MacBook Retina display resolution and scaling issues using Windows 8 in Parallels 8

J

JeremyDB

Bit poster
Hi, I have a new MacBook Pro 13" Retina display laptop (2560x1600) fully optioned out (max memory, max processor, etc). I have the latest Mac OS X and Parallels 8 both fully updated, and I created a VM and bought and installed Windows 8 Pro on the VM last night. Windows 8 is also fully updated, and in Parallels I'm dedicating 512MB of video card memory to the VM. My goal is to run Windows 8 full screen, and have everything (text and images) look crisp without text being too small to read (i.e., as if Windows 8 was natively running in a Retina resolution with all the proper scaling). The whole reason I bought Parallels 8 as opposed to installing Windows 8 via BootCamp is because I read that Parallels 8 handles Windows 8 on a Retina display well. I've played around with Windows 8 resolution settings and font/DPI scaling, but I cannot seem to get Windows 8 to look good in full-screen mode. No matter what I do, I either end up with fuzzy text and graphics that scale up poorly, or else I run at a high resolution with tiny text. Neither is an acceptable outcome.

Can you please tell me the recommended combination of (i) Parallels 8 options [i.e., Scaled, Best for Retina, More Space] and Windows 8 resolution / scaling settings for having the best-looking full-screen outcome running Windows 8 in full-screen mode?
 
The recommended settings are (surprisingly!) the default, i.e. Best for retina. With this setting Windows in full screen will be set to 2560x1600, 199% DPI scaling. Now, the question is why do you think Windows doesn't look good this way?
Some Windows applications don't support DPI scaling and there isn't much one can do about that, except for disabling scaling at all (More space). With disabled scaling everything will look really tiny, and there's Scaled mode to get around that. Which in turn looks pixelated. If you're looking for something in-between, you can try changing OS X display resolution to one of scaled/more space modes too, and see if suits your needs better.
 
Thank you for your quick reply. This all makes sense, and I would love to have Windows 8 running at 2560x1600 with 199% DPI scaling. However, within Windows 8, the Windows-recommended resolution is 1024x768 (very low-rez and not even the right aspect ratio for the MBPr screen) and the maximum selectable resolution is 1920x1200. Windows 8, when installed last nigth after buying Parallels, did not ddefault to the 2560x1600 & 199% scaling that you mentioned. Could this be a Windows 8 display driver issue?
 
Not sure if this helps, but I read another of your posts:

Lets check a few thigs:
- Make sure you're not in Modality view, View menu > Exit Modality.
- Check VM video memory amount, Virtual Machine menu > Configure > Hardware > Video, should be at least 256Mb or 512Mb if you plan to run your VM in full screen in Retina mode.
- Press Cmd-R in Windows and run devmgmt.msc (Device Manager). Expand Display adapters subtree, it should show Parallels Display Adapter (WDDM), note if there's an exclamation mark which indicates driver failure.
- Right-click on Windows Task bar and open task manager. Switch to Processes tab and see if prl_tools_service.exe and prl_tools.exe are running.

I only see "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter" in the Windows 8 "Display Adpaters" and when I look at the video adapter in Windows 8 is says I have only 256MB of graphics memoy available, despite me dedicating 512MB in Parallels. Hope this helps better diagnost the problem and find the right solution.
 
I did a new VM with Win8 pPreview, and defaul settings look great -- I see the 2560x1600 resolution and the 199% scaling. However, in the VM running the Windows Pro I purchased (which now also has my purchased copy of MS Office), something is definitely wrong -- I cannot see the 2560x1600 resolution option. Is this a Win8 driver problem that I can fix?
 
You have not installed Parallels Tools which include Parallels display driver among many other things. Normally, Parallels Tools install automatically when you use Express install of Windows. Install them via Virtual Machine menu.
 
Same problem

Hi,
I have the same problem, but still the programs that windows open are small (too small to read)

Can you please urgently help
 
Space between task bar and windows

I have a 15" Macbook Pro Retina running Mountain Lion and Parallels 8. I installed Windows 8, and set everything up as normal installing Parallels tools. But every time i launch a window like Internet explorer or any other window in the Windows 8 VM, there is a invisible space right below / above the task bar that sets the windows off by about an 1". It's about the width of the task bar itself. I've tried reinstalling Parallels tools and everything with no luck.

Any ideas?
 
I got my settings to work right with the following equipment/software. I have the HP monitor as my primary to the left of my MBPr.

