Parallels Tools Setup fails

Hi All

I installed today Parallels Desktop for Mac on my Mac mini and it worked.

I created a defaut VM and installed Windows XP SP2.

I tryed to install the "Parallels Tools" and this failed:

Info: this error shows up when the installer tries to install the "Parallels Video Driver"

Code:

[B]Fatal error[/B]

Error occurred when working with the registry.
The installation will be stopped.

RegDBQueryKey(SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run) failed!

Error code: -2147024894
Message text: The system cannot find the file specified

[OK]

This is the message box the installer gives me and exits afterwards.

I searched the forum but I could not find anything.

Question: What registry key is the installer searching for?

Question: Does this setup install some tool to be launched when Windows is launched?

Question: Can I install the "Parallels Tools" without this registry read/update? If yes how?

Please help.

Thanks

 

It's looking for HKLM\Software\Microsoft\CurrentVersion\Run

Yes.

No.

But you can make sure that you are logged in as Administrator when you install Parallels tools. You need to be able to write this key. If you are running any anti-virus software, turn it off whil installing Parallels tools.

 

Installer quits after message

Thanks for you answer. But...

I am logged in as Administrator

And I don't have an Antivirus installed.

Question: can I launch this prog manually after restarting? Where can I find it?

The problem is that the installer quits after this error.

 

I don't know in what order the tools installer does things. I suppose it's possible everything is installed and the registry write was the last thing, but I'm not betting on it. Here's the code you need to write that registry key. Cut where it says cut here, put the text into a file in your windows environment with the extension .reg, right click it and select merge from the context menu.

-------cut here--------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
"Parallels Tools"="C:\\Program Files\\Parallels\\Parallels Tools\\ParallelsToolsCenter.exe"
---------cut here----------

 

Will this help me solve my issue?

JoeM,

Is it possible that this would fix my issue with the installer also?

re thread: http://forum.parallels.com/thread3107.html

I assume this means using regedit again?

Thank you in advance.

ShariD

 

Where do I get the needed files?

Thanks a lot joem.

The only problem I have now is that I don't have ParallelsToolsCenter.exe

The installer unpacks himself in folder %Temp%

I have checked that but I could not find this file.

The only files I could find are:

Code:

layout.bin
setup.bmp
[B]data1.cab[/B] <- It must be in this archive it's 3.5 MB in size!!!
engine32.cab
setup.exe
data1.hdr
setup.ibt
setup ini

I could not unpack the cab yet. I have to check it with a better tool.

I am going to post the results here.

 

1) I don't know in what order the installer does things, so at the point of the error, I don't know what it has or hasn't done.

2) If and only if it has done the rest of the install and is only setting up the run key, the code I supplied will install that one key and only that key. You would need to copy the code into a text file of any name ending with .reg. If you right click on that file in Windows explorer, one of the choices on the context menu will be "merge", "open" or "install". Clicking that choice will attempt to install that registry key. If you get no errors, it's installed. If, and only if, the rest of the install has completed successully, tools should now launch when you start the VM.

Since it has not failed for me, I can't test this, nor do I have any idea whether the registry key is the first thing the install does, the last thing, or somewhere in between. the code will only fix the issue of failing to write that one registry key and without looking at your VM, I have no way of knowing whether or not that is the problem.

I can tell you that tools install has worked flawlessly for me every time I've done it under Windows 2000. I'm not using XP so I haven't tried that, but many people apparently have with success.

 

For all the folks who are having trouble installing tools. If I were experiencing what you are reporting, here's how I would proceed:

Start with a Windows install disk (not an upgrade). If you only have an upgrade disk, you will need a qualifying install disk for the product you are upgrading. For an upgrade, create an image on your hard disk of the disk for the product you are upgrading, and rename it if necessary to .iso
Create a second CD ROM drive for your VM and attach this upgrade image.

Now insert the install disk for the OS you are trying to install. If you are booting from this CD, make sure the CD that is connected to the real drive is the master on the first controller. the second one can be anywhere. Make sure you have a .hdd file assigned to serve as the Windows disk.

Install Windows. If you are upgrading, the installer should find the "evidence" disk automatically.

When Windows asks you to remove all removable disks, and reboot, power down the VM, and remove the second CD, put the real CD on controller 1 master, and the .hdd on controller 0 master, and start the VM. The Windows installation should complete. When it does, stop the VM and back up the .hdd file. Then restart the VM and install Parallels tools. When this is complete, shut down the VM and back up the .hdd again.

Then start the VM again, boot Windows, get connected to the Internet, and use Windows update to get all the latest patches. Activate if you are using XP.

Now shut down again, and back up the .hdd file. This is now your master fall back file. Put it away somewhere in case you need it again.

Now install whatever software you need except anti-virus and firewall. Shut down and back up again. Now restart and install anti-virus and firewall software if you need them. Make sure to update whatever you install that has an on line update capability.

Now shut down and make yet another backup. This is your full system, ready for data that you can fall back to if needed.

I would also create a second .hdd and use it for data. (It will probably show uo as drive D:\). this way you can back up the system and data independently.

Back up whenever you have changed enough of anything that you don't want to do it again.

Yes, this is a lot of backing up, but you'll be happy to have the backup if something doesn't work and you can restore a backup rather than start over. the more backups you make as you go along, the less far you have to go back if something doesn't work.

This is all the help I can give for tools install -- I haven't had problems, so I never had to figure out how to solve them. There are too many variables for me to attempt any further troubleshooting.