Stop automatic updates

Can you include an option to prevent automatic updates of Parallels Toolbox?

 

Quoting this.

 

I +1 the top suggestion. I'd like to see an option for notification of update instead. Otherwise I'll need to remove it from all computers where the user does not have admin access. The prompts for password to update are continuous and get in the way of user productivity.

 

I also need this option. At my house I do not have unlimited internet. That means I effectively pay for updates when I happen to be at home when an update rolls out.

 

We all need this option now. Parallels Toolbox 1.7 has just tried to upgrade to version 2.0 on my system, and this has forced the product to invalidate itself. This is not an upgrade... this is a regression.

I had to fetch my older version from a Time Machine backup in order to restore functionality.

Not only that, but if you manage to block the port to download.parallels.com, Parallels Toolbox actually gets stuck in an endless loop and spikes CPU usage right up to 100% on one core. So effectively, you cannot use the older software at all without running your machine hot.

 

Hi Tonza,
what do you mean by "forced to invalidate itself"? All Toolbox 1.7 users should be able to update to 2.0 without any limitations.

 

Parallel's toolbox automatically updated itself and then my license stopped working. This is completely unacceptable. Even if this can be fixed, I am not interested because this is a terrible business practice. I am removing the tool from my system. I am posting this message here as feedback that you can pass on to any relevant party.

 

This was not an intended behavior and wasn't supposed to happen, and I apologize for this. Too bad you have removed it already, otherwise we would try to investigate this issue and resolve it for you. You can write to apatsay@parallels.com and I will try to help you.

 

Same thing happened to me, except I didn't choose to update anything. I just turned my computer on this evening and immediately got a notification that "Your license key is invalid for this version of Parallels Toolbox." Clicking on the Downgrade button opens this link http://www.parallels.com/directdownload/toolbox_1/ which says "This page may have moved or is no longer available."

 

I really appreciate your willingness to help. I mean that sincerely. I'm sorry, this is just too critical of an issue for me to condone.
For your reference, I experienced the exact same issue as PaulB1. The link to the page that is no longer available was what sealed the deal for me, if automatically upgrading to a version I don't own wasn't bad enough.

 

This has been mentioned already in the discussion stream by other posters, but I'll verify: version 1.7 upgraded itself (without option of rejection or notification) to version 2.0. Version 2.0 required a new licence key. Because one wasn't available, I had to restore parts of my filesystem to get 1.7 back.

This effectively meant that the software caused its own dysfunction. Software should never allow themselves to disable themselves, particularly if the software is already working with a valid licence, even if it is for an older version of the product.

 

Can you press Help -> Send technical data from agent context menu?
And attach report ID number here

 

Can you press Help -> Send technical data from agent context menu?
And attach report ID number here

 

Can you press Help -> Send technical data from agent context menu?
And attach report ID number here

 

If you have this problem can you press Help -> Send technical data from agent context menu?
And attach report ID number here

 

To resolve this issue, you need to enter the license key in Parallels Toolbox manually:

1. Visit My Account to find your Parallels Desktop 12 for Mac key.
2. In Parallels Toolbox click at 'I have another key' link:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Enter and confirm the license key.

 

And... it appears that even in version 2.0.0 (1192), the updates mechanism keeps retrying over and over again, every 30 seconds, if a user has cancelled in response to the dialogue "Installer is trying to install Parallels Toolbox."

This is really annoying, particularly if you want to use your computer for something! The software should not be pestering and insisting that you supply your administrator account password for anything! Once per reboot is enough.

Currently, all I can do is shove the dialogue box off the display, but that means that the tools are unavailable from the menu bar.

Update: and I found out what it's actually doing. The "why?" is elusive, though!

Parallels Toolbox:
1. Starts up.
2. Pings Parallels servers for an update.
3. Downloads the update: about 520 MB of it.
4. Starts the Installer process, then quits.
5. The Installer process throws up the dialogue box "Installer is trying to install Parallels Toolbox." and asks for the administrator password. Select the "Cancel" button in this dialogue box.
6. The Installer quits, and Parallels Toolbox starts up again. And, the process repeats.

This means, that the process continues to download the same update package over and over and over again, and there's no way to tell the software "I don't want to install right now". Either you update, or you never run the thing.

This again is a case of the software disabling itself... but here, it's more like a "denial of service" rather than an outright deadlock.

Please, can we have this entire update process reviewed?! It's poorly designed!!!

 

Are you sure you really want something from what is now a botched installation (1.7)?!

 

I'm sorry about all the issues with license keys. However I'd like you to know that we have added the originally requested feature to the latest version of Toolbox -- now automatic updates can be disabled - in Toolbox's Preferences:

 

I noticed!!! Thanks for listening to my concerns! I'll try this out on the next update to see if I can safely defer an update on my Mac until I am ready to accept the update.

Thanks very much for responding to my thread, too. You guys at Parallels have been very impressively responsive, and I appreciate the time and effort you have given to my queries, cries for help, and even for this case of an off-the-bat knee-jerk complaint! Wow!