I can only run for any length of time in Safe Mode. I fear I am going to need to delete my current Windows XP VM and start a new one from scratch. But I first need to preserve a bunch of critical files. So, I was going to copy them to the folder I am sharing between my Mac and PC via Parallels. However, when in XP, when I double-click on the shortcut that gets me to that shared folder, it does nothing. Now, it used to be when I would boot up and hit F8, I'd get 4 choices: Boot Normal, Boot Safe Mode, Boot Safe Mode with Networking, and Boot Safe Mode with Command Prompt. When I selected plain Safe Mode, it wouldn't allow the networking operation when I tried to access Parallels Shared Folder. But when I boot in Safe Mode with Networking, it would let me access those folders. Great! However, for some reason it changed... now when I boot up and hit F8, I get a longer list of choices. If I choose Safe Mode with Networking, it then asks which OS to use (which it didn't ask before)... though there's just one choice, Windows XP Professional. I choose that, and it seems to boot up in Safe Mode with Networking like before. However, when I try to access the Parallels Shared Folder by double-clicking that shortcut, nothing happens. Like its not double-clickable. Can anyone offer any clues?
What I would do is create a new VM without deleting anything, then after it's working, connect your current .hdd file as a second disk, and copy whatever files you need, then trash the old VM.