Parallels/WindowsXP difficulties

[graham4472]

I have a new intel MacBook Pro. Have installed Parallels successfully but was trying to install Windows XP and ran into problems. I was following all the directions in the Parallels Start Guide but when trying to actually install Windows XP (from a real CD) it seemed as though the virtual desktop wasn't properly capturing my keyboard/mouse input despite the fact that I had clicked on the window. I was prompted to agree to the license by pressing F8, but got no response (actually every time I pressed F8 I got the little screen adjustment feature which again makes me think keyboard input was still being read by OSX rather than Parallels). Nothing else seemed to work so I pressed the Escape key which did work, but then I wasn't able to get back and re-initialize the Windows install sequence. Now every time I launch the virtual Windows machine through Parallels I get this black MS-DOS looking screen which displays Parallels' © info, etc. and I can't type anything or prompt it to do anything else. Is there some key command I can try to get it to boot up the installer CD again? I'm not too familiar with Windows/MS-DOS working environments, which I'm sure is probably part of the problem.

[Paris]

I am experiencing the SAME problem. I do not want to pres the <ESC> key to avoid the issue Graham is experience. I have ensured that the parallels window is active but F8, <Shift>F8, <ALT>F8 or <CTL>F8 will not work. I am using a wireless keyboard and NOT the standard MAC keyboard. Please Help! Thanks - Paris

[graham4472]

Well, I finally figured this one out. The solution was really, really complicated. Are you ready? I was unused to the MacBook keyboard and there is this little "fn" key at the bottom left whose "function" is (in part, I suppose at least) to deal with just this sort of crossover scenario. Hold down the "fn" key while you press F8 and that should do the trick. Yeah, I felt kind of silly. DO NOT press the "Esc" key, as you will probably experience the same sort of lock up that I did. Even if you already have though, don't panic. In my case, it still wasn't that bad: I had to uninstall Parallels and start again from scratch. It cost me only about 20 minutes. Anyway, I hope that works for you like it did for me. -Graham

[graham4472]

Let me just add that after I cleared this little hurdle that I can't recall any major difficulties and I have been extremely impressed with this product. I've been amazed first of all at how smart and hassle free it's been. Right from the get-go, the virtual machine "sees" everything that it needs to – wireless network, CD/DVD drive, external USB devices, etc. without me having to go through a bunch of prompts and set-up procedures. Which is a huge blessing b/c, like I said, I don't know my way around Windows very well yet. Everything is just there. The operation is very seamless as well. Clicking back and forth from one OS to the other is no problem at all. And I still only have 1gb of ram in my machine. I'm sure if I increased it to 2 that the performance would be even better.

I haven't tried BootCamp, but now I couldn't imagine the hassle of having to restart every time you want to switch back and forth. If you need both platforms, this is bound to be the best solution out there right now – a real value for the $.

Only two fairly minor complaints. Firstly, I have noticed that when switching from console to full-screen view in Parallels that some things jump around a bit; I'm sure it's a screen resolution issue. The recycle bin in Windows always jumps to the center of the desktop and I have to manually move it back to it's customary spot each time. Just a minor annoyance. Secondly, customer support seems to be pretty lean at Parallels. You can pay an extra $30 for phone support, which I was contemplating in my case before I discovered the fix. But before that, I had explained my problem in a couple of emails to them and still have gotten no reply.

Other than that, hats off to the folks at Parallels.