bootcamp natively and doing a registry scrub of anything parallels (though I never found Parallels Tools installed in the native install). Then we'll see what's up.

If that doesn't work. It's Bootcamp wipe time and I'll start with a fresh Bootcamp. If that doesn't work.. Um... I'm not sure, but it will probably involve crying.

 

Yes, I am very interested to see what your results are after you finish re-installing Windows natively on Bootcamp. Just remember to install Parallels and make Bootcamp's OS a VM BEFORE you hook up any additional USB devices (including a USB mouse if you're using a Macbook /Pro) from what comes bare on your system.

When you're ready to install any USB stuff to the system, do it in Parallels first.

That is, when you find out that re-installing Parallels, like you are planning, fails to give you the desired results you seek.

 

Ok so my previous Bootcamp Install of XP is no more. i made a Parallels Only VM install of XP to see if it was just my machine destined to be broken.

Everything in the Parallels Only VM XP works like a charm (including complete install of Parallels Tools).

Next up, doing a Bootcamp XP install (tomorrow) and then throwing up a VM for it.

I'll keep you folks posted.

 

Alrighty then.

With my Parallels Only VM install of XP working rather well, I held true to my word and re-partitioned using the most current BootCamp Assistant as of 1/12/07.

I then installed XP SP2 and booted into windows. I did NOT at this point install the BootCamp Drivers. Instead I booted back into OSX and set myself up a BootCamp XP Parallels VM with the default options.

I then started up the VM. I did NOT have mouse control, but I DID have keyboard control. Using the hotkeys I cancelled out of the driver install requests until Parallels Tools got to finish installing itself and shut XP down for the reboot.

I now have a BootCamp XP install running on Parallels RC1 and the mouse and keyboard work great. I made myself a system restore point and am now in the process of installing the BootCamp drivers.

Barring some random disaster everything should be working great, though I have not yet plugged my USB keyboard and mouse combo back in. We'll see.

EDIT: Just rebooted after installing the BootCamp drivers. Stuff still works. So apparently I'm good to go.

Granted, trashing your current BootCamp install may seem drastic, but at least I now have a working copy of Parallels running off a BootCamp install

 

anmuellerx wrote: "I now have a BootCamp XP install running on Parallels RC1 and the mouse and keyboard work great."
===

So you can change resolution sizes in Parallels now without the pointer freezing?
Can you also use Coherence Mode with your Bootcamp VM?

Glad things are working good for you!

 

I can change resolutions by changing the window size or the usual way in Windows by changing the settings.

I can also use Coherence and switch in and out of full screen without a problem.

I have not tried suspending the Bootcamp VM because the Beta RC post says it is currently not supported for Bootcamp VM's

 

anmeullerx wrote: "I can also use Coherence and switch in and out of full screen without a problem"
===

This is great news! We tested it out with another installation, and it worked for us too! So nice to be able see it resize the desktop and still work! Still, I don't know when I will do it to my own Bootcamp installation. It will probably be very soon.

Thanks for being the guinea pig on this. Best wishes on your future Parallels/Bootcamp experiences!

 

I've got a solution without reinstalling anything.

I'm a french user, so sorry for the translations of the Windows menus ... it's the idea, not especially the correct terms.

Boot Windows under Mac OS X with your Parallels VM.
Edit the file boot.ini under C:\ (you'll have to show hidden files and to unselect "hide system files" into the directory options before).
Set the timeout value to 10 for example (it should be at -1)

Then right-click on My Computer -> Properties

In the advanced tab, there is a part for the profils, open it and set the timout to 10 seconds for example for login.

Now reboot natively with Bootcamp. The keybard will still not work to choose the OS and the profil, but Windows will login automatically thanks to the timeouts that we have changed.

When Windows will be booted, your keyboard and your mouse will just work fine !

