Win XP will no longer boot after installing HP Scanner to Virtual Machine?

I installed the scanner driver software on the WIN Xp of the virtual machine earlier today. When I tried to scan an error message came up and windows automatically booted again, as if I had just restarted the computer.

Just now when I went to start the virtual machine. It will start, but WIN Xp does not boot. All I see is a black window.

Any suggestions?

Mark

 

hi,
couldn't you explain VM behaviour more detailed. Whether you see on VM start BIOS loading info? And if VM starting normally before Win XP load did you try to load Win XP in safe mode?

 

Sure, thanks Sandro.
The Vm starts fine, and normally then the message says booting from hard-drive. Then nothing. The screen goes black and nothing happens.
My friend from church said that the HP Scanner driver is probably interferring with the boot of win xp. He said to try and find the driver file(s) and then rename them or delete them. My problem now is that I can't find the virtual machine files from the mac side of my computer. Is it possible to find the files within the virtual machine from the "mac" side?

 

Sorry, you asked about "safe mode". Yes, I did try that, but nothing happened.
If I boot from disc can I by-pass the scanner driver? That seems to me to be a solution, but I'd rather try something else b/c win xp is liscenced to my school board. I'm permitted to install in on my home computer, but I'd have to wait for the cd to arrive from the board library.

 

hi,
yes, Mark, you can get access to the virtual drive file system without starting your guest Win XP. You can use for it Parallels Explorer application from ~/Applications/Parallels/ dir.

 

Thanks again Sandro,
Please forgive my rudimentary knowledge of computer things, but I'm assuming you mean on the Mac side go to Applications/parallels/dir. When I use finder to go to parallels I don't see any "dir". All I see is "image tool" and "parallels". When I click on parallels then the virtual machine configuration comes up (the normal dialogue box I see to start parallels. I also looked for parallels files in "mark/library/parallels/winxp" The only things I see there are "winxp.hdd, unattended.fdd, winxp.pvs". I tried opening the winxp.hdd, but it says there is no default application to open it. Should I be looking in some of the menus, within the "winxp - Parallels desktop" dialogue box?
Could the scanner driver installation have affected parallels tools? Should I see parallels tools in my "mac side" library?
Bottom line at the moment is that I can't find "parallels explorer application ~/applications/parallels/dir." Is this from dos? If so how do I start the mac in dos mode?

 

Sandor probably means the directory (directory = folder) Applications/Parallels.
In the Parallels folder there is an application Parallels Explorer.

 

Thanks Paul,
At the moment in my Parallels folder all I see is "image tool" and the parallels icon which simply opens my virtual machine dialogue box. There is no "Parallels explorer" in ~/applications/parallels. Is Parallels explorer part of Parallels tools? Should parallels tools be in that folder too?

 

yes, i meant directory Applications/Parallels and you went to absolutely right location but run Parallels Desktop instead of explorer utility. But fact that you see at this dir just image tool and parallels says that we have different versions of product. I have PD 3.0 and at this directory follow applications: Parallels Desktop, Parallels Explorer and Parallels Transporter. So i assume that you have Parallels of 2.x version and Image Tool is utility that must help you in your issue (probably it's old name of Parallels Explorer utility).

 

Thanks Sandro,
Yes I believe my version is 2.x. When I click on Image tool I get a dialogue box that gives me the following options: 1. Increase the size of the virtual hard disk 2. Convert plain virtual hard disk into expanding one 3. Convert expanding virtual hard disk into plain one 4. Defragment expanding virtual hard disk.
None of these options seemed to be the ones I wanted. Granted I don't know much about the vocabulary above. Of all the options 4 seems to be closest, but I didn't think it would give me access to the hard drive. I didn't want to try these options for fear I would end up creating a bigger mess than I already have.

