Parallel Problems & Questions

[J-Dob]

Hey,

I just have a few questions about Parallel and was hoping you guys could answer them, I'll try to be as clear as possible. Currently I'm running on a White Mac OS X version 10.5.6, and Windows XP, as a little background information. Now the questions:
1) Does parallel work just like bootcamp, in the sense that when you are working on things in Windows you are IN Windows, and not some mix of Mac and Windows? I ask this because, although Diablo II doesn't work on my Mac, it does on my Windows partition, so when I switch to Windows bootcamp I am able to play it, however when I try to play it through Parallel, it doesn't work. Do you guys know how to fix this?
2) When I start up Parallel and it's completely loaded, there is never a start bar at the bottom of the screen, in Windows that is. The only way I can access the start menu is by right-clicking the icon on my dock and going through it to there. This wouldn't be a problem, but when I switch to a Windows screen, it doesn't show up then either. Is this a preference, or what?
3) My preferences for Parallel keep changing whenever I restart the program, is this normal?

Thank you, hopefully I wasn't too confusing, and hopefully you can help.

 

[johnnyICON]

...
1) Does parallel work just like bootcamp, in the sense that when you are working on things in Windows you are IN Windows, and not some mix of Mac and Windows? I ask this because, although Diablo II doesn't work on my Mac, it does on my Windows partition, so when I switch to Windows bootcamp I am able to play it, however when I try to play it through Parallel, it doesn't work. Do you guys know how to fix this?

Parallels is virtualization software, meaning it partitions/shares your hardware resources with each virtual machine that is running within Parallels. While Parallels may be able to interface with your video card, it is not interacting with your video card directly. Performance and compatibility issues usually occur with virtualization, especially with video games. You can improve performance by upgrading your system's hardware and dedicating more resources to your virtual machine. However, if it is a compatibility issue, there is no real way to fix this. You'll have to wait for Parallels to provide better support for gaming.

2) When I start up Parallel and it's completely loaded, there is never a start bar at the bottom of the screen, in Windows that is. The only way I can access the start menu is by right-clicking the icon on my dock and going through it to there. This wouldn't be a problem, but when I switch to a Windows screen, it doesn't show up then either. Is this a preference, or what?

Yes. Read the manual.

3) My preferences for Parallel keep changing whenever I restart the program, is this normal?

No. Are you using a legit copy of Parallels?

 

[3piece]

1) Does parallel work just like bootcamp, in the sense that when you are working on things in Windows you are IN Windows, and not some mix of Mac and Windows? I ask this because, although Diablo II doesn't work on my Mac, it does on my Windows partition, so when I switch to Windows bootcamp I am able to play it, however when I try to play it through Parallel, it doesn't work. Do you guys know how to fix this?

If you would simply read the requirements/compatibility on the bottom of Diablo II box you'll find that there is support for Mac operating systems. Blizzard is generally known to be very Mac friendly. I would suggest using the native installer found here, http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20758.

 

[J-Dob]

If you would simply read the requirements/compatibility on the bottom of Diablo II box you'll find that there is support for Mac operating systems. Blizzard is generally known to be very Mac friendly. I would suggest using the native installer found here, http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20758.

Thank you both for the answers, that helps greatly.

I do know about the native installer for Diablo II, but I currently don't have the c.d.'s and it will only work with them. That is why I put it on my windows partition where I could download it with or without the c.d.'s.

Anyways, thank you again and that was very helpful.

 

[jspalaroan]

Cannot stop Virtual machine

I have been using Parallel 5 about a year ago and upgraded to 6. Suddenly I cannot boot now to windows 7 and the screens just shows "My Boot camp" in gray color and just stays there. When i go to the upper portion(tool bars) under virtual Machine I have only 2 options. 1. Stop and 2. Configure- When I press stop- it says are you sure you want to stop the virtual machine with option either yes or no, selecting yes-it says "Unable to complete the operation because the VM machine "boot camp" is in the stopping state.

Selecting configure shows options like start up, optimization etc.. but it seems I cannot stop the VM machine. In the Windows tool bar-there are 2 selections either Virtual machine list or boot camp(checked). To rewords- how do you stop the virtual machine in mac? I tried it in activity monitor but futile , I tried pressing Command+option+esc key and does’nt work either , I think I need to use the terminal but I do not know the commands.

Thanks in advance