Parallels Desktop for Mac build 3106 Beta 3 is available for download.

I'm having good results with this new beta3 build. I use multiple Linux distros and had stayed with 3036 because of the video issues. 24-bit 1440x900 is working fine for me in Debian Etch with no changes to my previous Xorg setup. THANK YOU! I've had consistently smooth and stable performance with Linux VMs in parallels, and the fast update from beta 2 to 3 is very impressive.

 

From Windows XP Logo to Black Screen

When I start up Windows XP, everything runs fine and I see the Windows XP logo and the blue bar moving, but after it starts up, the screen turns and stays completly black. I have looked at other posts, and have been unable to boot into safemode using F8. Is there another key I need to hold down to boot into safe mode? Thanks for your help!

Here are some screenshots so you can see what I'm talking about

starting up:
http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001751090612094119
screen stays black:
http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001773757231618393

 

So I've updated to the latest build.

I uninstalled Parallels Tools for Boot Camp, then updated to the new build, then activated windows, and installed the newer parallels tools.

The parallels installation works fine now, but when I try to switch back into booting into boot camp, it says that the copy of windows needs to be activated before logging in.

If I activate when booted under boot camp, will both activations stay "activated"?

 

freezes during startup

I am thrilled with all the new features in these recent betas. I have noticed, however, that if windows seems to run fine once, but if i have to restart it for any reason, or if i close parallels and then open it again later, windows will freeze at the login screen. Not only does it freeze, but it locks up my entire GUI. I am not able to regain any sort of control of my machine after this point (force quit will not work, either) The only remedy is a hard restart of my computer. I am running a 17" MacBook Pro C2D with 2GB of RAM. I am booting windows XP pro from a 10GB Boot Camp partition. I have noticed that anytime windows tries to do the "disk check" at startup, i also have the hanging issue. I then have to boot into boot camp and run the disk check there to get it over with.

 

Parallels Tools Notice

First off your product is top notch. I rarely buy software but in your case it was well worth the price. This beta is almost perfect for me. I just have a couple of issues -- neither show stopping just annoyances.

First off this is a first generation macbook pro 17" (Core Duo/2 GB Ram). I am running windows XP pro with bootcamp on NTFS. I had installed the first beta and skipped the second beta. And finally installed this beta.

The issues are I get a parallels tools installation notification every time I start parallels. It goes away once I get to the desktop but it comes up every time. I have attached a screenshot.

The second is that once I have launched parallels my boot camp drive is no longer on my desktop. It is supposed to go away, i know, when parallels is running but after I shutdown the windows VM and close parallels it does not come back.

As I said both just annoyances and overall great work on the product. You guys rock!

Edit: Correction the file is too big to attach -- here is a link http://home.comcast.net/~jgolden24/ParallelsError.jpg

 

MacDrive is still not supported (not for harddisks in any way) (Version 3106; Beta3)

 

I didn't know it is supposed to come back, but it can be remounted from Disk Utility. Personally mine is NTFS, so I am fine with leaving it unmounted. I already have it not showing up in my sidebar - it would be nice if you can leave it dismounted from Mac OS permanently...

Weirder for me is an issue that I can see several mentions of here....

When I initially start Parallels, I get the mention of Parallel tools being installed and to not touch anything. It goes away, but reoccurs like clockwork - but only on relaunches of Parallels - not if I restart the VM... It also shows up on that INITIAL restart - as it is shutting down (I imagine it is writing some more booting related stuff)

It APPEARS to me as if it MAY be related to the swapping of info from Bootcamp boots to Parallels boots - as in when it does a hardware configuration change, or something to make the activation work. If so, this should be clearly explained in that prompt - it is somewhat misleading. I think putting information there as to what might be going on will probably stop people from thinking something wrong is going on:

"Configuring Bootcamp Windows Partition to start up under Parallels. Note: You will see this each time you switch between the two."

Or something similar to that affect...

That being said, it seems to cause no problems... But since Parallel Tools is actually a program we install (I know it is other things as well, such as the hardware profile management, hence the confusion), and i says to not touch anything until it is done, and the message goes away on my Windows login screen - the confusion for me lies in the fact that it does not "click through" the login screen and install what most people believe to be "Parallel Tools". Instead the prompt disappears and leaves you on the login screen, wondering if you SHOULD reinstall the Parallel Tools yourself or what...

All in all, just some clarification would help me and I am sure others.

Thank you for a stellar update.

Eytan

 

That looks quite normal for me. You simply should gibe Parallels and XP some more time...

 

I'm not sure what you mean by gibe. But the black screen doesn't go away. After the Windows XP screen goes away, it stays black. I have waited almost an hour, and nothing happens.

 

Hi everyone,

You are doing such a tremendous job people with this software. Now the ONLY thing I miss is the keyboard fix.

On my Mac, the CTRL physical key sends Apple key, ALT is unchanged and Apple physical key sends CTRL.

Under Parallels, there is no way for me to get the physical CTRL to send CTRL ( it is sent by physical ALT bt default.

