Hi I bought Parallels a couple of weeks ago and have attempted (many times) to install Windows XP from a brand new CD into a virtual machine but I keep getting low level system errors in the "Windows Setup" window. Here is a sampling of what I'm seeing: File serial.sys caused an unexpected error (512) at line 5964 in d:\xpsprtm\base\boot\setup\setup.c The file viaide.sys is corrupted File \i386\vgaoem.fon could not be loaded. The error code is 512 Sometimes I'll get the same message twice in a row but often, it fails at a different point during each attempt. I'm running Mac OS 10.4.7 on a MacBook Pro 2.16 ghz, Parallels build 1848 (June 12), and trying to install Windows XP Home Edition. I tried to contact tech support 4 times over the course of two weeks but Parallels appears to have no functioning tech support depertment. Does anyone have any insignts as to why I'm seeing these messages and how to fix them? Thanks Ken
So would that mean Parallels doesn't know how to read a Windows CD? The CD is a brand new shrink wrap version from CompUSA. I just took a close look at the surface and there are no scratches so unless Microsoft shipped a bad build of Windows XP, I'm not sure what to do to fix it. Any suggestions? Thanks Ken
In a pervious job I had to do windows installs en masse. I found that some XP CD's and some CD drives just do not get along. I would get random errors the same way you did. I'm not too sure why, and I can't find anything in the tech litature about it, but some brand new XP CD's do not work with some drives. I would copy all the files off the CD with the copy command and install XP off the hard drive, then it would always work. There is probably nothing wrong with your CD, and nothing wrong with your drive, just the XP install program does not like that CD in that drive. Try making an ISO image of your CD in the disk utility and installing from the image. If that does not work then try exchanging the CD for a diffrent one. For completeness: You could also install XP from the hard drive the way I did, but that is a more advanced install... You would need dos boot disks (or images of dos boot disks) for this. I do not recommend doing it this way. I set up a script to do it way back when I was getting paid for it.
I keep getting "Input-Output" errors. Does that indicate a bad disc as well? I looked on the back of the CD and there are circular marks that look like uniform scratches that won't go away, almost as if when the disc was made there was something sharp working against the surface of the disc...
