Windows 2000, Nvidia 8600m GT, and VM Configuration issues

Hi, I installed Parallels 3 and Windows 2000 on my wife's Mac Book Pro last night. Everything went smoothly, with two exceptions:
1. Windows 2000 does not recognize the Nvidia 8600m GT card. I tried at least three different driver downloads that allegedly worked with W2K/XP and 8600m GT. The last one being http:/techiedownloads/downloads/Forceware_165.01_XP_English.exe which I found at driverheaven.net. (All of the drivers were for 8600m, not the desktop 8600 version.) Each time, I got the "NVIDIA setup program could not locate any drivers that are compatible with your current hardware" error. So I took a look at the Device Manager in W2K and found that it does not recognize a video controller (the yellow question mark next to the Video Controller device). So I tried manually installing the driver from the Video Controller Properties window. I found the .inf for the driver in the 165.01 download from earlier but W2K says "Windows was unable to locate a driver for this device." Anyway, the W2K resolution without any installed driver is (understandably) horrible. I'm open to ideas!
2. I'm trying to get to the VM configuration window, but can only do that when the VM is not running. The problem is that the Parallels application is only open when the VM is running. (I believe these are the Parallels 3 default settings: The VM and OS start up immediately after double clicking the alias and the VM closes as soon as the OS is shut down or the VM stopped.) I found the following Parallels solution in the case where the guest OS immediately launches when the user starts the Parallels virtual machine: "Start Parallels Desktop, select the appropriate virtual machine in the Select Virtual Machine dialog, and, while pressing the Command (Apple) key, click the Select button. The virtual machine's Configuration Page appears. Click Configuration or any link in the devices list to open Configuration Editor." However, I cannot find the "Select Virtual Machine" dialog to save my life! Does "Start Parallels Desktop" simply mean to double click on the Parallels alias?
Sorry for typing so much. Any help on the above two issues would be much appreciated.
Thank you,
David

 

Resolution on second issue

Okay, issue two is resolved. Parallels Support responded:

"Press 'Apple' (Command) button, double click on Parallels Desktop
application(launch it) and hold on this button till Parallels main menu
appears. Then you may access Configuration Editor and turn off 'start
VM automatically' option in the OPTIONS > BOOTING Tab."

This is far more clear than the current Knowledge Base at the Parallels website (http://kb.parallels.com/entry/27/229/), at least to me.

Issue one is still up for grabs if anyone is interested
Thanks,
David

 

its becuase your running win2k in an emulated environment.. so you install the Parallels Tools and it installs a Parallels video driver.. you dont install the Nvidia drivers.

 

You are the man, darkone!! I installed Parallels Tools, updated the display settings within Windows 2000, and everything is good to go! I now see lots of good info about Parallels Tools in the user manual. Guess I should have looked there first. Doh! Anyway, thank you very much.
David