 

Kinou,

I'm just a little confused, here. So, when I use Bootcamp in Parallels, the mouse and keyboard will work just fine? What happens to the system because the timeouts have been changed? I don't see the connection with that and the mouse and keyboard. Can you explain what is happening because the timeouts are changed?

Are you offering a solution to the log-in problem, or is this a solution for the pointer freezing and drifting to the lower right corner when the Windows screen resoution is changed, too? If this really fixes things so easily than I definitely would rather do it than re-install Windows.

I also have seen since we've had our discussion on this thread, that someone has offered a separate solution that involves going into Safe Mode and removing/install drivers, instead of having to re-install Windows. This also is great news, although I haven't tried it yet.

 

My problem was that after installing Parallels, I was unable to boot natively on Windows XP via Bootcamp (because the keyboard was not working).

With the timeouts, I'm now able to boot natively under Windows XP with BootCamp

 

Earlier I wrote: "I also have seen since we've had our discussion on this thread, that someone has offered a separate solution that involves going into Safe Mode and removing/install drivers, instead of having to re-install Windows. This also is great news, although I haven't tried it yet."
===

I tried his suggestions, but it didn't work for me. The only thing that has worked thus far is re-installing Bootcamp XP natively, and do not allow any hardware installations until after Bootcamp has been loaded in Parallels, and Tools has been installed, which I did in Help Mode to boot. I thought the Tools drivers could be re-assigned according to this guy's instructions on his website, but they didn't work for me, unfortunately. Maybe I just didn't do something right, though. I printed the instructions out and followed them as closely as possible, methinks!

 

I'm having the same issue on my MacBook Pro.

 

I'd like to know too. I'm not even using bootcamp. Somehow I think it has to do with installing Parallels Tools. I tried 3 tiems, it crashed every time. I finally gave up. The next time I start the VM (XP in OS X running a new MBP) I just get no keyboard or mouse. REALLY frustrating. A lot of this advice would be great (e.g. uninstall tools) but 1) I never got them to install successfully, and 2) I can't even log into XP to try - without keyboard and mouse. ARG. I should have just left it alone without trying to install "Tools" ( I just wanted shared folders ).

All the dude ever wanted was his rug back.

 

Are you using a Mac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro ????

 

Well it's all working now. Didn't have to re-install XP either. Don't recall what I did since the time it wasn't working, other than maybe disabling my OSB Overdrive for Mac (it optimizes the Mouse to be better), trying Parallels without it, and then later re-enabling it. And now I've got coherence and resolution changes in XP without pointer freezing.

I wish I was more on top of what happened, though.

 

Various Issues Resolved

I have a MacBook and just worked through the Parallels problems. First, I created the BootCamp partition and installed Windows XP SP2 as well as the Mac drivers. Then I booted back into OSX, where I had installed parallels earlier in the day, and tried to create the XP VM from BootCamp. Initially, after going to the "custom" menu and choosing "install from BootCamp", I got an error which indicated I needed to "choose ISO". After muddling around for a bit trying to figure out what that might mean or how I might do it, I simply shut Parallels down and tried again. The second time through, selecting the same menu items, it worked. However, as it booted into the XP VM based in the BootCamp partition, it asked me whether I wanted to "reactivate XP" because "significant hardware changes" had transpired. At that point, it froze and while I was able to mouse around outside of the VM, inside of it, I was totally paralyzed. I chose to "reset" the XP VM, and to unplug the USB optical mouse that I was using, and this time I was able to walk make it through the "initialization" of the Parallels tools and the "reactivation" steps using the trackpad, and when I subsequently reconnected my USB mouse, I was able to use both mouse and keyboard without any trouble. I was also able to resize the screen, go to full screen, and go to coherence without any trouble. After my reinitialization of windows however, about 25 seconds later, Parallels suddenly shut down with no warning. I'm hoping that won't happen again.

So, summary: BootCamp partition VM creation problems, solved by trying again. No USB mouse solved by unplugging said mouse until after initialization and reactivation. Sudden shutdown hopefully was a one time problem.