Parallels version 12.1.1 seriously damaged my Win 10 VM

I am having issues on a 2016 15" MBPtb with the latest versions of OS X and Windows 10.

 

Something finally worked for me. After spending almost 2 hours this morning with a support rep who couldn't figure it out, they recommended I "refresh" the Windows OS (the one I installed yesterday). I tried to do it with the instructions they provided which were to do it from the start menu while logged in. This did not work for me.

Then I found these articles: https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-access-advanced-startup-options-in-windows-10-or-8-2626229
https://www.lifewire.com/reset-this-pc-complete-walkthrough-2624538
Basically you have to access the advance startup options via the first link (right after boot basically) and then follow the instructions on the second link to reset the PC without removing files. Keep in mind you will have to re-install programs but it's a small trade off.

After this reset, everything worked fine. It did not re-install Parallels Tools and I thought once I install that surely the problem would occur. Nope, all good. Then I ran the windows updates and I was pretty certain that would screw things up somehow. Not a problem. I then re-installed MS Office 2016 and everything still works fine.

I hope this works for the rest of you. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

I am having lots of these problems as well, on 3 brand new Macbook Pros with Touchbar. In addition to slow boot times, text not working in UWP apps and the search box, we have also seen error messages related to the desktop folder not being found.

 

I am having Task Scheduler event log issues, multiple every minute. I figured it was a Windows 10 issue, was about re-install. Is this known to be caused by Parallels?

 

Like all things, it is dangerous to say 'yes', since then you will turn out to be the 'exception', and be the person where it is caused by something else....
However a significant number of people are having this as a problem. It seems specific to V12, after 12.1.1. Problem is that only a small percentage of users seem to be triggering it. If you look back through this thread you will see several other people. I've gone back to V11, with no problems since, and am simply waiting to see a fix being posted.

 

I'm seeing similar problems on V12.1.3 (41532). Twice this morning I had the long boot time / handle not valid issues with my Window 10 VM, but in addition my MBP (OS X 10.10.5) hung and I had to reboot. On a third (fourth?) try I had a successful boot of it, and was able to successfully complete the task I wanted to on it.

However, with the Windows 10 VM paused in the background, I tried bringing up a Windows XP VM. It came up, but about five minutes into using it, my MBP had a kernel panic of some sort and rebooted.

I've seen the Windows 10 issues before, but once the VM is fully in Windows it just works for weeks it seems like. I'm not sure what version of Parallels the problem started on. I don't think I've had any serious system issues with my MBP at all (two years old now) when I wasn't actively using Parallels.

 

This startup hanging is REALLY starting to get annoying. I have gotten to the point where I never reboot or log off, just suspend the VM and restart it. That works fine and resumes very quickly. But if I ever have to reboot or occasionally fire up another VM with a different configuration it is unusable. I timed it this morning after logging in - it took 16 minutes before I could actually click on the start menu and get some response. With the number of people complaining about this, you'd think they'd spend some time and fix it. I am getting close to taking a look at VMWare - would have already switched if I didn't want to spend the time for yet another reload of everything.

 

Having the same problem here ... and haven't had time to try uninstall. running MAC OS X 10.12.3 on a MAC Pro/Retina.
I had a working Windows 10 system for about a year. Then came the upgrade to Parallels 12 and also installed the Tools ... kaput! Hasn't worked since. Windows vm will come up as a black screen with blue window icon in the center. I also have tried to let it run overnight to see if it would recover on its own, but not luck. about the same time, my physical hard disk started reporting <10Gb of free space. Chicken or the egg? I am seriously considering the P12 uninstall and going back to the P11. Have already uninstalled the Tools, but thus far, no improvement.
Looking forward to a resolution here ... was a staunch Windows user for a very long time, but wanted the long hardware life from the MAC so switched. MS Office is still my go to and I am very much at a loss with it not working (doing some personal work on my business machine which I don't like to do).
Very frustrating...

 

I am about to go back to Parallels 11 as I have been unable to use my Windows VM effectively since Parallels 12 arrived. This thread contains some of the weird collection of failings I've had.

I have.... the wheel spinning ages to start up... the inability to type in the toolbar search box or get the start menu to pop up.. the appearance of a file explorer window which, when closed, leaves me with a black screen which I can do nothing with. I'm worried that my vm has been damanged with all the mucking around so can only live in hope that it works. The prospect of reinstalling everything is a major chore.

 

I didn't go back to Parallels 11... I 'reset' Windows and reinstalled Office. I can't remember what other software I had on it, but I'm not stressing about it as I use it so rarely. It being effectively broken has pushed me to find/use Mac alternatives for the very few things I used to use Windows for. The reason I needed it today was for Microsoft Access for which I haven't got an acceptable Mac alternative.

