Failed to allocate memory - despite preallocation

I am getting this error more often than not when trying to start a virtual machine, using build 4128.

Parallels Desktop failed to allocate the specified amount of memory.
Please restart Parallels Desktop and try again.
To avoid this problem in the future choose from the menu: Parallels Desktop > Preferences. On the Memory tab select the "Enable virtual memory preallocation" option.

Unfortunately, the "Enable virtual memory preallocation" IS already selected, and despite that, I still get the error. Once it happens, the only recourse is to reboot my Mac.

This is on a Mac Pro with 6Gb of memory, and > 1TB of free disk space. This is without other apps using up huge amounts of memory. Something is clearly broken here.

 

Yes I just got that with the latest build of v3. To get the machine to start I had to reduce the amount of memory allocated to the VM. I had it set at maximum (1.5Gb I think), it worked once I set it to 1024Mb.

 

I had the same problem, but I had less than one GB free on disk. Maybe a overflow error when calculating free disk space?

 

I also get the same error with the current build.. with a bootcamp VM (Vista Ultimate) on a Mac Pro (8core) with 9gig of RAM, and 37 gig of disk free on the Mac startup disk where Parallels is installed and 18 gig free on the disk where the VM is.. and 11 gig free on the bootcamp disk. (and I had uninstalled parallels tools and reinstalled it manually (mounting the tools CD iso) to make sure it was the current build's tools). Preallocation is set, and automatic is set for the memory pools size (I tried manual also).

At first the VM had to be under 1gig to boot without getting the failure to allocate memory error. After more than one reboot fo the Mac itself I'm unable to set it to 1500MB but 1400MB works (with the video memory set at 64MB). I had to reboot the Mac, vs. just quitting Parallels and restarting it, since at times trying more than once to get the VM to run with more memory (triggering the allocation failure), it came back with a different error about it being unable to initialize the Mac virtual memory system and to try rebooting the Mac (I should have copied it down exactly but don't feel like trying to trigger the error again to do so since the VM is running fine and don't feel like wasting more time).

I also don't get why the settings don't let you allocate more memory to video or to the VM itself... those limits seem sort of arbitrary. I've been curious if being unable to allocate more video memory has something to do with the failure for coherence to start if I check the "multiple monitor" box.. The error it actually gives isn't that, but I wasn't sure if limited video memory might be the underlying cause not knowing exactly how Parallels plays games with Windows to run coherence. The actual error it gives is that its unable to run claiming the host OS doesn't support the resolution being asked of it.. which is presumably large-- I've got 3 monitors side by side, 20" (1600X1200)24" (1920X1200) 21" (1680X1050). If parallels is allocating one large display behind the scenes it seems like that should be 4200X1200 and using 4 bytes per pixel for 32bit color that should fit... (actually 3-4 would fit) unless perhaps it needs some larger amount per pixel for overhead...

 

I only allocate 1024Mb to the VM.

I'm not using bootcamp.

Anyone else having this issue?

 

I have a Mac Pro w/ 5 GB ram and 4*500 GB HD.

With 4560 I cannot even boot up the guest OS in the Parallels. Before I upgrade to 4560, I encountered the memory problem everytime and all I have to do was just turn off Parallels then turn it back on and everything was fine.

I went back to version 4124 and all the problems are gone.

Never seen a software works like this.

 

Same problem but MS Vista only

I am experiencing the same problem with the new v 3.0 update (build 4560), but also happened, although more sporadically with previous build (first release of v 3.0). The funny thing is that for me only happens with my MS Vista VM, but the MS XP works fine, even when both of them have allocated the same memory and video memory.

With the previous build, I was able to reboot and then it will work and not produce the error; now I cannot get MS Vista to start due to the "Failed to allocate memory" even when preallocation is enabled.

However, I was finally able to make Vista work by reducing the RAM of the VM to less than 1 GB. This really sucks since I want to allocate much more memory to Vista since MS OS & applications are always big memory hogs. But now Vista has just barely enough memory to run ...

I am running this on a MacPro Otto (dual quad) with 16 GB RAM, so hardware or memory is not limiting. Another thing that really sucks is that one cannot allocate (in theory) more memory than 1.5 Gb to the VM even if you have lots. That was the point of getting all the memory banks full.

 

Look at the rushing around trying to fix the problem!

So, where's a response from The Man? I'm having this problem also. I'm using three Linux distros and get the same result.

 

Hallo.

We know about this problem. It will be solved in the next update.

 

Thanks, Relan.

 

When can we expect the next update?

This is a very frustrating problem. The only way I can get Parallels to boot is to reboot my Power Mac (w/4Gig RAM, 250 Gig HD for software and 500 Gig HD for data).

 

Sorry, but I can't tell the exact date. New allocation scheme that fixes memory problems is currently in testing and it will be available soon in RC build.

 

I would suggest that Parallels at least give *estimated* release times so people know if "soon" means "1-2 days", "1 week", "1 month" or what... to allow customers to decide if they can wait to try the fix or if they need the functionality sooner and they instead need to waste their own time to find a work around (eg bootcamp, vmware, or a windows pc). I'm assuming RC means its a beta build... it would be useful to post such info in the beta forum also. It is a shame if eg a fix is coming in a day or two and without knowing about it customers waste time working around the problem...

In general Parallels should have some sort of list of known issues on the site and sticky post in forums indicating what are fixed and will be in an upcoming release estimated at X time (subject to change).. and what issues are confirmed known.. so customers don't need to keep asking about the same errors.. eg after yet another release comes out which doesn't fix them.

 

What is going on?

Guys, I just bought the Parallels update with $64 for my Macbook Pro. And I cannot allocate memory; did the clicking thing as well, and it just doesn't work. What the hell is going on? I paid $64 and I expect a quality program. Please give me my money back. I called like twenty times, no one is picking it up.

Fix it or give me my money back.

 

Lower the amount of RAM in your VM config. This made my VM load. PLLs: you guys really got to get your stuff together.