Brand new download - activation key fails :-()

Just bought it tonight. Love the download option, as instant gratification is what buying software online SHOULD be about! ;-)

Got the download link and the activation key in my email. DL it, ran it, and it refuses the activation key. Tried the 'get a temp' key, but that was 15 minutes ago, and still nothing in my inbox.

Parallels support site is down.

I gotta say, this is not an auspicious beginning. I hope the rest of the experience with parallels goes smoother than this! (Course if I never get a working key, I guess that point is moot eh?)

 

Ok, finally got the site to send me a new 'trial key' as my purchased key fails.

Drum roll please....

Trial key fails as well.

Oh well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Wonder if they will answer the phone tomorrow?

 

Solved - sort of.

Ok, I figured out the first problem - it was an older install somehow, with a new key. Re-installed again from the download link, and it accepted the key.

Now, I have the windows log in screen in front of me, but it won't read the mouse or keyboard. Don't know where to go from here. If I click in the window, the mac mouse disappears, but the windows mouse never activates. If I use ctrl-alt I regain the mac mouse. Windows is totally unresponsive.

What to do now??

 

Hello Bfindlay,

Please sorry for making you waiting for the answer.
Try attaching Parallels Tools as Image File in the Virtual Machine Configuration:

Start your VM but do not launch the Guest OS, click Configuration.
Choose CD/DVD-Rom from the list on the left side of the window.
Click [...] button at the Image File field and browse to vmtools.iso:

Mac HD -> Library -> Parallels -> Tools -> vmtools.iso

Click Open button, then click OK in Configuration Editor window.
Launch Windows and check the mouse and keyboard behavior.

Best regards,
Xenos