Is Parallels 5 compatible with Nehalem processors?

I

IngeborgS

Junior Member
I cannot integrate Bootcamp into Parallels 5 at my MacPro:
MacPro Early in 2009 model 4,1 (1 processor with Quad-Core Intel Xeon).
MacOS 10.6.2; at Bootcamp Windows XP SP 3
Every time if I try to start Parallels 5 at the configured Bootcamp partition I receive a BSOD.

Various different changes at the configuration of Parallels 5 could not fix the problem.

Native Bootcamp runs fine at my MacPro; under Parallels 4 I had no difficulties too.

Parallels itself refers to the following article:
http: // kb.parallels.com / de / 6873
Switch to General tab and in Processors drop-down list set virtual machine CPU number to 1 and later
After Parallels Tools are installed, it is safe to return the previous CPU settings.

However Nehalem processors works with Hyper-Threading, which means, there will be simulated another virtual processor to the Mac OS system. I think for this reason the reduction to one single processor is not possible for Mac with Nehalem processors.

Please tell me, from your experiences if you use a MacPro Early 2009 or an iMac (27 inches Late 2009 with Core i5 or i7 processor) with Parallels 5 at a separate VM or Bootcamp).
 
I am using Parallels 5 on an early 2009 Mac Pro, and currently have it running on 1 processor. I have also run with 2 processors to test any speed advantage, and basically saw none on simple tasks.
 
Many thanks for your reply. However I cannot finish the configuration of Parallels 5 in connection with a BootCamp partition. Windows XP starts for some seconds (Windows XP logo) then follows the BSOD.
I suppose that you do not work with a Bootcamp-VM, but rather uses Parallels without BootCamp?
 
Yes, I have Parallels installed over a Bootcamp XP, so it appears it is exactly the same as your setup, except that it works properly. I can't really help, except to demonstrate that this setup is viable. I hope that the Parallels support can shed some light on the solution of your problem.
 
Parallels cannot recognize the BootCamp partition

Thank you for your reply. I have no good results and Parallels support could not help me as yet.
Here a movie from a new attempt to start Parallels 5 in connection with a Bootcamp partition:
Screen_movie
 
maybe you still have Parallels Tools installed from Parallels 4 on your BC partition? You might want to try to de-install them (in BootCamp / Windows), then open the partition in P5 and re-install the tools.
 
below you can see my newest mail to the technical support:

Hello

No, my Bootcamp Partition is ok.
If I start native with Bootcamp, so it works fine.
If I start Bootcamp with Parallels 4 (before the upgrade to Parallels 5) it works fine as well.
I have said it here always again!

Your links below describe information of BSOD error, if Windows cannot start (but native it can start see my first lines).

Today I have deleted the Bootcamp partition and created a new at Mac OS 10.6.2.
Then I have installed via Bootcamp a fresh Windows XP SP 2. At this small windows installation I have only add to Bootcamp-Drivers and Parallels 5 drivers. Then I start Parallels 5 again.
What you think has happened? Yes I have got the same BSOD!!!!
Certainly I had installed Parallels 5 again; I have physical disconnected all FireWire and USB devices. Only my monitor the mouse and the Keyboard stay connected. All without any success!!

I think I have hard worked, but this to do is not my job!! I think there is nothing more what I have not already tried out.

Do you work for a new build? When?
 
Hi Ingeborg,

wow - a "driver irql not less or equal" error! Isn't Windows fantastic? Just kidding. It does look like a driver issue; unfortunately I've just very recently discovered the joys of drivers and Windows tuning, so I have no clue what driver is causing the trouble.

A few thoughts:

Your movie shows that you're trying to start Windows normally ("Windows normal starten" at the boot screen); have you tried one of the safe boot options ("Abgesicherter Modus")? I'd try that first - you won't get a very pretty Windows (16 colours, 640 by 480 resolution, no network etc), but at least you'll find out whether Windows starts at all.
If that works, shut down Windows and tell Parallels to do a safe boot for the next few starts (the little "power" button at the bottom of the VM's window is actually a menu and has a "safe boot" option). Try the next option ("Abgesicherter Modus mit Netzwerktreibern"). If *that* works, try the "Abgesicherter Modus mit Eingabeaufforderung" - Windows will ask you which drivers, services etc. you want it to load and which ones you don't. In this way you'll probably discover the culprit by trial and error. It'll take a little time.

I perfectly understand that you're upset, but I haven't really seen anyone else here with that particular problem... so I guess you have something unique on your machine (or, rather, your BootCamp partition) that other users don't have. Maybe you have a doctored version of Windows XP. (The company I work for has about 37 different security layers stacked on top of each other in their Windows XP distribution. I ran that for a while in Parallels 4, mainly to be able to use the company's Exchange servers. That was really quite painful - even on the company's own machines.)

Another thing you might want to try is to create a new Parallels virtual machine with its own virtual drive, and install your Windows XP there. (Just for testing). Run the Mac with its native Windows installation in BootCamp, go to the Task Manager, and write down (or make a screenshot) of all the drivers it loaded. Next, shut down Windows, start Mac OS X, start Parallels, and start the Parallels VM off its own virtual hard drive (=not the BootCamp partition). Again, open Task Manager and write down all the drivers. If you find a driver on BootCamp that's different from the driver on the virtual drive, you've identified the bad egg. You could try and rename it on the BootCamp partition (add REM to the file name, for instance) - but you might want to talk to a Windows person beforehand, if you do that to a really important driver you may ruin your Windows installation on the BootCamp partition.
 
