Parallels 9 - How do I get the Windows Task Bar to appear above the Dock?

G

Greenwood Digital

Member
I just upgraded from Parallels 8 to 9. For some reason it is placing the Windows Task Bar underneath the Dock. I had it configured in Parallels 8 to appear above, or over, the Dock. I cannot find any settings to change this back. Any suggestions?

I should note that this is in Coherence.
 
Last edited:
I just upgraded and have the same problem. I'm glad I tried 9 on my personal machine. I will hold off upgrading clients. Additionally I can't get the Parallels menu bar when in Coherence. That means that if I select removal of the task bar then I can't get it back without knowing that holding OPTION and then clicking the Parallels top line icon will get me the menu I need.
 
I just upgraded from Parallels 8 to 9 and had the same problem. I spent a long time in chat with tech support and they were not able to fix it. They are going to escalate it to the next level. I think it is a software bug.
 
Same problem here. I sat on a remote session with support today, they were unable to fix it on two virtual machines. It has been escalated up to the next level.
 
Hi everyone,
The TaskBar in Coherence appears below the Dock on purpose. This is not a bug or anything - Parallels Desktop 9 has been designed this way.
The reason to that is better support for full screen apps and Windows 8.
 
Andrew@Parallels said:
Hi everyone,
The TaskBar in Coherence appears below the Dock on purpose. This is not a bug or anything - Parallels Desktop 9 has been designed this way.
The reason to that is better support for full screen apps and Windows 8.
Click to expand...

Could this have not been set to be an option for Windows 8 only? I'm going to have to reinstall Parallels 8 now as this is completely unworkable. I have to display the windows task bar as the flashing icon notifications in Windows 7 and 8 do not bounce the Mac dock icons in coherence (reported as an issue in Parallels 7). This is a big step backwards.
 
Neilmw1 said:
Could this have not been set to be an option for Windows 8 only? I'm going to have to reinstall Parallels 8 now as this is completely unworkable. I have to display the windows task bar as the flashing icon notifications in Windows 7 and 8 do not bounce the Mac dock icons in coherence (reported as an issue in Parallels 7). This is a big step backwards.
Click to expand...

You actually tune it with http://kb.parallels.com/117062 in Parallels Desktop 9.
 
Andrew@Parallels said:
You actually tune it with http://kb.parallels.com/117062 in Parallels Desktop 9.
Click to expand...

Nope, not acceptable. Please reinstate the above dock option in coherence. Parallels should work with me and improve my workflow - not force me to change my working methods to fit in with the way that you think it should be done.

I've noticed that coherence has been less and less effective since v6 - are Parallels trying to make it unusable so we won't complain if it gets dropped in v10?
 
An observation on this. I've just noticed if I maximize an application in Coherence, the top bar of the application is clipped off and hidden behind the Mac menu bar. I can no longer minimize or restore an application, or see the windows title bar for that application. I can't use the full screen mode option either- the whole point of using coherence is I need things side by side/to work on a number of things at once. I agree with the previous post, you need to put the above dock option back otherwise this is completely useless.
 
I started this thread so I'd like to chime in. This functional change, to me, is a bug or a very poor UI decision. I do not hide my dock and came to appreciate the Windows Task Bar appearing above the dock. It was accessible and very functional.

I think there should be a checkbox to allow the behavior (task on top of dock) for those Windows 7 users who use Coherence in this way. Otherwise, the UI change "breaks" Coherence. This is an upgrade I cannot recommend to my clients as a result. The KB article above is not a solution for me. I don't hide my dock for a reason.

Unfortunately, I will be downgrading back to Parallels 8 and will strongly recommend to my clients that they avoid upgrading to Parallels 9. This is a disappointing deal-breaker.
 
Neilmw1 said:
An observation on this. I've just noticed if I maximize an application in Coherence, the top bar of the application is clipped off and hidden behind the Mac menu bar. I can no longer minimize or restore an application, or see the windows title bar for that application. I can't use the full screen mode option either- the whole point of using coherence is I need things side by side/to work on a number of things at once. I agree with the previous post, you need to put the above dock option back otherwise this is completely useless.
Click to expand...

Glad someone mentioned that! It's one of the most irritating "features" of PD9. I bet this also was a "design decission". Coherence mode is no longer as usable and as seamless experience in PD9 as it was in PD8.
 
