parallels experts: help with coherence mode

[davidra]

Mac and Parallels newbie; have installed Windows 8 with no problem. What I can't figure out is that when I am in coherence mode, the Windows 8 start menu fills the entire 27 inches of real estate. The desktop square is grey and when I click on it the start screen goes away. The only way I can see the Windows desktop is to exit coherence mode. I've been unable to find a way to shrink the Windows Start Menu (which I hate by the way) into a window. What am I missing here? Are we just not supposed to use the start menu or the desktop when in coherence mode?

 

[davidra]

Anyone??

 

[jrs22]

Interesting question. I haven't been using the Win 8 desktop because I've just been using one program that I've been accessing from the Win8 Applicatons folder on the right side of the dock. But to see what you meant I opened the parallels desktop from the icon on the left side of the dock. Then the win8 desktop filled all of my screen except the dock and the menu bar. Not a big issue with a 15" screen but I could see how you wouldn't want it on a 27" screen. I clicked on the parallels icon on the menu bar and selected parallels desktop help, where I typed in coherence. There's a lot of information about full screen mode, how to get in and how to get out of it, too much to repeat here. Bottom line is that the help on coherence tells you how to get from full screen to a window.

 

[davidra]

Interesting question. I haven't been using the Win 8 desktop because I've just been using one program that I've been accessing from the Win8 Applicatons folder on the right side of the dock. But to see what you meant I opened the parallels desktop from the icon on the left side of the dock. Then the win8 desktop filled all of my screen except the dock and the menu bar. Not a big issue with a 15" screen but I could see how you wouldn't want it on a 27" screen. I clicked on the parallels icon on the menu bar and selected parallels desktop help, where I typed in coherence. There's a lot of information about full screen mode, how to get in and how to get out of it, too much to repeat here. Bottom line is that the help on coherence tells you how to get from full screen to a window.

I have read and tried every key shortcut in that help info. It works fine for the desktop, but nothing works in coherence mode....at least that I've figured out. The info about full screen mode seems to be referring to the non-coherence mode. I'll look again, but I swear I've tried everything in there. And yes, 27 inches of Windows 8 start screen will make you crazy.....

 

[jrs22]

I thought you could set coherence to run in a window so that when you wanted full screen you could use the upper right corner windows adjustments to change the size.

Parallels does have a forum and you might have better luck finding an expert there.