Hi Shaddam IV,

Many thanks for your reply. It finally I see a way to fix the problems!! Let me report:
1. I have downloaded the freeware „DriverViewer“
2. I have looked for the 2 drivers, which was list at the BSOD
That were „ftdisk.sys“ and „AppleMNT.sys“ you know.
I have supposed that it will be rather the old MS driver as the new Apple driver.

I have replaced „ftdisk.sys“ version 5.1.2600.0 (XPClient.0101817-1148) dated from 28.02.2006 with the older version 5.0.2195.6697 (created for Win 2000) dated from 19.06.2003.
By the way: „AppleMNT.sys“ has the version no. 3.0.1.6 dated from 22.07.2009

First I started with native Bootcamp. There were some little problems:
At „My Computer“ were 3 added partitions listed, which are not to use (EFI...) With TweakUI I had switched off this wrong eggs.
Normal rebooting from native Bootcamp to MacOS was not supported any more. I had to switch off my Mac and start with pressed alt-key.

Now a pleasant surprise: Parallels 5 starts with the changed Bootcamp partition!!! It has downloaded added Parallel-Tools.

Finally I replaced the „ftdisk.sys“ back.
I hoped: a) the native Bootcamp bugs were gone away and b) Parallels would now accept the „ftdisk.sys“ (vers. 5.1.2600.0 made for Win XP).
Result a.) Okay, this was be due and b) No, I have to see the old BSOD.

What is to do? I think the „ftdisk.sys“ will not be corrupt. It works fine with native Bootcamp. With Parallels 4 AND SnowLeopard the XP-“ftdisk.sys“ works fine, so I can except that the new Apple-driver is incompatible.
The same problem (BSOD) appears, when I start Parallels with a Bootcamp partition, which only contains a fresh XP SP2 with Bootcamp-drivers. So third-party drivers cannot be considered.
However, if I create a new Parallels VM with its own virtual drive and install XP, there are no problems.

I will seek after another „ftdisk.sys“ which is newer at Internet but I think that real cause is an incompatibility from a new Parallels 5 driver with another.

I have started VM at safe-mode. You can see it with my new movie „safe_mode“. The latest driver I could see was „Mup.sys“, than it was finished. The safe mode with prompt doesn‘t run with VM, which starts at a Bootcamp partition (you will not see any prompt).
You cannot tell Parallels to do a safe boot. If you will do so, a message appears „Safe mode is not possible with VM‘s running over Bootcamp partitions“.

May be another point; maybe it is the bad egg:
From time to time as well Parallels 4 (former) and 5 (now), the VM cannot remind at the configured Bootcamp partition. What has happened? There is selected the wrong HD. Either WDC WD..... (disk1) or WDC WD....(disk2). I have to change it from time to time. At my MacPro there are installed 2 HDs with the same HD-Type and the same size = WDC WD6400AAKS-41H2B0. Do you know what I can do?

Best regards
 
Hi Ingeborg,

I'm not running a BootCamp partition so I'm sorry, I can't help... but there are other BootCamp / Parallels folks out there, could you folks give Ingeborg a hand?
 
Got also stuck in the BSOD loop - Mac Pro 2.66 Quad

Hi Ingeborg, everybody else around - and hopefully somebody at Parallels Support following up Ingeborg's thread!

I am new here, but I have followed the BSOD's issues reported in several threads.

I also got stuck in the BSOD loop, while Parallels 5 (trial version) tries to boot the VM from my Bootcamp partition on a Mac Pro 2.66 Quad (early 2009) w/ OS X 10.6.2. Only difference from Ingeborg's observations are
a) trial version of Parallels 5
b) the OS = Vista SP2
c) drivers reported on the BSOD = "partmgr.sys" and "Applemnt.sys"

Needless to say that I tried all the tips and workarounds, and that Vista boots smoothly from the native Bootcamp partition.

Parallels does boot the VM in Vista's safe mode though, but Vista cannot remember the settings that I am able to change within safe mode thru MSConfig (no writing rights of the VM on the Bootcamp partition?).

I don't know if it is of any significance, but the Bootcamp partition is located on my second HD - which I reserved exclusively for Bootcamp/Vista.

BTW, the trial version of VMware Fusion runs smoothly and without any glitches on my machine.

But I'd rather prefer Parallels, if i could get the trial version up and running first (3 days of trial period left).

Folks at Parallels: pls. dig into that problem quickly.

Have a nice one,

42Felix42
 
Guys, if you get this BSOD

==========
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Technical Information:

*** STOP: 0X000000D1 (0xf77b0c5c, 0x000000ff, 0x00000001, 0xf7d36642)

***ftdisk.sys - Address F77BOC5C base at F77AF000, DateStamp 3b7d8419
*** AppleMNT.sys - Address F7D36642 base at F7D36000
==========

there is a way out:

A. In case you have FAT32 format of BootCamp -

Mount the BootCamp drive to your Mac desktop, go to C:/WINDOWS/system32/drivers, find AppleMNT.sys file and rename it to OldAppleMNT.sys

Eject the drive, restart your Mac and try to use your virtual machine again.

B. In case you have NTFS format of BootCamp -

Do the same as described in item A, but boot to BootCamp directly.
 
Thank you!

Yes, this is the solution! For the first time my Bootcamp-NTFS-Partition could be configured by Parallels 5 (without getting a hang up like before). Finally Parallels 5 could start with this Partition perfectly.
Thank you very much!
 
I have a Mac Pro 8 core machine. I have never gotten boot camp to work - using Windows XP SP2 with Parallels installed. But Apple does say they have a fix for the boot camp for the new Windows 7 coming before the end of the year and I'll switch to Windows 7 by then. (apple.com/support/bootcamp)
 
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