howto stop Parallels quits on stop/boots on launch

C

catmistake

Member
This... is driving me... absolutely... nuts.

(1) If I double click a pvs file (vm), it launches Parallels. Great. But it also automatically boots the vm. I've set it NOT to auto boot on launch from the configuration editor (under Options/Booting/Start VM automatically when it is opened is UNCHECKED), and it doesn't when I start from Parallels, then load the pvs, but not when I just double-click the pvs file.

I don't want it to boot yet because I want to change some something in the configuration editor, which I can't do when the vm is running. (2) So I hit the stop button... and Parallels just quits! ARRRAAGH! That's even more annoying than part (1).

How do I prevent the vm from booting when I double click the pvs (again, I've already configured it not to in the editor)? How do I keep Parallels running, and get to the vm configuration, after stopping the vm (if Parallels just quits on stop)?

Thanks.
 
start parallels from the Applications folder rather than starting the VM from the PVS file (which is tantamount to clicking say a word file and not expecting it to start word !)
 
darkone said:
start parallels from the Applications folder rather than starting the VM from the PVS file (which is tantamount to clicking say a word file and not expecting it to start word !)
Click to expand...

I have to disagree... very poor analogy. A better one describing this behavior would be double-clicking a Word file, Word starts up opening the document, and then automatically prints the document.

Regardless of how you open the VM, it should abide by the settings you make in the VM config. Namely, if you set it not to automatically boot, then it shouldn't.
 
i wasnt saying it was right, i was answering your question of HOW to get it to abide by the config... relax..
 
catmistake said:
This... is driving me... absolutely... nuts.

How do I prevent the vm from booting when I double click the pvs (again, I've already configured it not to in the editor)? How do I keep Parallels running, and get to the vm configuration, after stopping the vm (if Parallels just quits on stop)?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Don't start things with the pvs file. Open Parallels from your Applications folder. Drag the application to your dock to make it even easier. Darkone has it exactly right - you are telling OS X to start Parallels with the pvs file as an argument, and Parallels does what you tell it. This is entirely unrelated to telling Parallels to auto-start a specific vm, or to not auto-start any at all. You may, for example, wish for Parallels to auto-start Linux, but to still be able to conveniently start Windows you can double-click the pvs file. It makes perfect sense.
 
No... it makes some sense, but not perfect sense.

It would make perfect sense if that setting whether to auto-launch the vm on opening the vm (which is a pref tied to the vm not the app) was honored regardless of how the machine was opened, from the app or by double-clicking it. See my metaphor above. Just because I want to open the vm 'document' from the finder doesn't mean that I want to start it.

I was already aware that I could get the behavior I want from lauching Parallel's first... the issue is that the behavior is inconsistent when lauching by double-clicking the vm... it should follow its set preference, and not automatically do something ignoring the pref setting.
 
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First stop Parallels / VM.

Once it is stopped hold down the Apple/Command key while you click on the Icon to launch Parallels.

It should boot and stop at the opening screen of the VM so you can now go in and change the auto launch option in the Configuration Editor (CE). Double click Hard Disk 1 or one of the other line items to open the CE. Now click on Options - Booting Tab - and uncheck the box for Start VM automatically when opened.
 
Guys,

It is intended design. When Parallels is started via double click on particular PVS file - it forces autostart and autoclose features. It was done to allow out-of-the box running VM in one click.

If you want to edit PVS - you should start Parallels alone and choose appropriate VM from catalogue.
 
It's fine that it was an intended design, that's great and this feature functions exactly like what I wanted, but I think you are missing the point. Without reading through the manual an end user would not know how to stop this auto boot / auto close feature once enabled. I enabled it and then went through Hell trying to figure out how to stop it because every time I went to try an edit the VM a warning would come up saying you have to stop the VM in order to edit it. So I would stop the VM and it would completely disappear. I finally had to go to the manual, which I hate doing, to figure out how to stop the auto boot / auto shut down so I could edit the VM.

I have no idea what the following statement means:

If you want to edit PVS - you should start Parallels alone and choose appropriate VM from catalogue.

How do we edit the PVS, what is the PVS, and what is the VM catalogue? Not all end users are up on these terms and what they mean. Instructions are best if they are step by step so that anyone on any level of understanding can follow them step by step. Thank you.
 
that is a design flaw

Look...
I'm not saying that Parallels shouldn't have a functionality where if you double-click the vm that it won't, no matter what, auto-launch the vm...

I just want the vm to HONOR its own SETTINGS.