What I have now :
No swap : physical CTRL = Windows, Physical ALT = CTRL, Physical Apple = Alt
Full remap : same
Swap CMD/CTRL: Pysical CTRL = Alt, Physical ALT = CTRL, Physical Apple = Windows

What I want :

Physical CTRL = CTRL, Alt = Alt, Apple = Windows

Minor issue, but really annoying not to have the CMD mac translate into the windows equivalent on the same key...

Best,
Fabrice

 

Something like this happened to me with WinXP Pro on Parallels Beta 1. I simply replaced the VM files with a pristine back-up copy I had previously burned on a DVD-ROM.

 

still not working.
First I've received this:

http://forum.parallels.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296&d=1167459372

then i click on machine and the logo was disappear.
Still remains this:

http://forum.parallels.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=297&d=1167459382

I've waited for 5 mins then I've reset the machine.
Now the results is:

http://img184.imageshack.us/my.php?image=immagine1me7.png

So what's happend? Someone can please reply to me? I've see the same error from some other people here but there was not any reply from parallels team.
Thanks and good work!

 

Windows Media Licensing is broken in 3106



None of my DRMed WMV files will play in 3106. Windows Media Player errors and says it cannot play the file. They play fine in the current retail version of Parallels. Does anybody know if this is an issue with build 3106?

Thanks

Tim

 

This was talked about many times in the last beta.

When you see the Windows logo at startup, hold down F8. That will start Windows in safe mode, and when it does, reinstall Parallels Tools. Restart and you should be fine.

 

Partition Error Booting BootCamp

I can finally select BootCamp as a new Parallels machine; however, when I try to launch the XP sp2 BootCamp machine I receive the following error:

"More than one Windows partitions are found. The current version of Parallels Desktop doesn?ït support such configuration and can not continue."

17" iMac ATi, 1gb RAM. First 2 betas would not recognize the Boot Camp partition. The BootCamp partition is a default 20gb install on the iMac's internal boot drive. A second IEEE1394 drive is attached but does not contain any Windows installs.

Additionally, my Win 98SE will not shut down in any of the betas; I am left with a hung black screen. Reverting back to 1970 corrects this second error.

 

Wow, you even fixed the rounded top window corners showing through for coherence!

It brings me great joy to be a part of this product.

 

I am truly in awe. Absolutely, positively, a revolutionary product. I cannot say enough about how coherence has changed the way I interact with computers. I have owned, used and developed software for both Macs and PCs for over 20 years, and I have never ever seen anything like this. I finally have what I have only dreamed of up to now. My PCs, tamed.

Thank you. By far - and I mean really really far - the best 80 bucks I have ever spent on software. I look forward to my future with parallels. I feel like my computing experience is about to be taken to a whole different plateau.

****

Here is what I did for really "coherent" experience:

After installing build 3106 I had a little itch and I enabled the Tiger 2 visual style for Windows XP by koh. I have always used the Neowin Uxtheme Patcher to replace my Windows XP theme (Luna is so turn of the century). My favorite pre-Parallels was Reluna by Bant. And I had never really wanted to make Windows look like OS X, at least not until now.

neowin uxtheme patcher: http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=140707

Tiger VS: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/17625638

For the full, effect, I tweaked the "Active Title Bar" of the theme in Display Properties > Appearance > Advanced to Lucida Sans Unicode 10 pt and Size the bar to 21.

The result is uncanny. Windows and Mac fully integrated, even to the look and feel level. Unless I actually pay attention, I don't even realize what OS each window belongs to. With taskbar hiding and Wndows Dock shortcuts, I have Windows XP nicely embedded inside OSX, for when I really do need those Windows Apps.

 

I downloaded build 3106 (thanks for the many mirror sites!) and installed it. I found I had tha same problem as I had with the previously released build - a quit on either going to or from fullscreen. Using a MacBook Pro 15', so full screen is a must. Reinstalled 1970 and the problem went away. I am using Parallels to run Freespire and Mandriva Linux - both of which run well. I'm itching to use the new features in the latest build, but the quits keep me from using this build. Otherwise, Parallels is a great application.

 

Yes, it'll stay activated until you update Parallels again. I don't understand why some of us have to re-activate after updating and others have no issues.

 

Quit on Exit Stilll not fixed.

This issue is when you configure a Virtual Machine to start when you launch Parallels Desktop and Quit on Exit you cannot reconfigure the VM anymore. Once Parallels launches it started the VM. Once the VM starts you cannot EDIT the configuration settings for that VM anymore. You get the message "Virtual machine configuration cannot be changed while virtual machine is running. You should stop the virtual machine first in order to change it's configuration." When you stop the VM Parallels Exits.

Pausing the VM doesn't do any good. No configuration changes can be made. When you stop the VM Parallels Exists. This is a fairly significant issue which has been completely overlooked by your team. I love how the functionality should work in theory, however the configuration piece needs to be changed a bit.

The best way to address this issue (if at all possible) would be to allow configuration changes to the VM anytime. Any and all configuration changes would take place the next time the Virtual Machine starts.