ericthered

[Hugh Watkins]

I just reviewed your posting history which makes you look a bit . . . . .

basically you are being rough with your machine
and ignoring safe operating procedures with windows which will rapidly accumulate registry errors if you do not clean up regularly

When I got my new MacBook Pro in June 2006
I had been on PCs for 5 years and was returning to the Mac OS to set about relearining it I got a pile of Maagzines and started reading


back on OSes 6 7 8 and 9 we could have multi operating systems for the same mac and used a utility to select which one to boot with or "bless" the sytem folder

When the first Windows on mac intel emulater appeared it was really slow so it was better to have 2 machines

Therefore with this history I decided not to use the BootCamp beta and when I read the excellent review of Parallels I was lucky enough to buy and download it on the last day of the initial half price offer

I have made most of the mistakes that turn up on these boards. and even lost a months work in September 2006 because I had not backed it up

back to Windows laptops
Win2000 or WinXP do not tolerate rough users

If i had a windows laptop sleeping and switched it off by mistake,
next time I got the endless "did not shut down correctly checking hard disk" blue screen

I always installed Norton tools on every Mac and Windows machine, except the present on,e and every saturday ran the clean up windows utility
which would typically find 50 errors after a weeks use

Therefore I treat my WinXp sp2 VM very very carefully just like the silly windows box it is

Windows Live toolbar (I wanted the 3D maps md an up to date messenger) has a freebie safety scan button
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-gb/toolbar/default.htm?s_cid=ToolbarScan

so now I run that weekly
then I use the freebie norton ante virus that came with
http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_installer_required.html?hl=en&gl=us

and Spyware Blaster and SpyBot search and Destroy and Adaware
I will wait for Vista for at least a year if then (after the WInSE fiasco)

so that is why i am a happy, if over cautious, user of Parallels

My Parallels Desktop app has 490 mb RAM and 2,2 gb virtual memory
and being a Mac GUI enthusiast I use defaults whenever possible

Yesterday my VM got very very slow
not a Parallels problem but Win Firefox 2 had a memory leak

Ctrl Al delete - task manager - processes - memory 200 000 kb and rising for Firefox

just now MS IE 7 is the memory hog because I am running the scan and the fans have cut in because the macBook Pro is getting hotter with the full scan on the VM

The heat is an Apple design question - my workaround is to put it on a metal plate as an extra heat sink

===========

to sum up

1)
don't put the macintosh on standby wihout shutting down WinXp first from the start menu in the usual way

2)
use standard windows good housekeeping

3)
in my opinion - don't use windows vista or bootcamp because neither product is mature yet

============
I could add
clone your VM once a week as a back up

keep all data in shared folders

be liberal with empty hard disk space
both OS like to write lots of temporary files as wel as virtual memory

be mean with RAM for Parallels - abouit 25% of 2 gb works best for me
I would not want to run Parallels on a machine with less than 2gb ram

So most of my own problems have been my own user error or inexperience or windows failings

good luck and give yourself time to learn how to get value from your investment

Hugh W

 

[David5000]

1) don't put the macintosh on standby wihout shutting down WinXp first from the start menu in the usual way 2) use standard windows good housekeeping

Very informative. A few questions:

When you say "on standby," do you mean "to sleep?" I have been putting my Mac to sleep with the VM sometimes running and sometimes suspended (but not shut down) with no apparent problems so far--have I just been lucky?

What is the usual way of shutting down WinXP from the Start menu? (I only see "Log Off" and "Turn Off Computer.")

What are some of the standard Windows good housekeeping procedures? Mac users new to Windows (like me) could use some tips.

Thank you,

David

 

[Hugh Watkins]

Windows Live toolbar (I wanted the 3D maps md an up to date messenger) has a freebie safety scan button
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-gb/toolbar/default.htm?s_cid=ToolbarScan

so now I run that weekly
then I use the freebie norton ante virus that came with
http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_installer_required.html?hl=en&gl=us

and Spyware Blaster and SpyBot search and Destroy and Adaware
I will wait for Vista for at least a year if then (after the WInSE fiasco)

just use the above utilities about once a week


Microsoft provides some excellent freebies

start menu>> all programs >> explore the accessories or admin tools


=============

there are more hidden
but useable from the command line prompt

ping

eg

Pinger aol.com [64.12.50.151] med 32 byte data:

Anmodning fik timeout.
Anmodning fik timeout. ( I have a danish sytsem
==============
tracert bbc.co.uk is a quick network checker

=============
use gogle to find stuff
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&q=CHKDSK+&btnG=Google+Search

Microsoft Windows XP - Chkdsk
Creates and displays a status report for a disk based on the file system. Chkdsk also lists and corrects errors on the disk.

==
Filsystemtypen er NTFS.

CHKDSK looks for erors in the file system

Advarsel: Parameteren /F er ikke angivet.
Chkdsk kører i skrivebeskyttet tilstand.

CHKDSK kontrollerer filer (trin 1 af 3)...
Kontrollen af filer er fuldført.
CHKDSK kontrollerer indeks (trin 2 af 3)...
12 procent kontrolleret.

in danish fo my danish WinXP

When you say "on standby," do you mean "to sleep?" I have been putting my Mac to sleep with the VM sometimes running and sometimes suspended (but not shut down) with no apparent problems so far--have I just been lucky?

What is the usual way of shutting down WinXP from the Start menu? (I only see "Log Off" and "Turn Off Computer.")

