Cursor Is Trapped and Other Vexations

Hello Everyone!

First, some info from System Profiler:


Model Name: MacBook Pro 17"
Model Identifier: MacBookPro2,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.33 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
OS 10.4.10

Parallels 3.0 with memory set to max 1.5 with virtual memory option turned on.

I can't go running into the Mac store everytime something goes wrong. And glitchs seems to arise all the time. I destroyed XP and then decided to UG to Vista. I'm getting into Windows for the first time in my computing career (1995). Upgraded to v3, reinstalled XP sp3 (or is it sp2?), and then installed Vista Ultimate on that.

At the bottom of the Parallels window, it says "press alt+cntl to relase the mouse". The mouse doesn't release. It stays in the Windoze environment. I can't do anything in the Mac OS environment. I can't manipulate Parallels, even if it's stopped.

My brother, a Mac-O-Phobe of the first order, ß-tested Vista and bragged endlessly about it. Once I installed Vista, he advised that I stick with XP. ("General Lee, you might want to reconsider having General Pickett charge that hill. He's already done it?") Then I have other friends who advise moving ahead to Vista. So, I dunno.

I did fresh install of Windows and the problem persists, except that there do not seem to be any Parallels tools installed, and I don't know how to install them, particularly when I can't get the cursor out of the Windows environment.

I am strongly considering moving back to XP.

I will have mission-critical data on the Windows part of the Mac, so when I finally figure out how to configure this and get it working smoothly, if it's possible to get Parallels running smoothly (so far I'm not convinced), I'll have to figure out a way to back up these critical files. Either to a FAT-32 partition of an external hard drive, or some other way.

A phone tech from Parallels said that all I had to do was back up ________ in the userlibrary and I'd have a complete backup of the virtual machine.

Forgot what that was.

Thanks in Advance.....John

 

The cursor problem sounds like it would go away once you install Parallels Tools. Have you installed them already?

 

How does one install Parallels Tools if one cannot get one's cursor out of the Windows environment?

Thanks for the quick reply, by the way.

-John

 

Can you Apple-Tab to get out of Parallels once you're in it? If you do that and then move the mouse cursor to the Mac OS X menu bar and Apple-Tab back, maybe that will let you access the Actions menu so you can install Parallels Tools..?

Another thing I've noticed is I have a lot more luck with things like Control-Alt (and Control-Alt-Delete) when I use an external keyboard instead of the keyboard built-in to my MacBook Pro. Anyone have a PC with a spare USB keyboard you can borrow until you get Parallels Tools installed?

About the critical files, you should just be able to drag them to your Mac for backup once you get the mouse issue sorted out..

Hope this helps.

 

I have the same MBP as you. I'm not sure I remember correctly, but I think you might have to press (and hold down) Function+Control+Alt while moving the cursor.

David

 

It's possible that you have Parallels set to swap the ctrl and command keys. Try pressing alt + command to release the mouse instead of alt + ctrl.

 

Hey you gize. I've got a Windows.old on the Windows desktop. Can I drag that to the Mac trash can, or does it go to the cutesy recycle bin? Everything I do seems to destroy either the Mac OS 10.4.10 or Windows Guest OS.

brkirch and all the rest of you: thanks so much for the help so far. A lot of doctors in my area have transitioned over to the Mac OS. (Pasadena, CA). This is no joke and no exaggeration. Our lovely Medical Board has a rule of "implied competence" which, in short, states that if you keep electronic medical records, you imply that you know how to keep them safe from every single threat. Patient data loss due to hacking is a horrible sin. In their eyes, it's the same as posting confidential records to a bulletin board service. Not only will you get hit by the Board, but Federal sanctions will apply as well. Virus, spyware, or worm? That is the doctor's problem and nobody else's. As they said in the Army, "Hey, it's not your fault, it's just your ass."

So, a lot of MD's now see the Mac OS X as the safer bet. So do a lot of CPA's, law firms, and others. Nuance and other developers haven't gotten this message, or they would port Naturally Speaking with the medical package to Mac. They've ported it to Palm. If they ported to Mac, they'd sell out.

A lot of the other MD's in the area are interested in Parallels and are using me as the ß-tester. They use Boot Camp. Thing is, I can never predict how much space the PC side is going to need at any given time, and I want to be able to move files to and from the PC/Mac environments easily. If PC needs more space, I want to be able to expand it. If PC shrinks, I want to use Compressor to shrink it.

My colleagues are are all looking over my shoulder, and at lunch they keep asking me, "Hey, how's that Paralells thing; it is called Parallels, right? well, how's it coming?"

I reply, "Jimbo, it's not the Parallels, it's the PC part. I'm a PC virgin. I started with Mac in '94 and stayed with it until I started PC out of necessity two months ago."

To which 12 people in white coats reply, "You're joking!!!"

So, you gize can see I have a huge interest in making sure this thing goes well and smoothly so that all the Mac virgins in white coats, including the largest orthopedic surgery practice in the area, can look over my shoulder at the MBP, see Windows work flawlessly, and not see this thing crash.

Oh yes, I need this thing to be stable. My banking statements will only work on PC. Closethipster mentioned that I backup critical files to the Mac. Do I do this to Mac formatted disk space or to FAT-32 formatted partition?

Everytime there is a new post, I print out the whole thread to .pdf, place it in my Adobe Acrobat User Documents folder, and attach it to an alias on the desktop.

Now, I have to RTFI to find out how to install the Parallels Tools. I found it last night, but was on the brink of passing out! ;-) I have the day off today.

Thanks me boyos.

-dr.john

 

It's Squared Away, I Think....

Control-Alt-Delete did the trick in this case. I'm running a Kensington Pilotboard Wirless Desktop. The receiver plugs into a USB port.

After I installed Tools, there was no sweat in getting the cursor in and out of the different environments.

Initial Comments:

1. Vista is pokey, pokey compared to XP. This is definitely arthritic, and I know because I have it.
2. Takes forever to boot.
3. Sometimes reminds me of running Virtual PC on the old PPC machines.
4. Yes, I have virutal memory enabled.
5. Wish I had more RAM and hope that someone invents a way to cram more RAM into the MBP someday soon, or this is going to be a curiosity for the MacPro alone.
6. I don't know Windows. Is there is system optimizer along with a program/app. that will remove programs and files from the register--safely--yet will not do all the security stuff? I bought Kapersky to do that.

Thanks Everyone.....John

 

It's Squared Away, I Think....

Control-Alt-Delete did the trick in this case. I'm running a Kensington Pilotboard Wirless Desktop. The receiver plugs into a USB port.

After I installed Tools, there was no sweat in getting the cursor in and out of the different environments.

Initial Comments:

1. Vista is pokey, pokey compared to XP. This is definitely arthritic, and I know because I have it.
2. Takes forever to boot.
3. Sometimes reminds me of running Virtual PC on the old PPC machines.
4. Yes, I have virutal memory enabled.
5. Wish I had more RAM and hope that someone invents a way to cram more RAM into the MBP someday soon, or this is going to be a curiosity for the MacPro alone.
6. I don't know Windows. Is there is system optimizer along with a program/app. that will remove programs and files from the register--safely--yet will not do all the security stuff? I bought Kapersky to do that.

Thanks Everyone.....John