Anyway, the 'reset' (reinstall but keeping data files, just having to reinstall apps) worked. Cortana search box/start button etc all working.

 

I tried a full Windows install. Still had the same problems.
I suspect it is some particular program or setting, which is causing it. If you re-install, and don't put this back, then it works. If however you install the problem program (or make the setting), because it is one you use, the problem comes back. Problem is that to stop and test after each program in turn, would take forever (the full re-install takes long enough), and until someone does this, and identifies what causes the problem, we are all 'stuck'...
You might find the black screen problem goes away if you change the configuration setting for video to Direct-X 9, instead of 10. I had seen odd problems with the video before 12.1.1, and unless you have programs that specifically need DX10, the DX9 setting, seems much more reliable...

Whatever you do, make sure you have a good backup before you do anything. I actually tried switching to Parallels 12 again yesterday to see if the current releases had improved things, and aside from having to leave the machine for a while restoring from a backup, it cost only a few minutes to try. Problems still existed though.

 

The answer to the problem of text not appearing in Cortana and other Windows 10 Apps like settings is found here

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...arch-bar/7dce8411-8671-4d3e-90d1-b9bdc0aa4734

see the post from @unnoted:

1. Press Win + R (to open Run )
2. copy paste and press enter to run this program. "C:\Windows\system32\ctfmon.exe". it brings back the language bar and for me it allowed me to type in windows search, start menu and WINDOWS 10 apps again

This works. I can confirm.

The fix is amazingly simple. Makes one wonder how much Parallels staff and Microsoft staff know, since their suggestions were complex and dangerous.

 

The issue you were facing with Cortana search/Start menu search is due to one of the Microsoft service called "ctfmon.exe". You refer to the workaround shared by
PaulKorm and resolve the issue easily.

 

We are glad to see your active participation and appreciate you for sharing this workaround here.

 

Does anyone know if the 12.2 version has fixed these issues?

 

I had another go a few days ago. Didn't fix it. Then had to wait an age to re-load the backup that again worked.

The language bar fix above, does not fix the problem. This was one of the fixes in the list from Microsoft tried right at the start of this thread...

I've got another system running a different Windows setup (second version of Parallels), and this runs fine using V12. Strongly suspect it is some specific feature/program that actually causes the problem. Unfortunately it takes so long to re-install, and you'd have to boot after every single thing is added to know if the problem has appeared, that for me it'd just take too long.

 

Just to add here ...... I finally did try version 12.2 the other day. Knock on wood, it all seems to be working well with none of the previous problems I was having.

 

I've had another play (Bank holiday weekend, so some time available), and it is 'interesting'. With Creator's update, and an installation of the latest Parallels (12.2.0 41591), it is booting without problems (touching various lucky things as a post this). However if I take Windows back to the January release, the problem still shows, even with 12.2.0... What I haven't tried (wasted too much time), is the latest release of Windows update without putting the full Creator's update in. However it starts to look as if something in Windows itself, combined with something in Parallels, is what was causing the problem, and the combined updates since, may well now have got it fixed...

So, I'd suggest that people with the problem, take Windows up to the latest updates, and then try 12.2.0. It's pleasant to have the system working again properly.

 

I am getting a bit frustrated with the attitude from Parallels in the various threads reporting on this: I am also experiencing this issues on a VM that was working perfectly fine before. The most recent PD12 update made my entire setup non functional.

My Windows installation was running fine and I'd rather not have to apply all sorts of strange ad hoc fixes.
Problems started after updating PD12 so I think the issue should be addressed properly. Right now, my setup is completely non-functional:

No text input in modern apps, constantly flashing task bar and search box... unresponsive start menu...
Parallels team, please fix this.

 

Try this. Open Task Manager (CTRL+Shift+Escape) and then File -> New Task -> Type in Explorer and check off the Create this task with administrative privileges. Every time I reboot my VM the task bar flashes as Explorer is frozen waiting on something. This hack usually shortens the amount of time I have to wait for explorer to become responsive and for the task bar to start working properly. It doesn't fix it every time, and it doesn't fix it instantly but usually a few seconds later. Might have you run it a couple of times and try without that checkbox, if the first time doesn't work. What it does is open a new Windows Explorer window, but in so doing it affects the primary instance of it, which is the one responsible for the Taskbar and most of your Windows Experience.


EDIT: I Should mention that I still can't type into Cortana or start menu or modern apps but I don't use these things anyway.