If you have modern software no problem - I use "Turn Off Computer"

my own "killer App" is Family Tree Maker 16
which has legacy dos elements in it and needs gentle treatment or it messes up its own files
it does not like "to sleep"


this machine has over 250 000 files on it
mostly generated automatically or elements of software installations


I believe it pays to switch on and let the machine "settle" collect all my email

then I start the VM and let that settle - getting more email

I use all possible auto updates especially for WInXP and MS IE 7
when the next Mac OS comes out I will not get it without good reason

I take and test the Parallels BETAs as a kind of payment back to them for all the fun i have had at a very modest price
and promote parallels in my Blogs and notice board posts
google gives 75 hits for "hugh watkins" parallels and 131 on the groups

I experience the net as a community were there are many many volunteers donating their knowledge and time to helping strangers
when I get stuck I know where to goto ask for help

not all software can be free but much is
teenage girls who love music get the most spyware on their machines

my daughter's PC had over 200 viruses and worms when her winxp machine became unusable

now she is 18 she has chosen to get a Mac like her mother and father
I will help her set up paralles on it too

==============
any modern laptop goes to sleep if you shut the lid

I am probably over cautious but I hate to lose data
or reinstall any OS or format a hard disk

some users seem to attract crashes and have to reformat their HDs regularly
which should be unnecessary on a well maintained modern machine made from quality components

Hugh W

 

[ericthered]

Hey Hugh,

If you read my posts you will see that I am not using a laptop. It's a MAC PRO.

I didn't put it to sleep, it went to sleep due to inactivity (sorry but sometimes I do actually step away from my desk)

I have been a Windows user for many painful years and I am familiar with the errors that can be generated by an improper shutdown and would never do that except as a last resort. The point here is Parallels caused a ssytem freeze and after that, will not work. The main issue isn't even with that failure of the software but the failure of their support team.

There are several others that have posted on this forum of their problems with this software corrupting an otherwise functional bootcamp install of wondows and very few tips from tech support despite a promise of assistance.

FWIW I have a XP install on my other machine that has been running since prior to SP1 and it has never required reformatting. Yeah, it crashed occasionally but it's fixable.

Other than Bootcamp, I don't run beta software and I purchased a "real" (ie not beta) version of parallels.

It seems you are the Bozo

(Are Personal attacks allowed on this forum?)

 

[Eru Ithildur]

Parallels Mods,

The faster you lock this down the better.

Hugh and Eric,

Firstly, Hugh, you had some good content ruined by a personal attack. If you think someone makes a dumb post and you are firmly convinced that it needs commenting on, do it where it belongs, in the appropriate thread.

Eric, you hit a learning curve about an unsupported set-up and flamed an awful lot, it drives a lot of people up the wall, myself included. To many of the 'hard-core' techs here not RTFM is the gravest sin. Although, your position is understandable, Parallels would not even let you know it was unsupported when you tried to contact them.

 

[hairyneanderthal]

Firstly, Hugh, you had some good content ruined by a personal attack. If you think someone makes a dumb post and you are firmly convinced that it needs commenting on, do it where it belongs, in the appropriate thread.

The initial post was completely out of order. Hugh Watkins starts this post without even a reference to why he felt a need to post in the first place. To start a post with "you are a bozo" then not even quote what thread he is refering to makes Hugh the Bozo as far as I see.

 

[ehurtley]

I just reviewed your posting history which makes you look a bit of a bozo

The initial post was completely out of order. Hugh Watkins starts this post without even a reference to why he felt a need to post in the first place. To start a post with "you are a bozo" then not even quote what thread he is refering to makes Hugh the Bozo as far as I see.

Indeed. A 'smiley' does not remove the insult.

Although, as ericthered is my brother-in-law, I can confirm that he is a bozo. (But he's a skydiving bozo, so it's okay.)

(Interesting running in to you here, Eric. How's the new Mac Pro doing for you, other than the Parallels problems?)

 

[Hugh Watkins]

Indeed. A 'smiley' does not remove the insult.

Although, as ericthered is my brother-in-law, I can confirm that he is a bozo. (But he's a skydiving bozo, so it's okay.)

(Interesting running in to you here, Eric. How's the new Mac Pro doing for you, other than the Parallels problems?)

sorry to be rough on a sky diver - I wore a parachute often in a glider but never had to use it - the only time I pulled the rip cord was repacking time.

I have edited the post

do click on his user name to see what he says about Parallels
http://forum.parallels.com/search.php?searchid=347376

Hugh W

 

[ehurtley]

sorry to be rough on a sky diver - I wore a parachute often in a glider but never had to use it - the only time I pulled the rip cord was repacking time.

I have edited the post

do click on his user name to see what he says about Parallels
http://forum.parallels.com/search.php?searchid=347376

Hugh W

Yes, and he has valid complaints. He ran into an undocumented limitation, and could not get an answer out of the support staff until he made a public threat. Very valid complaint. I have had good luck with the Parallels support staff, but that was when Parallels for Mac first came out, so they were possibly not as swamped as they are now.

I *HAVE* had similar non-responsiveness with other companies in the past, and have found that basically the only way to get an answer WAS to bad-mouth them in their own forums. Eric never 'slander'ed them, he only stated the facts of his incident. He never said anything like "Parallels sucks! Avoid them at all costs!" He calmly explained that he personally was leery of them due to his experience with their support staff.

 

[ehurtley]

And, as I have also posted in another thread, ericthered has gotten his refund, he is abandoning Parallels for the time being. If they resolve his issue, *AND* have a truly stable 'final' release, he'll probably come back, but he has had bad luck with them so far.

(He called me last night because Parallels had crashed his Mac Pro hard when he was copying some important data out of the VM; and asking how to get rid of all the pieces of Parallels.)