MacBook Pro XP install - F8 key problem

I

ivan007

Bit poster
I'm trying to install Parallels on a MacBook Pro using a new CD copy of XP. The install starts fine, and with the keyboard/mouse captured, hitting Return appropriately moves the process along.
But the rub is, I am asked to ok the Licencing Agreement by hitting F8. And nothing happens. If I hit ESC, the install aborts. But there doesn't seem to be any way to use F8 at this stage. Which means I'm stuck with a new copy of XP that I can't install.
Anyone got any ideas?
Thanks, Ivan
 
OK, just found it by chance. There's an 'fn' key bottom left of the keyboard. So it's fn+F8. I don't even know what the fn key is!
 
fn = function; activates the other stuff on the "f" keys, like sound volume, brightness etc.
Shouldn't have needed it for windows, unless somehow function was stuck "on" and by pressing it you turned it off. odd. When I did XP last week, just pressed F8, no issues at all.
Glad to see you got it going though!
 
Click your mouse in the installer window. That shifts the mouse and keyboard to the Windows installer.
 
HWgeek said:
fn = function; activates the other stuff on the "f" keys, like sound volume, brightness etc.
Shouldn't have needed it for windows, unless somehow function was stuck "on" and by pressing it you turned it off. odd. When I did XP last week, just pressed F8, no issues at all.
Glad to see you got it going though!
Click to expand...

My problem wasn't that fn was stuck but rather that Expose was grabbing the key press instead of Parrallels. I was having problems to where I would do fn+F8 and it would bring up Dashboard. I disconnected F8 from bringing up Dashboard and F8 went right through to Parrallels.
 
Also note that you can swap the behavior of the Fn key under OS X. By default, I believe the F1-F12 keys on a MacBookPro control things like the backlight, sound, numlock, etc. and you have to use the Fn+F1-F12 keys to actually pass a "real" F1-F10 through to the VM.

Look under the Keyboard Systems Preference in OS X for the toggle: "Use the F1-F12 keys to control software features"
 
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