"prl_disp_service" not in Activity Monitor

F

FrancisT

Bit poster
Hi,

I am another of the PD4 users getting the "Unable to connect to Parallels Service. Make sure that prl_disp_service is running or check your firewall settings. If the problem persists, contact the Parallels support team for assistance." error message. It was intermittent soon after automatically updating to build 3844 but quickly became permanent. There is no "prl_disp_service" running in Activity Monitor, only "prl_naptd".

I am running an Intel iMac 20" white with 3GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and a 500GB external drive permanently attached and running. A few weeks ago I updated my OS to 10.5.7 via "Erase and Install". I started Time Machine svaing to the external drive. I then installed PB4 (build 3540), re-activated it, imported my XP Home vm with 2 virtual hard drives, and installed Parallel Tools. I don't use Boot Camp. I use Bridged Ethernet Networking so the vm can access my DVR (the fixed port # is already forwarded elsewhere).

A few days after an automatic update to build 3844, the prl_disp_service error message started popping up occasionally. After a few more days every attempt to start PD4 via any means yielded the same error message. The Firewall had never been activated, but I noticed that prl_disp_service was not in the Activity Monitor list. All file permissions are up to date. I then went through the suggestions in KB's #5677, 5772, 5791 and threads #32135, 32366, 32877, 87340, 87387, and 90112. None solved the problem but here are some of the results:

Trying to force prl_disp_service to run using the code in KB5677 yielded:
WARNING: QApplication was not created in the main() thread.
Bus error

localhost was 127.0.0.1 as required by KB5772

Forwarding port 64000 to my iMac from my router had no effect.

Removing the network preference files and rebooting as suggested in KB5791 didn't help.

I then brought back the com.parallels.desktop.launch.plist file from before the problem started - didn't help.

I then performed an Uninstall (including Application Settings), rebooted, installed build 3844 (finished successfully with request to put alias in Dock), and rebooted. Launching from /Applications/Parallels Desktop gave the same error message. prl_disp_service is not present in Activity Monitor.

The only other installs during the last week were the Brother MFC-7420 scanner/printer driver, iLife, and iWork.

Are there any files that I can bring back from Time Machine to get this working?

Is it time to open at ticket or should I try another Erase and Install?

Thanks,
Francis Tanzella
 
Last edited:
Solved?

I have had a ticket open for a while, but travel and vacations delayed me from working on this too much. Any way, this looks like it might work.

I was able to get PD4 to launch after much detective work. First I uninstalled the Brother MFC drivers (the last thing I installed before the problems started) using this link:
http://www.parkerwallace.com/BrotherControlCenterMacOSXLeopard
After a restart, PD4 still did not launch, so I checked the Parallels LogFIle. I saw a minor error where it couldn't find the folder "Users/Shared/Parallels" because there was an alias named "Parallels" there. When I removed this alias, replaced it with a folder, and restarted, PD4 performed its 1st run launch. I restarted several times to prove that this was stable.

I could print to but not scan from the MFC. When I re-installed the Brother drivers I got the prl_disp_service error again. So I removed all of the Brother files/folders again, except for the file "Brother TWAIN.ds". After another restart PD4 was happy again. I tried pretty much using every other combination of the Brother drivers, but found that everything other than the TWAIN driver alone "broke" PD4.

I can print, fax, and scan from the computer but cannot initiate a scan from the MFC. It looks like the button monitor is blocking the port/device that prl_disp_service is trying to use. If I get real ambitious I might forward this to the Brother support staff.
 
Not Yet

I spoke too soon.

It's better but not resolved. Sometimes PD4 launches with no problem after a computer restart and sometimes not. If it launches, it usually will continue to launch until the next restart.

Interestingly, I found a way to bypass the prl_disp_service error: If I try continually to launch PD4 and click "Send Report" in the error message box, after 5 - 15 tries it will launch without the error. If I click "OK" it will not launch regardless of the number of times I try.

It looks like the latest BrotherPrinterDrivers.dmg update from Apple undoes the repair I talked about yesterday. But even in the earlier state, a successful launch was not guaranteed. I needed to back it out again to the earlier state to get PD4 to launch, even occasionally.

HTH
 
same issue

I'm having a same issue in relation to the prl_disp_service. but when running Parallels normally, it shuts down and unable to launch, only throwing up this error.

Rester Mac and al was fine. But why does this happen?
 
Hello,

In regards to the issue please copy paste the command given below in the terminal (Finder -> Application -> Utilities -> Terminal) and press return on the keyboard. Then you will be asked to enter the administrator password. You have to type in the password and hit return. Then you need to restart the mac.

sudo /Library/Parallels/Parallels\ Service.app/Contents/MacOS/prl_disp_service -e --logfile /var/log/prl_disp_service_server.log --pidfile /var/run/prl_disp_service.pid &


After restarting the mac please launch Parallels Desktop again.

Let me know if it worked or not.


Thank You.
__________

Anupama
Parallels Team
 
A simple update to my problem. I do have ticket open and have received significant help. In fact, I'm ready to close the ticket and put up with the much milder symptoms. Now if I wait 3 minutes after the start up chime PD launches every time. Any sooner and I get the prl_disp_service error. I think something else is tying up internet traffic for the first 3 minutes. I'll open a Net Watcher when I return next week and see what I can find.
 
FrancisT said:
... I think something else is tying up internet traffic for the first 3 minutes. I'll open a Net Watcher when I return next week and see what I can find.
Click to expand...

OK. Problem solved. My computer was continually asking the router to verify the DNS address. I had the router's address set as the DNS address because AT&T regularly changes their actual DNS addresses. I don't use DHCP because of a problem with my DVR. After I set the DNS address to one of AT&T's DNS addresses in the router I can launch PD immediately after booting the computer. PD seems to work every time I try. The amount of net traffic during the first few minutes has been reduced by one or two orders of magnitude.

Bottom line: If all of your ports are open and everything else tests OK, see how much net traffic there is. If it's extremely busy, it may be blocking prl_disp_service.

Hope it helps somebody else.
 
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