SO

If you set the vm to auto-launch, in the configuration editor, under Options/Booting, it would auto-launch, regardless of how its opened, via opening Parallels first, or double-clicking the vm.

BUT

If you specifically set the vm NOT to auto-launch, under Options/Booting, it should NOT auto-launch, regardless of how its opened, via opening Parallels first, or double-clicking the vm.

Its fine if the default is that the "Start VM automatically when it is opened" is checked, so that you can have the "out-of-the box running VM in one click" -- but... why... force it to ignore the user's settings? That doesn't make any sense to me. I set it to do one thing, and it does something else. That's not a feature, its a flaw (though, admittedly, a minor one).

Am I getting through to anyone?
 
.pvs & catalogue

.pvs is the extension, filetype, or suffix, of the vm file. If you don't set Finder to show all file extensions, you may not see it.

If you have more than one vm, and you launch parallels, it doesn't know what vm you want, so it gives you a choice of all your vm's... that must be the catalogue.
 
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I'm with you catmistake. Even more annoying is when you're trying to edit a VM's config. You can't without stopping the VM. So you stop it, and Parallels closes, even if the config is set to NOT close Parallels after stopping the VM! This may not be a "bug" because it's intended design, but if that's the case the design is bad. It's totally unintuitive and frustrating to realize you have to have started Parallels via it's app icon (rather than via a VM icon) in order to edit a VM's config.

Parallels, maybe you should add a app level preference setting to override this irritating behavior?
 
catmistake said:
Originally Posted by darkone
start parallels from the Applications folder rather than starting the VM from the PVS file (which is tantamount to clicking say a word file and not expecting it to start word !)I have to disagree... very poor analogy. A better one describing this behavior would be double-clicking a Word file, Word starts up opening the document, and then automatically prints the document.

Regardless of how you open the VM, it should abide by the settings you make in the VM config. Namely, if you set it not to automatically boot, then it shouldn't.
Click to expand...

Actually DarkOne's analogy is correct, just poorly worded. Double clicking on the pvs file and not having Parallels start up and having the VM auto start is akin to double clicking a Word file and not expecting Word to launch and open the document.
 
wingdo said:
Actually DarkOne's analogy is correct, just poorly worded. Double clicking on the pvs file and not having Parallels start up and having the VM auto start is akin to double clicking a Word file and not expecting Word to launch and open the document.
Click to expand...

I'm 100% with catmistake and bgt. I've oft been frustrated with the 'you gotta close the vm to edit' and then it quits Parallels for me. Poor design.

wingdo, I think more inline with what catmistake is saying, it seems many people (including me, obviously) think of the "VM Configuration" screen as the preverbal word document, and 'auto starting' as a macro. In word, you can say DON'T RUN MACROS, BUDDY!" and it won't. But you can later if you choose. This is true if you double click the document or the App icon and then go to File > Open...

Here's another voice requesting that in order to edit a particular config for a VM that it not be required to choose it from first launching Parallels outright. And further, that having launched said vm from double clicking the .pvs file directly, it not quit the Parallels program after shutting down the OS if I've set the preference to not act that way. :)
 
I understand your point of view completely. I would not mind seeing Parallels offer a switch allowing the choice of how one wants to run. I ask for a switch because I use the *.pvs file when I want the whole VM to just auto startup and I use the actual parallels application when I need to edit a config before booting. I've always viewed it as double clicking the actual application means 'ok, let's go and play around a bit' and double clicking the VM's pvs file as 'ok, i've got work to do, let's run this sucker'. :)
 
I'm in the same situation, and I still don't see a way out

I don't see how all this bit about whether you start a VM by double clicking its .PVS, or start Parallels first, then select the VM from your list is relevant. The fact is that the Booting screen in the configuration editor has two flags: "Start VM automatically when it is opened", and "Exit application on VM shutdown", and to be fair, that is exactly what it does. So if you check both flags, how can you ever reenter the configuration editor? Or am I missing something?
 
Frank Friedlos said:
I don't see how all this bit about whether you start a VM by double clicking its .PVS, or start Parallels first, then select the VM from your list is relevant. The fact is that the Booting screen in the configuration editor has two flags: "Start VM automatically when it is opened", and "Exit application on VM shutdown", and to be fair, that is exactly what it does. So if you check both flags, how can you ever reenter the configuration editor? Or am I missing something?
Click to expand...

Actually the complaint above is that double clicking on the PVS file bypasses how the check boxes are filled out and the VM launches even if you do not have the check boxes checked.
 
Hmm. I see. That is bad. But if your VM's stop/start behaviour precludes the possibility editing the configuration regardless of which route you launch it by, what then?
 
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