Running windows CD through Parallels

After a few problems which Parallels have now sorted I loaded various windows cd's to try.

Lotus OK - don't need cd in imac to use.

Coral Draw OK - Do need CD in imac to use.

Clickart OK - Do need cd in imac - images appear the wrong way round.

Cossack game loaded but looks for cd which it cannot find so cannot start.

Is this the end for Cossacks?

 

A way out will be...

 

I've noticed a number of viewers but - no help as yet!

 

as long as you dont need 3d graphics and directx etc for the game, maybe you should try one of the many websites providing patched exes for games, to remove the need for the cd to be inserted.

 

You want to eliminate having to insert CDs?

Check out "CD Space" for Windows. Also, I think Parallels will let you make a virtual CD Image too, but I installed CD Space before I noticed, so I haven't checked out the capability yet. Anyway, CD Space isn't FREE so the Parallels image may work out better for you.

the website for CD Space is http://en.cdspace.com/main/main.asp. There other Windows apps that do what CD Space does, but I think they all cost $ too.

 

If the disc is not copy protected you can use Parallels Disk Image Tool to make an image of it. Then you just mount it to your CD drive in Parallels. I've done that for all my MS programs (ie Office) that sometimes want the CD in the drive when certain updates are applied.

 

jwjohnson99 wrote: "you can use Parallels Disk Image Tool to make an image of it. Then you just mount it to your CD drive in Parallels. "
===

I see. CD Space actually installs a hardware driver that allows you to add up to 23 CD drives (virtually) to your system. I have used it specifically for my gospel library (4 discs). In order to access them, they have to be in the drive, so I added 4 virtual CD drives (actually I usually install 7 for additional apps as well) in order to access them all at the same time. Work flawlessly!

You just make an image of the cds on your hard drive, and tell CD Space which image you want to use in what virtual drive. I usually just leave all of them in all the time. Of course I have my actual physical drives free for availability any time, whether on the computer or Firewire/USB2.

 

if you make a raw image of the cd on a real pc, daemon-toolz can be used to mount and circumvent most disk protections also.

 

Just to let you know..

The Cossack CD won't 'image'
Error due to copy protection?

Thought I'd contact Cossack makers to see if they have any knowledge this through Parallels.

 

Cossacks have not tested using Parallels so no luck there.

Looked at the suggestion about using CD space.

Is the shareware any good?

The main download page always appears in an oriental language so I cannot use!

 

Click on the American Flag in the top corner.

 

I looked at CD space and the reviews did not inspire confidence.

Downloaded Daemon Tools to try but how to do 1:1 copy in windows?
I need to buy software to do this?

This appears to be a lot of trouble to play a game which has copy protection and directx. Or is this worth proceeding with?
Step by step assistance seems to be needed!!

 

meboard wrote: "I looked at CD space and the reviews did not inspire confidence."
===

Interesting. I've been using CD Space now for about 7 or 8 years. Working great still on my Macbook Pro 17". I've never had any problems since XP's release, and the verisons 4 and 5.

Course, my uses for it might be different than your's. I've never needed it for games. What about you?

 

New to all this as I had little problem previously with using windows.

Thought it would be easy using windows programs through parallels!

CDSpace 5.1

Quote from review:-

'Cons: May contain viruses and if you cancel a virural drive, it leaves a pest, a empty drive which you have to go through my computer and take some time uninstalling any drivers this program installed without saying, otherwise you have a virtual drive taking up hard drive space with nothing on it.

This piece of online trash nearly crashed my computer. Anyways you should not download this!! Even if it did work(which it didn't!!!) it slows your computer down!! because it most likely contains numerous viruses and ad-ware.'

What version are you successfully using?

 

Meboard wrote: "What version are you successfully using?"
===

My registered license only covers up to version 4. I tried version 5 trial, but for my needs it doesn't do anything different than version 4. Plus, I don't care for the UI in version 5. So, I'm using version 4.x.

That review you quoted is a classic example of somebody who gets mad because he didn't read the directions, or is some punk kid being a jack-ass. Viruses and ad-ware? Give me a break. How utterly puerile and inane!