Windows 7
Parallels 8
15" MBPr Mid 2012 OSX 10.8.2
HP ZR30w 30" Monitor, 2560x1600

Windows Resolution: 2560x1600
Windows Multiple Display Setting: Extend these displays
Windows Text Display %: "Smaller - 100% (default)"


Within Mac Displays Options Screen with HP ZR30w selected: Resolution = "Best for display"
Within Paralles Hardware->Video: Resolution = "Scaled"

I also installed the driver for the HPZR30w as well as Parallels Tools, however I'm not certain that these allowed the monitor to display properly.

Also should mention that to get the HPZR30w to work properly with the MBPr, you need the Apple "Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter". I'm sure there are other manufacturers, but the Apple one works fine for me. Requires a Mini DisplayPort port, as well as an open USB port to power it.
 
JeremyDB said:
Not sure if this helps, but I read another of your posts:

Lets check a few thigs:
- Make sure you're not in Modality view, View menu > Exit Modality.
- Check VM video memory amount, Virtual Machine menu > Configure > Hardware > Video, should be at least 256Mb or 512Mb if you plan to run your VM in full screen in Retina mode.
- Press Cmd-R in Windows and run devmgmt.msc (Device Manager). Expand Display adapters subtree, it should show Parallels Display Adapter (WDDM), note if there's an exclamation mark which indicates driver failure.
- Right-click on Windows Task bar and open task manager. Switch to Processes tab and see if prl_tools_service.exe and prl_tools.exe are running.

I only see "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter" in the Windows 8 "Display Adpaters" and when I look at the video adapter in Windows 8 is says I have only 256MB of graphics memoy available, despite me dedicating 512MB in Parallels. Hope this helps better diagnost the problem and find the right solution.
Click to expand...

I also am getting an almost too blurry display in the prime program I've bought parallels for (couldn't get the trial version to accept my email- but have now found that thread, too late)
I reinstalled parallel tools as recommended elsewhere in this thread, but following this specific reply:
- there's no exclamation mark against Parallels Display Adapter WDDM
- task manager does not show prl_tools_service.exe running, but prl_tools.exe is
- configure Video also only shows 256MB of graphics memory that I cannot alter, although the driver window shows 512 available graphics memory and 256 dedicated and shared graphics memory
- one of the windows (nested within the application, The Master Genealogist) cannot be resized down to the same small size it could on VMWare Fusion on the older macbookpro running 10.6.8 that I am replacing - everything is perfectly crisp and resizeable

This is on a new macbook pro 15" retina display running mavericks 10.9 and parallels 9
Currently set as
Mac resolution best for display
windows resolution set to 2890 X 1626 scaled 199%

on the 22" screen running in native windows 7 on my desktop set at 1920*1080 everything is crisp and clear at 100%
Any further suggestions?
 
Glad to know I am not the only one with a new MacBook Pro and parallels9 that is having problems even the office IT department are foxed by the windows programme resolution/scaling issue. Everything is unto date all settings as previous post but no separate screen at present. In windows buttons/icons are all minute and difficult to see, CTRL+ALT+DEL is about 2mm high on the windows log on screen.

Can someone guide me towards a solution as I am currently having to run two separate machines which is not what I want. Is this a parallels issue.

MBPR 15" 2.4 i7 osX + Win7 Pro
 
further to my earlier post, I decided to try the windows settings that work well in the older MBPR 15" running osX10.6.8 and VMWare Fusion
they wont stick.
No matter what I do to adjust the resolution and the scaling the keep returning to the maximum resolution and 199% scaling.
I obey the windows exhortation to log off for the settings to be applied when I log back in
I also tried restarting parallels.
any number of combinations of these will not make either or both of the changes (resolution and scaling) in Win7 "stick"
 
figured out why the windows setting wouldn't "stick".
Had Parallels set to "best for display" (Configure > Hardware > Video)
Changing that to "More Space" and running with text scaled to 175% seems to be a reasonable compromise between distinctness and blur on my particular application (TMG).
This also allowed me to resize the internal to TMG window I was having problems with before

Which currently only leaves me with the problem of drive letters that change when parallels opens.
Currently overcoming this by mapping a network drive but I haven't yet got the path quite right yet for consistency with other machines.
 
Lornahen you are obviously on the right track, mine seems best at 189% but it is not right and I cannot get to the top bar of some of the windows because they are trapped behind the apple bar. Silly thing is that I am sure this is a conflicting windows setting as the software is windows native and works on other VM software (application Archetype). I will keep trying different combinations and keep an eye out for other posts. Thanks.
 
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