Unable to load Windows 7

wenfeen

Member
Using Parallels 7 build 7.0.14924 on a new computer using OS 10.6.8. Parallels is installed, but when trying to install Windows 7 from a DVD where I burned an ISO image (hope I'm using the right terms as I'm not a PC person) from a purchased copy of a Windows 7, I get the following messages. As I had done this previously with a MacBook I no longer have and it was successful with Parallels 6, I don't know where to go. I have tried everything. All hardware is checked off as being installed in the Windows 7 configuration, and the HD is at the top of the list. Really stymied.
 

Attachments

The optical drive is not visible to the VM. Go into the hardware configuration for the VM and make sure there is an optical drive there. If there is, try deleting the drive and then manually re-adding it.

Then restart your VM and install.

Steve
 
Still unable to load Windows 7

I tried your recommendations as best I understood them. Deleted the CD/DVD, then reinstalled. Still get the same message. I have tried everything I can think of.

What is puzzling to me is that I was able to install on the MacBook which I no longer use!

I have a mac Mini. Designated drives (hard drive and CD/DVD) as SATA 0.2 and SATA 0.1. Also tried designating as IDE. Just can't figure out why it won't see the optical drive. I don't know whether there is something corrupt? Somehow I don't think that's the answer.

Appreciate your help.
Wendy
 
Last edited:
Seems like several people have had this issue. I'm going to try to install Windows 7 with an older version of Parallels, then upgrade to version 7 to see if that works.
 
You could try to create an image of the cd as a dmg and attach the image as the cd drive.
 
By personal experience installing from a disk image is much faster than a real cd/dvd (even counting the time it takes to create the image, the difference has to do with seek time on a CD/DVD drive if you are curious).
 
Wendy, any luck, I'm have the same situation, unable to load Win7, ver7 fails to find locations.
Cheers
Daremo
 
The only way I was able to install Windows 7 was by migrating Windows 7 from my other Mac that had successfully loaded Windows 7 and Parallels 7. I tried using a disk image, reinstalling an older Parallels v5, deleting the CD/DVD drive & reinstalling in the Hardware configuration: nothing worked. Migration finally did it worked. Very, very frustrating and time consuming; I wish I understood why this happened.
 
Tried myself with a burned .iso image of Win7 from MS on a DVD and it worked flawlessly.
 
Back
Top