Parallels Workstation Beta5...with USB support and Shared Folders!

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Ben @ Parallels

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Today's a big day! Parallels Workstation for Mac OS X Beta5 is here...and it includes USB support and a Shared Folder function that makes sharing documents between Windows and Mac OS X a snap.

Get your free copy of Beta5 at the Parallels Download Center. Remember, if you're already a beta tester, you can just install Beta5 on top of your current version. You will NOT have to rebuild your virtual machines.

Remember that you can also pre-order your copy of Parallels Workstation now and save $10 off the $49.99 retail price! Pre-order your copy now!

Improvements and Fixes in Beta5:
  • Introduced USB support. Connect your favorite USB devices directly to a virtual machine! See the thread about the current status of USB support.http://forum.parallels.com/thread1049.html
  • Introduced shared folders. Share files between Mac OS X and any Windows XP or Windows 2003 guest virtual machine! Learn more about the Shared Folder function.
  • Support for dynamic screen resolutions. When a guest OS is selected, a list of available screen resolutions is dynamically populated with primary OS resolutions.
  • Fixed keyboard mapping problems
  • Fixed mouse pointer lag problem
  • Better sound support
  • Fixed problems with sleeping/waking up the primary OS when a VM is running
  • Introduced the ability to resize a guest when switching to fullscreen mode
  • Added optional "transition cube" animation for transitioning to and from fullscreen mode
  • Fixed several kernel panics
  • Added default network adapter for bridged mode
  • Sound lag fixed
NOTE TO CURRENT BETA TESTERS: There's a new and improved Parallels Tools package in Beta5 too. To update, open your VM, log in, click the "VM" menu, and click "Install Parallels Tools"
 
WOOOOOOOH!!!

USB support... that's it, you've got my money. Ordering now.

EDIT: oops I was a bit too hasty. It doesn't work with PDAs yet. Great work though and as soon as it does work with PDAs I'll be buying.
 
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Shared Folders in Win2K some day?

Shared Folder Page said:
For now, there are three known issues about the Shared Folders:
* Shared Folders feature is not available for Windows 2000 guests.
Bummer. Will Win2k be added? That's my favorite version of Windows today.

* It is not possible to create subfolders in Shared Folder from inside guest OS.
Fine I guess. Haven't tried it given that Win2k isn't supported

* It is not possible to clear read-only attribute for the file in a Shared Folder from inside guest OS.
Seems like a good decision. Going back to OSX and changing permissions isn't difficult and having it blocked is more secure.
Click to expand...

See comments interspersed in quoted material.
 
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Fabulous Job guys...

Looks like you are really working on performance, features, and continually tweaking the GUI. Menus etc. looking better all the time...

Great new release!

Thanks and keep up the hard work!

:)
 
My only complaint so far is that with both beta 4 and 5 the install locked up my mac solid at the same point! I'm guessing it has something to do with a previous version because both times it indicated it was installing parallels and after rebooting and re-running it indicated it was upgrading it instead.

I'm not a huge fan of having my system lock up such that I can't shut it down safely, so addressing this issue before the next beta or the release would be appreciated. :D

Now off to play with it and see the new stuff...
 
got things kicking

sound is greatly improved, full screen xp supports 1440 x 900 macbook pro to a T. so impressed. Beyond full usb support (for wacom tablet, so I can get full tablet pc functionality), would be great to have some command keys for pausing and playing the device. The macbook runs hot if you do some heavy stuff. Sometimes I want to pause xp and blow over to do some osX work and don't really need it running full up.

there also seems to be some weird issue with multiple devices and screen res. Haven't been able to get fedora running 1440 x 900 so if xp is that res, and I open fedora, it cranks back down to 1024. Strange process.

To really bug out download virtue for osx (same tech parallels is using for the cube effect), it adds that to your whole os, and command tabbing between apps brings it on.

snappy.
:)
 
Screen Res

My first post, but been lurking for a while....

I've been using the software since Beta 1 and it is getting really good. There is a slight issue I've noticed.

When you set the Guest OS res to 1440x900 (on my Macbook Pro) at full screen it's beatiful, however when you then switch to to windowed mode, it is obviously too big for the screen and you can't work with it easily..

My suggestion would be the following - when in full screen mode, defualt to the Mac's native res. Then when you switch to a window - set the res to a manageable 1024x768 or 800x600.

Hope the feedback helps!

Keep up the exceptional work! Thanks
 
Spanners,

This functionality is already available in beta5. Just go to Go Parallels Workstation-Preferences->User Interface and unset the "Change OS X Resolution" checkbox.

Don't forget to reinstall Parallels Tools! :)
 
Scott Willsey said:
My only complaint so far is that with both beta 4 and 5 the install locked up my mac solid at the same point! I'm guessing it has something to do with a previous version because both times it indicated it was installing parallels and after rebooting and re-running it indicated it was upgrading it instead.

