Parallels- Real problems installing

Hi

Desperately need some help! I have made the move to Mac from being a Windows user all my life- I was persuaded to by the fact Parallels is meant to replicate windows for those programmes you can only use on windows.

I installed parallels and things seemed to work OK with Windows 7 after some tweaking and installing my software- Nvivo 8.

Next morning Nvivo 8 would not work, so I decided to try and reinstall the lot, but only use XP.

So now all that happens is that XP keeps doing a memory dump and restarting itself- tried to install Nvivo, but not a hope in hell.

I really feel I have been duped here, Nvivo is something I use everyday and now can't use at all. Can anyone help? Is parallels any good, or have a got to take the whole lot back??

It just seems pretty rubbish to me- and I need to rely on Nvivo 100%.

Help!!

 

You were not duped, calm down. Windows 7 or Windows XP? I don't get it. You installed Windows 7 then XP over it?

First of all, you are using a Virtual Machine program, it means you can have multiple copies of different operating systems as long as you have disk space. You can delete de VM and start over.

 

Ok- This is what happened...

Installed Pls 7... Went to install windows 7 from disk, but code did not work as it was an upgrade version so..

Unintalled Pls 7 and then reinstalled it , then installed XP, and upgraded to Win 7. Had to then install the parallels tools for everything to be OK. Installed Nvivo and things seemed to work OK. This morning went to run Nvivo, but it had problems and could not start the SQL Server.

So...Uninstalled Pls 7 again, and reinstalled it, then just installed XP from disc.

Went to install Nvivo again, and XP just kept crashing, did a check disk and now just keeps starting, doing some sort of memory dump (can't read the screen as it is on and off fast) and restarts, just keeps cycling through it...

I am guessing things need o be totally removed and started again?

Is it normally stable as it has been nothing but trouble so far! If it is not sorted, I am taking the Mac back and going back to Windows!

 

You didn't have to do all that, your only problem to start with was just with the SQL server, nothing to do with the Mac, or Parallels, it's just a problem with your program that you need to address at the Windows/Nvivo level, nothing to do with Mac or Parallels.

Delete the VM, start over, like you did the first time.

 

Do I just do an uninstall through the disk or is there a way to wipe the slate clean and start again (or does the usual uninstall suffice?)

 

Do Not Uninstall Parallels. Just delete the VM!!

Launch Parallels Desktop.app. If you don't see a List with your VM(s) go to Window>Virtual Machines List.

Select your VM, right click on it, select remove>move to trash

Now, from the top menu File>New to start over.

(besides, uninstalling Parallels doesn't necessarily delete the VMs)

PS: You should try to read the User Guide just to get a sense of how this program works.