Drag files from Guest to Host no longer working

W

Walt Stoneburner

Bit poster
After installing Snow Leopard, I noticed that Parallels 4.0 was unable to drag a file from the Guest OS (Windows XP) to the Host OS (Mac OS X). Even upgrading to Parallels Desktop en_US version 4.0.3846 build 436204 and Reinstalling Parallel Tools did not solve the problem.

Curiously, I can drag from the Host OS to the Guest OS and have that work. So the problem is unidirectional.

Is this a new configuration setting, or a temporary incompatibility with Snow Leopard's new Finder?

Though I'm content to have Parallels have access my system (via drag'n'drop), I'm not wanting to give virus-riddled-Windows carte blanche access to my OS X home folder. So, when Parallels asks "Do you want to enable access to OS X files and folders from Windows?" I respond NO, which I believe is the right answer.

And, while I was looking for a work-around to move files from guest to host, I discovered I could no longer use Finder to connect to my Windows account (just the default guest one). Anyone else having similar problems or know of a solution?
 
Hello,

Go to the Virtual Machine's configuration and performed the below mentioned steps.

In services make sure that the option Enable drag-and-drop is checked. Click on the link below to know where exactly to go.
http://download.parallels.com/desktop/v4/docs/en/Parallels_Desktop_Users_Guide/26827.htm

Now go to Shared Folder and make sure that the Mac OS X disk is shared.
http://download.parallels.com/desktop/v4/docs/en/Parallels_Desktop_Users_Guide/22694.htm

Now go to Shared Profile and check all the options.
http://download.parallels.com/desktop/v4/docs/en/Parallels_Desktop_Users_Guide/23544.htm

NOTE : While making the conges in the configuration the virtual machine needs to be shut down.
 
Confirmation

Just to confirm before I do this...

1) This will enable Drag'n'Drop from the Windows Desktop to the Mac OS X Desktop.

2) This will NOT allow Windows applications to read/write to the OS X disk in any way, shape, or form, nor will the OS X disk be mounted nor show up under My Computer.

Correct?

Thank you,
-wls
 
Reading the Documentation has me VERY Worried

To re-cap, I'm wanting to be able to manually drag files between Host to Guest (which works) and Guest to Host (which currently does not), however I don't want my OS X files system to be seen or mounted or accessed by Windows, for fear any virus in the virtual machine could trash the OS X host environment.

Parallels Team recommend these solutions, but two seem quite at odds:
1) In services make sure that the option Enable drag-and-drop is checked. Click on the link below to know where exactly to go.

In reading http://download.parallels.com/desktop/v4/docs/en/Parallels_Desktop_Users_Guide/26827.htm, it says "Select the Enable drag-and-drop option to allow copying files between the virtual machine and the physical computer by using the drag-and-drop method."

This sounds exactly like what I want. Problem is, I have the item checked, and I can only go from Host to Guest, not the other way around. Thus, files are 'trapped' in my virtual machine. I'm unclear why I can not drag an item from the guest Windows desktop to the host OS X desktop; it worked seamlessly in 10.5, it no longer works in Snow Leopard. (See attachment)


2) Now go to Shared Folder and make sure that the Mac OS X disk is shared.

In reading, http://download.parallels.com/desktop/v4/docs/en/Parallels_Desktop_Users_Guide/22694.htm, it says: "Select the All disks option to provide the virtual machine with access to all the disks installed on the physical computer and their folders." (emphasis mine)

This scares the willies out of me, and I believe is precisely what I did not want; am I in error interpreting it this way? This says to me "if Windows gets infected, your host OS X disk is going to appear like any other Windows-writable resource and can be damaged by the guest operating system."

3) Now go to Shared Profile and check all the options.

In reading http://download.parallels.com/desktop/v4/docs/en/Parallels_Desktop_Users_Guide/23544.htm, it says "The Shared Profile pane of Virtual Machine Configuration lets you access your Mac OS X desktop and some of Mac Home folders (Documents, Pictures, Music) directly from the Desktop and the corresponding folders (My Documents, My Pictures, My Music) in your Windows guest OS." (emphasis mine)

Again, this sounds absolutely awful in terms of the specific configuration request I'm trying to figure out, which is now not to access OS X from Windows, but only allow manual Drag'n'Drop functionality. I, as the human being, want to be the sole means by which any data hops the fence.