This is very annoying with a Mac dock on the left side of the screen, as I do. With a long dock, like I have, the trash can covers most of the Windows 7 Start menu button! Previously in Coherence, the Windows resolution would adjust itself so it did not collide with the dock on the left side of the screen. This is no longer the case. I think this should be an option.

Steve
 
For my work I keep the XP taskbar at the top, and now that's cut almost completely off by the menu bar.

I won't be buying a copy of PD9 if you can't put this "feature" in... I need it.
 
I totally agree with the opinions stated on this thread. I use Parallels to remote desktop to my work Windows machine and the ability to effectively use Mac apps whilst using remote desktop for work was absolutely key to the way I use the system.

This is a massively retrograde step for anyone who wants to work this way and I will HAVE to downgrade to Parallels 8 because the PD9 solution is completely unworkable.

I work for a software company as a Product Manager and the number one rule is do not change existing behaviour without consulting your users and understanding how it will affect their use of the product. It would appear that someone forgot this golden rule...
 
I agree that this is a seriously bad design choice. I position my taskbar at the top and PD9 makes my Quick Launch icons totally unusable. I find it hard to believe that anyone actually tested this. It took me less than a minute to realize there was a serious problem. After working with tech support and testing various options for 2 weeks, I've had enough - back to PD8 for me.
 
Please check http://kb.parallels.com/en/117062

How it worked in Parallels Desktop 8:

Imagine you have a Mac with default screen resolution of 1440x900. In order to implement Coherence view mode we would forceable cut the Mac screen so that Windows applications' windows would not go under the Mac menubar or under the Dock. So the real screen resolution available for Windows Virtual Machine was 1440x(900 - Mac menubar (22) - Dock area (68)), which, in effect, equals to 1440x810.

It perfectly worked for Windows guest Operating Systems from Windows XP to Windows 7, however in case of Windows 8 it could sometimes cause issues especially when working with Windows 8 fullscreen apps. After Windows 8.1 Preview and OS X Mavericks Developers Preview were released it became clear the old scheme of Coherence view mode will cause even more issues when working with Windows 8 and 8.1 applications on OS X Mavericks host Mac.
That is why the decision was made to fully adopt native Mac screen resolution for Coherence view mode.

How it works in Parallels Desktop 9:

Let us go back to our example: we have a Mac with default screen resolution of 1440x900. Now we use all Mac screen for working with Windows applications. So now Windows applications can behave just like Mac applications: they can use all working area and even go behind the Dock.
You may have noticed that even though Coherence view mode can now work with all Mac screen, Windows applications are still limited by Mac menubar and the Dock, i.e. even if maximised they do not go under Mac menubar and the Dock (if it is enabled).

It is done by defining a limited working area which prevents Windows applications from going under the Mac menubar and makes them behave just like Mac applications.

So why Windows Task bar still goes behind the Mac Dock?

Windows Taskbar is designed to stand outside the working area and it itself operates as a delimiter of the working area. That is why it inevitably goes to the bottom of Mac screen (as it does on standard Windows screen) and thus gets overlapped with Mac Dock.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
I can certainly appreciate the theory behind this change to Parallels Desktop 9, however, I am more interested in the practical effects of it. The stated intention of this change is to solve issues that sometimes happen with Windows 8. I use Windows 8 and for me, PD9 makes Coherence mode very inefficient - unworkable. I configure my VM's the way I do, because it allows me to work most efficiently. This change is a huge step backward for me and the reason I downgraded to version 8. I echo the comments of IanWebb: "Parallels should work with me and improve my workflow - not force me to change my working methods to fit in with the way that you think it should be done".
 
A proper solution needs to be offered by Parallels, not just a workaround

Andrew@Parallels said:
You actually tune it with http://kb.parallels.com/117062 in Parallels Desktop 9.
Click to expand...

I am having the same problem. In my case, the top of the Windows XP task bar is hidden under the Mac menubar. In addition, Windows apps in coherence open with their menu bars underneath the Mac menu bar making it impossible to resize or move them without a lengthy workaround. All previous versions of Parallels worked fine and did not cause this problem.

The solution offered does not properly reflect the reputation enjoyed by Parallels in the past. If this is the beginning of a trend, it might be time to switch to Fusion!!
 
Totally agree. I came here to post a message about this before seeing this thread. V9 has been nothing but trouble, I've already had their tech login for other issues. I may switch back to Fusion if this continues. This feature makes no sense, and makes it unusable. At least give us the option to change it back. I don't even use Coherence and have this problem when running windows in full screen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top