HELP:New to Macs (and Parallels), but think i made a mistake

J

jigga27

Bit poster
The only reason I bought a Macbook is so I could ALSO use WindowsXP. I like (as was told to me) how everything just works on a Mac. But after spending about 5 hours trying to get Parallels to work as advertised, I'm fed up. Now that I finally got it installed (after a million configuration tweaks - which is what I was trying to get away from by buying a Mac) I decided to download the new beta so I could drag and drop between OS's. NOTHING WORKS. I click coherence and it just sits there. I try to drag a word document from Mac to Windows and it just slides right back to the Mac side when I let go of the mouse button. I've tried to install Parallel Tools so many times its crazy. It should just install automatically along with the majority of the program. I have the little icon in the bottom right corner of Windows, I can select and deselect P-Tools config options, but the upper toolbar for Parallels still gives me an option to "Install Parallels Tools". Clicking on it will eventually change the upper tool bar to read "Cancel Parallels Tools Install?" Its already installed! :confused: This has got to be the worst program for any newbie to try to install. The instructions for Parallels Tools says to be running VM and logged into the OS. Aren't I logged into the OS automatically? Windows starts automatically and takes me right to my desktop. From there I've been trying to install the tools. When I finally get it to where I think its installed correctly (I finally get a wizard installation program to come up), I still get that upper toolbar asking me if I want to install Parallels Tools! If I sign out of VM and sign back in I get a window saying my "Parallels Tools are inconsistent with the current version of Parallels installed (this is after I upgraded to the beta). Then It tells me to go to VM & click Install Parallels Tools. Of course I do that and nothing happens! :mad: Not one second of this software install went smoothly and I will not be reccomending this program to anyone without a degree in rocket science. Why couldn't all these configurations be done for us by the program? If I wanted to spend 5 hours experimenting with software configurations, and deciphering half-azz instructions I would have got another PC!!!!:confused: Right now the only thing that works as advertised is that I (finally-after countless install issues) got Windows XP on my Mac. Whether or not I have Parallels Tools will be a mystery. I just want to drag and drop between OS's, is that too much to ask? If I could do that I would be happy.
 
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Are you trying to start up the Parallel Tool installation under Action->Install Parallel Tools from the Parallels Menu. You need to do this with your VM running. It sounds like to me that the tools haven't been successfully installed which could explain why coherence mode and drag and drop isn't working yet. Parallels tools installs the necessary drivers and utilities in the VM to make things like the coherence and drag and drop work.
 
Are you trying to start up the Parallel Tool installation under Action->Install Parallel Tools from the Parallels Menu.

Yes. And isn't VM already running if I'm doing it with Windows xp up and running? Right now if I "power on" VM it shows the little Parallels Tools Center icon in the bottom right corner of the Windows task bar. But it also has an option under the "Actions" drop down to "Install Parallels Tools". (do i have it or not) If I click on the install option nothing happens. If I run my cursor over the "Install Parallels Tools" and leave it there, at the bottom of the screen (under the Windows Start button) it says "Install Parallels Tools from CD image". What image? I could do a fresh install of the entire program (i have the CD) then download the beta again, but that would literally be my 12 install. It would still be talkin bout some CD image I don't have! Plus after using the uninstall, the program leaves behind the actual VM file and all options that are apart of it. Terrible uninstall program (and that was before the beta!).
 
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what version of parallels are you using ? (parallels desktop / about parallels desktop). when you double click on the parallels tool centre does it show all the tools enabled?
from the mac - go to finder / applications. expand the parallels folder and click on parallels desktop. click on more info - what version of parallels is it showing?
 
While it's true that a lot of software "just works" on a Mac, this is seldom true of beta software. If it "just worked", it would be release and not beta.

FWIW, the tools install process involves attaching a CD image and running a tools installer from that image. This is automatic UNLESS you have turned off autoplay in Windows. So in you select Install Parallels Tools from the menu, and nothing happens, browse the CD and find the installer (whatever it's called these days -- it should be obvious) and you should be able to start it. If tools are correctly installed, the installer may offer to remove the tools. This actually does make sense to me, but although you may have a different POV, that's the way it works.

If you remove the tools and reinstall them, your problem may be fixed. Note that after installing the Parallels app, you need to reboot your Mac before running Parallels if you want a stable system. After installing tools, you need to reboot your VM to complete the installation.

Of course, it's possible that a "million configuration tweaks" has corrupted either Parallels or even OSX to the point where a reinstall will be required, or you may have installed a third party program that interferes with Parallels or even OSX -- these things CAN happen, even on a Mac.

I've been doing software development on PC and Mac for a long time, and I can assure you that despite the hype, both platforms are computers, and both have their strong and weak points. Windows seems a little easier to break than OSX, but I've managed to trash both of them more than a few times. (Backups have saved me every time).

Unfortunately, system software such as Parallels requires a little more technical expertise than word processing or net surfing, but that's just the way the world works, and wishing won't change it. Expecting something like Parallels with XP to "just work" is, IMNSHO, a formula for the disappointment of unmet expectations, and expecting beta software to "just work" is fantasy. (YMMV of course).
 
I gave up on the drag and drop method of exchanging files. I'll use the shared folder method. That seems to work fine. I guess u can't have it all.
 
Jigga27,

Just a thought but if you really want to get the Tools running as expected, delete everything, including your virtual machines, and start from scratch. If you have upgraded your version of Desktop while your VM had not been shut down, but hibernated or put on standby, and you re-installed Tools or Desktop in that state, there may be some problems. Just trying to think of everything here.
 
Buying an mac to run Windows software seems like a rather awkward reason for buying a computer.

I like Parallels because it allows me to run a few business applications that do not exist in the Apple world. I am rapidly finding OSX alternatives - and very happy when I find something that allows me to stay away from Windows.

Peter
 
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