Windows 7 video issues with 10.6.3 and Parallels Build 9344

I

ianross

Junior Member
I took a leap of faith that failed ... I upgraded OSX to 10.6.3 (GA build) and Parallels 5 to Build 9344 (now that the Outlook compatibility issue has a patch available). All my Windows 7 VM's have ground to a halt and won't display video. When they restart, the BIOS sheet displays then all goes blank. The Windows start-up sound plays find, and a mouse pointer appears in the middle of the window but is not responsive. Any start-up programs in Windows appear to load (and appear in the OSX dock), but are not visible as windows in teh VM window (whether Window, Full Screen or Coherance mode). Windows XP and ChromeOS VM's work fine ...

I attempted to create a new Windows 7 VM and it worked OK until I restarted the Mac and it too has the same video issue as the other VM's.

Has anyone else experienced this issue, or have a recommended work around.

Parallels team - problem reported with ID 4443630.
 
An update ... rolled back to Build 9310 and the problem persists. Still keen to know if anyone else is seeing the problem or it's a local thing for me.
 
Me too

Started yesterday.
No windows love.

Parallels, what's up?
I think it may have been a windows update maybe, but this is killing me.
I use Parallels to develop under windows and I'm at a dead stop now.



-M
 
I'm running the 9344 build + the hotfix Parallels tools on a Windows 7 VM on an MBAir on 10.6.3 and have had not issues... I'd like to recommend you reinstall the hotfix PTools but if you don't see anything that seems hard to do. What happens if you boot the VM in "safe mode"? Still no video?
 
Same issue

After running the 10.6.3 update Windows 7 has a black screen. Tried rolling back to previous build of Parallels - nothing. Tried re-installing Windows 7 which worked up until the point that it had to install Parallels Tools then after the reboot it hung up again and had the black screen.

Went back to previous Windows 7 VM from Time Machine backup - same problem. Need help - dead in the water right now.
 
As Shaddam IV suggested - have tried to reinstall Parallel Tools (both the inbuilt and the Hotfix set for 9344), but can't work my way through the process because of the blacked-out screens. I've also tried booting in Safe Mode and the same result - as soon as video is required things just go blank. Interestingly the window doesn't resize to match a higher resolution - it stays sized for 80 column text.

If it helps, I'm not running a MBAir, but a MBP 15 unibody (current 2H2009 model). Could it be a driver related issue with 10.6.3 and the graphics chipset in the MBP's? Haven't been keen to roll back to 10.6.2 - have moved my life to an XP VM in the interim which is not ideal.

Is anyone from Parallels watching this thread and care to comment?
 
Hm. Try rebuilding your permissions, maybe the VM can't access a particular file on your Mac? I read somewhere that Apple has been changing something to the Mac's monitor profiles on MacBooks with 10.6.3, might it be that?
 
We're currently trying to reproduce the problem in our labs. It appears that not all MacBooks with NV9600/9400 are affected.

In the meantime, disabling 3D acceleration in Virtual Machine Configuration -> Hardware -> Video should allow to boot into Windows 7, I guess.
 
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tried 3D thing and still not working

I am having the same issues. Tried your suggestion and got black screen.

Was able to get to safe mode earlier this morning, now after rebooting, I can not get to safe mode now.

My issue came after repair of my macbook pro where they replace my logic board. Mac had a firmware update, MAC OS upgraded and Parallels upgraded.

Hope this helps.

Wallace
 
Same Problem on Mac Pro

I am having the same problem on my Mac Pro (2006 vintage) Windows 7 and Windows Vista both have the same problem, black screen after BIOS post. Windows XP comes up just fine however. Please let us know what we can do to get our systems back in operation. - JNagy
 
@ serv

Disabling 3D acceleration has not fixed the problem. The VM starts with the Parallels BIOS screen, then gets through two cycles of the start-up screen before the screen goes black again.

It did however allow me to boot in Safe Mode. I uninstalled the the Parallels WDDM Video driver and the VM was about to boot in normal mode, although Parallels Tools then insists on reinstalling the video driver and again I end back where I started - a VM that only operates in Safe Mode.
 
Disabling Parallels WDDM driver will not work because Windows will reinstall it from internal cache quickly after reboot.
You should instead disable it after booting in safe mode.

I'll need to check a few more things before suggesting a better solution.

@ianross: Please check your private messages.
 
Interestingly enough I am experiencing this issue presumably when running with external monitors (I have two) and never had it (yet) when was running with built-in one. So my remedy for now is to reboot Windows with external monitors disconnected and to connect them after the boot is completed. Works for now but it is a major hussle indeed.
 
similar issue

i'm using parallels to play eve online. after upgrading to mac os x 10.6.3 windows xp starts normal all 2D apps run normally but running the eve online client gives me a colorful screen with some elements of the client, but covered be strange lines and colored areas. so playing is not possible. i didn't try any other 3D game.
my system: MBP 17" mid 2009.
btw.: same issue for both graphic adapters.

Ticket #902254: Video issues running 3D game (Eve Online)
 
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