Cannot upgrade to 4.0 - CD does not appear

I have been trying for days to upgrade from version 3 to version 4. I get to the point where I have to do the manual install, and I get to my Vista desktop (I'm using my Bootcamp image), but I cannot install Parallels Tools because I cannot get a CD image to show up at all. If I click on the little CD picture just below the virtual machine, it claims that the prl-tools-win.iso is connected, but I can't any CD-ROM to show up when I go to Start and then to Computer. I just see my hard drive and floppy. I also tried to burn a real CD using that .iso file and then have Parallels connect to the CD-ROM drive on my Mac. Again, Parallels seems to think that it is attached to the real drive, but again it just doesn't show up under computer. I tried to drag the setup.exe file from my Mac desktop to the virtual desktop, but it won't let me do that -- presumably because drop and drag doesn't work until I install Parallels Tools. Please help! This is so frustrating!!! Thanks.

-Jeff

 

Check if it happens with other CDs, images. Also, check the size of prl_tools_win.iso file -- it's located under HD/Library/Parallels/Tools/

 

Yes, it happens with any CD that I try to access. The prl_tools_win.iso file that Parallels thinks is mounted but does not show up in Vista in my virtual system is 76.8 MB.

Every time I try to start up this virtual system, Parallels again tries to upgrade my virtual system. I am at step 2 of 4 when it puts me into Vista so that I can manually continue the setup process and run the setup.exe file (which I then cannot access due to these errors). If I shut down my virtual machine, is it OK for me to just run my Vista in BootCamp? I have been a little hesitant to do so because I am obviously stuck in a mid-install, and I was afraid that if I try BootCamp it might mess up the install. But if you tell me that is OK, I can see whether running Vista from BootCamp had CD access, and if it does I can get the setup.exe file onto my Vista that way, then go back to the Parallels install and have access to the file. Perhaps once it runs the setup.exe file that will restore my CD (and CD image) access again?

Please advise.

-Jeff

 

Hello JeffRichardson.
Please read this article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929461/en-us it could help you.
So, when you manually continue the setup process just perfom action from article with Vista registry. And , please, create Problem Report (Help menu->Report a Problem) and write its number here.

 

Hi this is Ian, I am having exactly the same issue. When I quit Parallels the CD drive on my mac comes back and all works perfectly. As soon as I load the virtual desk top the CD dissapears from site on both the Mac and the Virtual MAchine. I tried the fix above and it didn't seem to do anything. Of course without the Parallels tool box a bunch of other stuff doesn;t work. Any thoughts?

 

I take it all back, I had to reboot the virtual machine twice and the secodn time instead of rebooting I opted for shut down instead. That seemed to work and now everything seems to be working fine. I noticed that the Virtual Machine reinstalled the CD drive as a virtual drive instead of a physical drive and that seemed to make a difference. After that the install restarted and went all the way through.

 

That solved it. Thank you; I would have never known to do that without your advice.

-Jeff