 

hm, yes this utility seems not to be helpfully. OK you can try another variant: create through Parallels Desktop another Win XP VM, install OS, than stop VM, open VM configuration and add virtual harddisk using harddisk image file from your current VM. Than startup newly created VM and you must see at guest OS interesting you dirve. Make necessary changes in it filesystem, stop new VM and try to start old one. So you get temporary environment that let you editing data on your work virtual harddrive. It's the same as you give harddisk from your physical computer and attach it to another one in view of copy some data as during kind old times when we hadn't any network technologies

 

another variant simpler: try trial version of PD 3.0. Use Explorer Utility from it for your purposes and uninstall if necessary. Or maybe it'll like you and you'll purchase it further

 

I will have to get the Win XP disc from my school board library to try what you say. (I am allowed one install at home through work licence). In the configuration editor of Parallels under the "Options" tab/booting options. I have the option of 3 booting sequences. At the moment it's set on Hard-disk, CD-rom, floppy.
If I switch it to Cd-rom, hard disk, floppy with the Win Xp disc in the drive, would that boot or at least give some options for repair? If not, I'll try some of your suggestions. I really appreciate your feed back. It's hard to focus on other things until I know my years of data will be recoverable!

 

yes with license we have some problem in that way (when installing OS twice) but factically we do it single time in view of eliminating issue that preventing us of using correctly installed and activated Win XP. So you can install Win XP with it license second time (it's the same if you lost for example your installed OS and reinstall it again) eliminate issue, repair your main VM, than erase VM with second OS installation and continue using legal guest OS. I think you do not break any licensing agreements in that case.

About loading from bootable Win XP media: i think it's not help you because all you get in that case is a non GUI administrative console with very few functionality. But as i right understood you need full functionality of files explorer to eliminate your problem.

An as a last point: potentially best way that let do not breaking any licensing agreements is try trial Parallels Desktop.

 

OK. Thanks again. I will update the thread in a few weeks once I get the Win xp disc from my tech support.

 

A quick question, I am presently downloading the trial version of Parallels 3.0 (Build 4560). Will it automatically replace my old version i.e. the VM configuration where my data is saved, will it be available in version 3.0?. Also, if I choose not to buy 3.0 after 15 days will I have to back up all my data, uninstall 3.0 and then reinstall everything including windows?

 

single thing that PD 3.0 can do with your - it's convertation of your 2.x VM configuration file (*.pvs) to 3.x format. Your data that storing on *.hdd virtual drive won't to be lost. Except for that configuration conversion will occure just in case if you try to open VM with new PD 3.0 but you mustn't do it if you just want to use Parallels Explorer utility. Nevertheless i advise you to do VM backup before you begun experiments (make VM clone for example with Parallels Desktop 2.x). After 3.0 uninstallation you'll do not need reinstalling your guest OS (it will be very sadly in this case it will be simpler just reinstall guest OS without any additional actions). Single thing you'll need to do if you converted VM configuration during PD 3.0 trying is restoring your old *.pvs file. You'll can get it in that case from backup that was created before PD 3.0 installation.

 

I upgraded to trial version of PD 3.0 and thankfully I now can use the Parallels Explorer to "see" and copy my data. What a relief. Windows still won't boot even in safe mode, but at least the data is recoverable. Thanks so much for pointing me in that direction. Unfortunately, unless I follow your advice from thread #12 above I will have to reinstall all the software I had and transfer all the data to a new virtual machine. I guess my main error was not knowing that PD 2x virtual machines DO NOT SUPPORT USB 2.0 devices. I had no idea. If I do create a new virtual machine with PD 3.0 do I dare to install the scanner driver software on it??? All of this must wait until the weekend as I'm too busy at work these days.

 

Hi Sandro,
I now have the WinXp disk from my board library I am trying to do what you told me to do in thread #12 above.
Could you be more specific. How do I "add a virtual hard disk to the new virtual machine?" Do I click on Hard disk and then click on hard disk options?
How do I get a dialogue box that will allow me to select my previous hard disk?

 

Hi Sandro I just was able to add the old WinXp virtual disk to the new VM. I see it as Hard disk 2 on the new virtual machine. How then do I access it and make the new changes? Do I have to start the New VM and then somehow access Hard disk 2?
How can I access this Hard Disk 2 to make the necessary changes (uninstall the USB 2 scanner driver) within the New VM windows? Under the "devices" menu I clicked on CD /DVD-rom1 I clicked on "connect image" from there I connected to my old virtual disk.
I still don't seem to be able to access it though.