So I was pretty stupid a couple months ago and let a friend install parallels on my mac. Apparently, he installed it on boot camp. I have deleted it off my mac side but not my windows. So when I want to run windows from startup it defaults to parallels configuration-and nothing is there. When I override and manually select run windows XP I have tried to remove it using remove/add programs, but then it says i have to be running virtual machine. I think Im screwed as far as saving windows because Im pretty sure I have to delete windows in order to be rid of parallels. If anyone has any suggestions or anything to try, please let me know! I installed windows a year ago with another friend who now no longer lives in the country!
Hi Dav, All is not lost! When you you say you tried to "remove it using remove/add programs" I assume you mean Parallels tools, Not the Parallels application on the Mac. Parallels tools are installed within Windows and are added to the Windows registry. The hard way to fix whatever is broken is to access the registry and delete all the keys named Parallels or Parallels Tools. An easy fix (if you are just going to use native Boot Camp would be to change the startup operating system at boot after you successfully boot into Boot Camp/Windows. Control Panel>System> Advanced Tab>Startup and Recovery Setting button>Default Operating system dropdown, then choose Windows XP. There's another easy fix but you would need to have Parallels installed on the Mac. Since you've un-installed it, it would need to be re-installed first. Let me know what you think.
Hi, I have a similar problem and hope this is the solution. So am I right in thinking that if Parallels Desktop is no longer installed on the Mac, then deleting these keys will remove all the Parallels bits from within Boot Camp (and that it's the only way to do so)? Will this also remove "Parallels Tools" from the list of installed programs that displays when you do "Add or Remove Programs"? Thanks.