It doesn't slow the computer down. If anything, it speeds it up because instead of waiting for discs to spin up and read, the information instead comes of your hard drive and happens instantaneously. As far as adding to the system, of course it does. It's adding virtual hardware to the system, and a portal application so you can mount CD images to that hardware. When you remove the software properly, through the Control Panel's Add/Remove Program applet, the virtual drivers on the hardware side are automatically removed as well.

That's all it does. Sheesh.

There are other Virtual CD applications available as well. CD Space was my choice after trying a few that were available years ago. They even gave me a new registration # for free when they came out with a new version that required purchasing a new license. I thought that was pretty cool, so I've stuck with their software.

How do you know that reviewer has even used the software??? Just because he posts some slime on a website about a programmer's handy work, doesn't mean he is telling the truth. For all you know the guy could be a competitor for your business. Anytime you see someone start throwing out ideas that a piece of software has viruses and ad-ware, you should be skeptical of that reviewer. I can see if it was reported from more than one person that the installer to a piece of software also installs ad-ware or viruses, but that's why you go to the developer's website to download just the application you want (if you can), as well as see what positive things have been experienced with the software.

Of course, the best reviews are those that include positive comments as well as point out the annoyances. But I've never found any value in a "reviewer" that start right off saying a piece of software is garbage because it "trashed" their system. Instead, that tells me how much of a moron he is. He really shouldn't be installing programs on a computer.

 

Well I've downloaded latest version from CDSpace and...

I cannot get to use it
I have downloaded AdobeReader to use their help and it won't open due to page errors
Have tried deleting and trying again without any success
Now the delete will not remove it

Time to call it a day?

Or?

 

meboard wrote: "I cannot get to use it"
===


OK. I will help you, since I'm the one promoting the application, here. Have you been able to install it? How did that go? Does it appear to have been successful? Since you tried to "delete" it, and the "delete" will not remove it (these are not terms that suggest you are removing the application correctly), just run the installer again and install the program as if you haven't installed it before.

Next explain to me what you can't get to work.

 

Downloaded file appears as:-

CD55s.exe

Which appears on my desktop in Windows through Parallel.

I receive a Security Warning that this has an unknown publisher.

'Click' Run

Installshied Wizard for CDSpace 5 appears

'Click' Next

Software agreement appears

'Click' Yes

Setup will install in following folder appears.

'Click' Next

Program Folder appears

'Click' Next

Install starts

For some unknown reason I heard a ping a couple of times during this install.

Put CDSpace icon on desktop appears

'Click' Yes

To read help file download Adobe Reader appears

Downloaded version 8

Install Wizard Complete

'Click' finish

Icon appears on desktop (CDSpace 5)

'Click' and evaluation version agreement appears

Then nothing happens, nothing loads

 

meboard,

I downloaded and installed CD Space 5.1 myself and tried to fish for the potential problems you are having. It appears to me that the trial version of this app is not functioning correctly. So I uninstalled the application, which didn't work until I did a CTRL-ALT-DEL and force quite one of the CDSpaceV.exe files that was running.

What a pain. But at least it uninstalled after this glitch. Past versions have not done this. And since I don't have my own registration number of Version 5, I haven't use it, and have stuck with version 4. So I have not had to go through this until now. But I can totally see why you're having these problems.

But the fact is that if you have a valid registration for version 5, it will run correctly, as I am using it right now. I can email you my copy of version 4 so you can use it during a trial period, since version 5 isn't letting you do that. Or of course you can go ahead and purchase it, get a valid registration code, and then it will work for you. It's just that you're not going to be able to use it on a trial basis, unless you get a different version.

Send me a private message with your email address and I'll send you my copy of Version 4 so you can use it on a trial basis. If you have any more problems with it just private message me on it. I'm happy to help you out.

As far as uninstalling version 5, after you initiate the uninstall program, do a ctrl-alt-del combination to bring up the running processes, and delete one of the CDSpaceV.exe entries in the listing, or all of them. That's all I had to do, and then the uninstall carried forward and finished.