I'm not a huge fan of having my system lock up such that I can't shut it down safely, so addressing this issue before the next beta or the release would be appreciated. :D

Now off to play with it and see the new stuff...
Click to expand...

I had the same issue. I closed the lid of the MacBook and reopened it which woke it out of its slumber, but the install/upgrade process left my Paralells install in an unusable state. I have not yet tried rebooting and/or reinstalling, but this does seem to be a big issue.

EDIT: I rebooted and reinstalled and everything works great now. The new native resolution support solves the only issue I had working with it before -- thanks guys! Awesome product. I only wish OSX supported 1600x1200, then my life would be complete :D
 
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Thanks for the continued great work and fast updates! With Beta 5 my wireless networking is automatically turned off at login to Parallels. Prior to this, it would just kick right into the network when Windows booted. I changed no settings after updating to Beta 5. Is this by design that you must manually go to Connect, or is there something I need to change in the settings somewhere? I'm THRILLED at being able to have shared folders! :-)
 
Beta 5 crash on install

First of all, yes this software is pretty darn cool. Will be buying it shortly.

For what it's worth I'll also share that my MacBook pro crashed while doing the upgrade. I was also running safari, iTunes and saving tunes to my hard drive, so i figured maybe that was related.

After forcing a reboot, all was fine and a second try at installing it worked. Wireless networking was fixed, and after reading here to uncheck a box, screen resolution in Windows XP is now sharp and fills the screen.

Steve
 
This one seems a bit less stable to me. I have been using this heavily since Beta 3, and have never seen a crash or a kernal panic.

This one crashes when I try to use the file sharing, and I have had several kernal panics. Once during shutdown of the virtual machine, once when my system went to sleep, and once when I was just sitting there. I am thinking of going back to beta 4 until beta 6 is released.

ON the other hand, you are getting closer to the point where I can use my Pocket PC.

Michael
 
Tim Surgent said:
Spanners,

This functionality is already available in beta5. Just go to Go Parallels Workstation-Preferences->User Interface and unset the "Change OS X Resolution" checkbox.

Don't forget to reinstall Parallels Tools! :)
Click to expand...
I tried it and WOW!!! You guys ROCK!!! Thanks!

I love the rotating cube, and I'm really happy that I don't have to push ctrl-alt to move the mouse out of the VM.

Nirvana would include:
1. Drag and drop files between host and guest;
2. Copy and paste using clipboard shared between host and guest;
3. Resize XP screen by grabbing lower righthand corner of window and dragging.

These are all things I liked about VPC back when I liked VPC, i.e., back before he-who-must-not-be-named bought them out and they went downhill.

Anyway, I'm not complaining -- I LOVE Parallels -- I'm just giving you a wish list.
 
kaufman said:
This one crashes when I try to use the file sharing, and I have had several kernal panics. Once during shutdown of the virtual machine, once when my system went to sleep, and once when I was just sitting there. I am thinking of going back to beta 4 until beta 6 is released.
Click to expand...

It also crashes whenever I shut down my Windows XP box.

Michael
 
RE: Screen Res

Tim,

That works a treat. I now have a 800x600 window and a full screen 1400x900. Excellent.

However a notice two issues,

1) The windows Display Properties dialog is always showing when I switch?
2) There is a really irritating flicker, when you change from windowed to full screen.

I guess it's something for the bug list.

Thanks for the hard work.
 
Spanners said:
Tim,

That works a treat. I now have a 800x600 window and a full screen 1400x900. Excellent.

However a notice two issues,

1) The windows Display Properties dialog is always showing when I switch?
2) There is a really irritating flicker, when you change from windowed to full screen.

I guess it's something for the bug list.

Thanks for the hard work.
Click to expand...

How did you get this to work ? I tried the options, but when I go full screen it is fine - 1400x900 - in fact quite beautiful with cleartype enabled. I hardly know that I am using a Mac.

However, when I switch to console view, the screen stays the same size - and thus the bottom part of the screen is invisible. What do you do to make the screen of the VM change automatically?

If I set the screen to 1280 x 800, I get what you describe - but still the console and the full screen are the SAME resolution (it doesn't go to 1400x900, it stays at 1280 x 800). Which isn't bad, but what you are describing is perfect. Only wish it would do what you say here.

I tried with and without the option, disabling the effect, etc. no go. What do I need to do ?

Otherwise, this software is the bee's knees. Fantastic - I ordered my copy !
 
maverick808 said:
WOOOOOOOH!!!

USB support... that's it, you've got my money. Ordering now.

EDIT: oops I was a bit too hasty. It doesn't work with PDAs yet. Great work though and as soon as it does work with PDAs I'll be buying.
Click to expand...
I sync'd my Palm (Treo 650) with the VM beta 5...also used Softick to mount the SD card as a USB drive, everything seems as fast as if I'm booting directly into Win XP on the MBP.
 
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