As it appears that Option #1 is the only one I want, and the others do not appear to be pre-requsites, and that I have the item checked, and that it used to work in Leopard, but not Snow Leopard, is there a known problem with Parallels using the new Snow Leopard Finder?

Thanks again,
-wls
 

Attachments

  • shared services.png
    shared services.png
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I guess we will have to waito to see if the 10.6.1 update of Snow Leopard fixes this problem.
I have no desite to give Windows access to my Mac directories defeats the reason we use macs in the first place !
 
Found a Work Around (and I don't think I like it)

If you turn on Share All Disks with OS X, then Drag'n'Drop from Windows to OS X "works."

Here's what I don't like about it and why I think Parallels should fix it:

1) Drag'n'Drop from OS X to Windows (the inverse) does not require Share Mac OS X folder with Windows.

2) Share All Disks with OS X implies, at least to me, that OS X applications (although I do trust them) now have access to see and mount resources that I don't want normally exposed. This, to me, is very bad.

3) Enable Drag-and-Drop should be enough to handle inter-environment drag'n'drops.

4) It used to work just fine prior to Snow Leopard without having to explicitly share the disk.

5) It fails silently if the Share All Disk with OS X is not checked; Drag'n'Drop just doesn't work and the user has no clue why.

The solution is to make Enable Drag'n'Drop move files between systems, not to enforce a drop of security protection to perform the operation.

I'm guessing that the Parallels team has turned on all the sharing features to test their product, but has missed the fact that a good number of users use their product in order to deliberately isolate Mac from Windows.
 
This is exactly what I want too, when I try this I can see the icon is trapped in the windowed VM and a semi opaque icon following my mouse cursor and made me feel frustrated.



Luckily I am using a bootcamp partition and OSX can read NTFS, I REALLY WANT the specific file in OSX so I can shut down the VM, mount the NTFS partition and get the file I want, this method works but feels BAD for such an "upgrade".
 
Does 10.6.1 fix it? ...no.

I've been asked a few times if the latest patch to OS X, 10.6.1, solves this problem. In short, no.

This appears to be a problem with Parallels itself.

And, one can justify this conclusion by pointing out that a workaround exists by simply overly-relaxing the security constraints. Once you've done this, the drag'n'drop does work, which means the mechanics to make that happen are functional. So there's no apparent technical problem behind the bug, but rather it's a business-logic problem.

I'm not certain if this topic hasn't been carefully read by staff or whether it was answered once (with the wrong answer) and ignored, assuming we're all discussing it. The lack of responsiveness is bothersome, given the quality of the product.

It's fairly obvious that users are confused by the silent failure (no warning dialog appears to explain why the drag'n'drop didn't work or how to fix it), and that it isn't a matter that it be possible to drag files under some condition, but that the correct solution exist to cross machine boundaries as this is needed by customers using the product for security purposes.

Adding to the frustration is that this used to work.
 
I'm with you. I don't want Parallels guest machines to see any part of my Mac. But I want to be able to drag and drop, which isn't working since I installed Snow Leopard. My workaround is to open the Parallels hard disk using Parallels Explorer and get the files I want that way.

Here's hoping the issue is soon fixed!
 
i second all the comments an notes above. drag and drop worked perfectly before SL, without enabling all disks sharing or profile sharing, which i don't want to enable.
 
Ok drag and drop now works perfectlyin paralells 5.0
You have to fork out the $ for upgrade but it's worth it
(especiallly if you are a web developer like me :)
 
Can the Parallels Team please bring out a fix to this for Parallels 4 users? My faith in Parallels will rapidly decline if I am expected to buy the next version simply so I can continue to use an advertised feature that is meant to exist in Parallels 4.
 
I too am having this problem. I upgraded to snow leopard from tiger and now I cannot drag drop files from guest to host but host to guest is still fine. This is pain in the butt. Theres no way Im forking out more money or relaxing security just to get back the function that I already paid for. Please fix this.
 
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