I told Parallels to check for upgrade (it should do this every 7 days). It found one. I installed it and started it. There was (and is) a Parallels icon with a question mark in it on my dock that doesn't appear to do anything when I open it. I started Parallels from its folder within Applications. At first I guessed wrong and told it to load Microsoft Windows XP and it asked for my Win98 disk. My second try, Microsoft Windows XP 1 loaded Windows. (How do I safely delete the leftover from my first installation?). Parallels told me I had the wrong tools, so I told it to download the new tools. Then Windows told me it found a driver. I closed windows and waited for Parallels to upgrade the tools. After a while it was apparent that this was getting me nowhere, so I opened Windows and told it to upgrade its driver (always). It found 3 parallels devices, I selected the one with XP in its name. I left for a while and when I came back the Windows VM was black. It still is black. When I close Parallels and reopen, I get a black window (and an icon next to the Parallels ? icon that shows the black window and a parallels icon. What do I do next?
Drag it off the dock and it will disappear. It's an unlinked alias. To replace it, open Finder in the Applications folder and drag the Parallels icon over to the dock. Open Parallels, select the vm you want to delete, choose Parallels->File->Delete... The Parallels Tools installer is a Windows application so Windows has to be running for it to install. You interrupted or otherwise munged the normal install and so you have to begin again. Start the Windows VM, hold down the F8 key (if a laptop don't forget to also hold down the "fn" key), and get to a safe mode where you can uninstall Parallels Tools. Restart Windows and then install Parallels Tools and allow it to finish. When you get to a clean install, make a copy of your Parallels folder in your home/Library directory and if you have problems just use a copy of your backup for quick recovery.
I got onto safe mode, uninstalled and reinstalled the tools. I forgot to try deleting the wrong VM, but will try that tomorrow night. I will get rid of that unlinked icon - I thought it must be about something - I had already copied the real icon to the dock. My wife tried a few test games. Feeding Frenzy still runs - but with the cursor not matching up correctly. One game asked for more video memory, and one said she didn't have Active-X. Switching back from full screen is harder. When she switches, she still has full Windows screen, but now within the Apple desktop. Then she can use the drop down menu to get a window. I expect this is a bug. The Windows within Mac is neat - but we probably won't use it. We were hoping that this upgrade had some better compatibility.
wisest to start from the dock open at login along with my mail, usenet and Firefox browser for google mail and about 7 other tabs never install a windows driver WinXp does not know that it is a VM and must be beaten into submission I found that a MS mouse driver broke Parallels tools and had to be uninstalled big oops if you have a clone of the previous VM make a copy of it and start over you may chose to uninstall Parallels tools from within WinXP add / remove programs Parallels tools (an image) appears to Windows as a floppy disk in drive A see in Mac OS >> Parallels Desktop >> devices -- to unmount and in Mac OS >> Parallels Desktop >> Actions Install Parallels tools - to do that or update - in fact I think it also uninstalls (from memory) I had the same troubles a few months ago by making similar mistakes ==== last night I shut down the Mac Book a bit too quickly and froze WinXp instead of shutting down the VM first from the WinXP start menu so the paralles tools installer ran today I just clicked cancel and rebooted WinXP to clean up any lose ends before starting work using the VM it pays to treat the VM exactly like any windows machine and manage it in the same way firewall ante virus, delete cache and unwanted files etc etc ante spywasr all the windows house keeping as usual regards Hugh W
