In trying to update windows xp to sp3, the update installation failed on a windows memory exception. The update process backed out, as expected. Windows error message recommended to try again. Same error, but back-out failed and Windows boot process goes into a never-ending loop without letting me boot windows in safe-mode. How can I boot windows in safe mode in parallels? How can I re-install windows from the original install CD without starting and installing a new windows xp virtual machine?
just stop virtual machine then start and quickly grab mouse into VM window (click with mouse on it) and press F8 to enter to Windows extended boot menu 1. stop virtual machine 2. insert original CD 3. open VM configuration and spply for CD/DVD device your real DVDROM; also it would be better to check startup options and specify proper boot order (try to boot from CD/DVD at first)
Windows XP Update problems / headaches Hi Alexander: Thanks for your reply. I am now able to get into the extended boot menu, but there is no mouse control (I believe that is normal Microsoft) and I cannot use the keyboard arrows to move the "highlight" to the "Safe Mode" button. the boot process times-out continues to boot in the normal boot mode and gives me an error that at least one (I suppose important windows) file is missing. This must have happened when my attempt to update windows xp to sp3 failed and the reverting also failed. I also tried to re-configure the "virtual" hardware. The CD drive is already the real one, but I cannot change the boot order to start with the CD drive because the boot order option is all gray'ed out and I cannot change anything. I opened a new VM and loaded windows xp on it without deleting the 1st windows VM. But, I the updates to SP2 & SP3 continue to fail, but at least this time I don't lose windows files when the update fails. I would also like to move all the third-party programs and files from the 1st windows VM to the second windows VM before I delete the 1st windows vm, but I cannot see how to do that. Thanks again Alexander and I would appreciate hearing from you or your colleague again. See ya! GabeG
i think it's because you tried to do this on started VM - it would better to stop it at first. you can add hard disk from old VM to new one and will see it at Windows guest OS when started up. In order to do this please make follow steps: 1. completely shutdown new second Windows VM 2. open configuration editor and select Hardware tab 3. press add new device "+" button and select "Hard disk" 4. select Type "Existing image file" and specify path to interesting you hard disk from 1st Windows VM 5. start 2nd VM this should help (Note if you won't see new hard disk at loaded Windows OS it's necessary to map new hard disk on some volume use My Computer context menu->Manage and Disk Management item).
Hi Gabe I am having the same issues with a new XP Service Pack 2 installation with Parralels 5 latest build. In my case, I have installed XP Service Pack 2 image converted from Virtual PC Image twice. I have been through Authentication by Phone on Each occasion. The Product Key has been declared valid by each agent and accepted to get me going. When I start up the Virtual XP Machine and as soon as I try to do anything with Updates I get the well known wuauclt.exe alert problem (Google it). I do not have the Malware/Virus issue sometimes associated with this. Following the above failure I get the other well known alert "generic host process for win32 services has encountered a problem…." The machine is then useless and cannot complete updates and is crippled as if it were a pirated copy of XP Both problems have bee corrected by MS procedures including lengthy editing of the Registry but reoccur soon after. I have spent hours with a very helpful MS support guy but the problems continue. The XP System is configured as 1 Core on an 27 inch iMac i7 Core Intel. I am also trying to get a new installation of Windows 7 (full version) working on the same Mac with a 2 Core/64 bit configuration. Lots and lots of issues to sort out - mainly from Microsoft. For example, Windows 7 closes down when I attempt to send an error dump to Kaspersky or anything other than simple browsing. I have differing network pprofiles set up so this is not the issue. I only need these virtual machines to check out some not for profit web pages and don't want the mess and effort of keeping two Win PC's running. Oldie!
