Results tagged “Parallels”

Parallels 5 Update doesn't fix problems with Tools Installation

By James Lockman on January 21, 2010 2:12 PM
I have been attempting to use a Parallels Desktop 5 for Macintosh virtual machine with MacOS X Leopard Server on the VM, which is supposed to be supported in Parallels Desktop 5. Although I can create the VM and install the OS, I can't get Parallels Tools to completely install or, conversely, to uninstall. Although the installer reports success, the VM reports that Parallels Tools aren't installed. When I log onto the OS on the VM, some of the expected behaviors are working, like shared folders, but drag and drop files between the VM and the host computer doesn't work. 

Also, on a Windows XP virtual machine, Parallels Tools won't install if I allow the VM to have access to both cores on the laptop, so I have to set the number of CPUs to 1 in order to install Parallels Tools on the Windows XP VM, then set it back to 2. Not as bad as the MacOS VM, though.

An update was released on the 15th of January, which I installed. Unfortunately, the Parallels Tools install issue isn't resolved for either VM.
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Installing MacOSX Leopard Server on Parallels 5

By James Lockman on January 7, 2010 3:31 PM
I freed up some hard drive space and decided to try virtualizing MacOSX Leopard Server on my MacBook. So far, the installation is proceeding smoothly. I want to understand the differences between Tiger and Leopard server, and also to look at Snow Leopard Server (I have a 30 day trial key from Apple for testing). Virtualization looks to be a very effective way of trying out different configuration options without risk.

Installation is easy; simply create a new virtual machine and insert the MacOSX Server install disk. Parallels 5 detects the OS, configures the VM appropriately, and boots into the Server Installer. After installing and configuring the Server OS, I installed the Parallels tools and ran Software Update a couple of times to bring the Server OS up to 10.5.8.

The only thing that's disconcerting is that Parallels believed that Parallels Tools hadn't been installed on the Guest OS. I ran the Parallels Tools installer one more time after all of the OS updates had been applied, and it seems to have "stuck."

Thanks again, Parallels, for making it easier to do more with less.
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Parallels 5 upgrade amazingly snappy

By James Lockman on November 4, 2009 9:03 PM
Having installed the Parallels 5 upgrade on my 3 GB Core 2 Duo MacBook, I was expecting a moderate performance boost with my Windows XP virtual machine. I made the upgrade in order to move to Windows 7, and although Parallels 4 supports Windows 7, Parallels 5 was supposed to provide some performance improvements across the board in addition to a better Windows 7 experience.

Performance boost is an understatement.

I haven't done any benchmarking yet, but starting apps (which used to take half a minute to several minutes, depending on the app) was unexpectedly fast. So fast, with Acrobat 9, for instance, that I didn't even notice that Acrobat had started. Powerpoint 2007 opened in about 4 seconds, and Captivate 4 took only 10 or 11 seconds to get running.

Parallels shared folders, which always took anywhere from 10 to 45 seconds to refresh, took around 8 seconds, no more, to refresh.

I am thus far delighted with this upgrade, and look forward to Windows 7.
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Windows XP Virtual Machine Blue Screen of Death after Parallels 4 to 5 Upgrade

By James Lockman on November 4, 2009 8:36 PM
Always eager to test improvements to Parallels Desktop, I purchased the Parallels 5 upgrade. I was frustrated by a Blue Screen of Death in my Windows XP virtual machine, however, which the help system did not resolve. A quick trip to Google, however, revealed this article in the Parallels help system:
http://kb.parallels.com/en/6873
It explains that you need to set the number of CPUs to 1, then let Parallels install the new tools, then set the CPUs back to 2 or more.

Seems to have done the trick. I just wish that Parallels' help system would have revealed this solution.
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Parallels update a welcome one

By James Lockman on September 8, 2009 2:54 PM
I am a Parallels Desktop user, and have been for many years. I have noticed that Parallels has been getting pokier over time, and even commented on this to my good friend, Joe Cerro, last week. Almost in response to my griping, Parallels goes and releases an update at the end of August, that automatically installed yesterday for me.

Wow! What a difference. The "unsuspending" process, which used to take two to ten minutes AFTER the VM had been restored, now is almost instantaneous, and files and applications start right up. If I notice anything else, I'll try to note it here.
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3 GB of RAM makes a difference

By James Lockman on September 4, 2009 8:07 PM
I upgraded my MacBook's RAM from 2 GB to 3GB in anticipation of Snow Leopard. I haven't done the SL upgrade yet, but I am enjoying the overall performance improvement with the additional RAM. This particular MacBook won't see more than 3.3GB of RAM, so I opted to have asymmetry in the RAM sticks in favor of volume. It was a good choice.

Most noticeable is the improvement in Parallels. I upped the VM RAM to 1300 MB from 1000 MB, and whoosh! the machine runs cooler and faster due to reduced paging. Parallels has its max capacity (2148MB) allocated to it for overhead. I am sure there is some optimal tuning to be done, but that's a task for later.
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