my app causes Beta4 to hang

My setup: Host machine is 2GHz MacBook Pro, 1Gb RAM, running OS 10.4.5.
Guest OS is WinXP Pro with default memory and disk settings.

An open source, cross-platform Life app I'm helping to write can cause
PW to hang. The steps are 100% reproducible:

- Go to http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=139354
and download golly-0.95b-win.zip.

- Unpack the zip archive and run golly.exe.

- Draw an arbitrary pattern, then run it by hitting return or clicking
the play button in the tool bar.

- The pattern runs but after a few secs the dreaded rainbow cursor
appears and I have to force quit PW.

The app runs fine on a real WinXP machine (and under Virtual PC) so
this must be a bug in PW. It's a show-stopping bug for me so I'm hoping
there's a fix in the next release.

Anybody else see this sort of problem in other apps?

Andrew

 

yes, i've seen a similar problem with certain commands in AutoCad. each of these commands show a dynamically changing graphic ("Scale", "Circle" and moving a referenced file-- ie a cad file that shows up in another cad file which involves vector graphics shown dynamically moving).

i don't know if autocad is using openGL or similar to show these effects, but the problem did not occur in VPC 6 on a G4 mac or VPC 7 on a G5 (don't know if that's helpful) and did not occur using bootcamp with same "guest" OS and on same computer.

i've found, however, with parallels beta 4, that the pause stops after 20-30 seconds, and guest os functions normally again. in certain instances, i've found that a second issue of the same command does NOT cause the pause, but a third or fourth will cause the pause again... have NOT needed to force quit Parallels over the past week of regular usage.

with CPU monitor running on the mac OS, i see the CPU usage go to max on both cores while the pause occurs, then go back to 10-30% as soon as pause is over.

parallels programmers: given this is a specific (and perhaps not very accessible) peice of software, is there any further info you would find useful?

andykt: have you tried leaving the guest os alone for a few minutes to see if the beachballing goes away? try it with CPU history monitor on and see if you get the same results as i do (it sounds like you're using a vector graphic app too).

am using:
MacBook Pro, 1.83Ghz, with 1.5GB ram.
OS X 10.4.6 with latest (1.01) firmware update from apple.
Parallels beta 4
Guest OS: Windows XP sp2.

(and am amazed at how well it works in every other way: networking to servers, networking to host, printing, boot speed etc.)

 

You're right -- if I wait for a while then the rainbow cursor goes away and I get control back,
but only temporarily. And yes, both CPUs are maxed out. Still a very nasty problem, but
at least I don't have to force quit PW. Thanks rangr!

 

well, it seems to have worsened in beta 5... just had to force quit with same problem.

 

Parallels programmers: the hanging reported above now requires a "force quit" in beta 5. do you have any guidance please, it's a big change in productivity...

for the time being, is there some place i can download beta4 to reinstall it?

 

Hi,

I've put beta4 here: http://download.parallels.com/stuff/Parallels-2.1.1658.58-Mac.dmg

We're investigating the problem with the app and hopefully will provide a fix in GA.

 

thanks tim!
in the meantime, i've tried a clean install of PW beta 5, and am trying with an uncompacted VM (before i compacted with Parallels Compactor). will report any differences.
one difference i've noted is that activity monitor on mac os shows a lot more "system" activity and a lot less "user" activity with beta 5. i hope that's somehow useful.

 

can confirm that beta5 caused a hang that required a force quit (i left it for 15 minutes). beta 4 under exactly the same test started working again after about 10 seconds.

i wonder if it was video driver related, since that seems the main related change between beta4 & 5... but leave it to you to investigate.

thanks again.

EDIT: wanted to add that this is a large problem for my uses, so i wish you luck with the resolution (i've already pre-bought, so all i can do is wish luck!!)

 

am having this same problem with beta 6. running the same tests with beta4, 5 and 6 have found erratic responses from the VM. beta 4 would hang for a few seconds, up to a minute, beta 6 sometimes hangs for a few seconds, sometimes for minutes, sometimes long enough to require a force-quit.
this becomes a major problem with implementing Parallels as the solution to running XP in my office's mac environment... any progress on resolution?

thanks.

 

rangr,

We didn't check your issue yet but it is in our roadmap prior to release.

 

thanks for quick response.

anything i can do to help, please let me know. i wish i had more consistent data to report, it's a very erratic problem.