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10 Replies Last post: Jul 7, 2009 3:39 PM by HapK  

VMWare Fusion (trial) vs Parallels (currently own) posted: Jul 7, 2009 9:59 AM

Click to view HapK's profile Enthusiast
HapK
23 posts since
Jul 2, 2009
Hi,

I need a virtual machine to run Win ME on my iMac (Leopard 10.5.7) 24" 3.06ghz with Nvidia Geforce 8800 GS.

I need Win Me or Win 98 to run my Oxford English Dictionary CD-ROM 2nd ed. ver. 2 (this isn't just any dictionary--cost me around $400 in 2000). That is the only reason I need to run a PC! I can just barely run the OED in Parallels. Parallels doesn't support Win 98 or Win Me. The virtual tools don't load; the display is only 16 colors...Win Me on Parallels sucks. BUT at least the OED will run on Parallels (even if in a sad state). I want to buy VMWare because Win Me loaded like a champ and looks great with VMWare Fusion. Everything seemed to good to be true as I explored the trial I downloaded of VMWare. Well, it was to good to be true. On VMWare, the OED CD-ROM's Cdilla Safedisc 1 protection will not allow the data disc to be authenticated.

Why, why can Parallels load the OED on Win ME with no authentication problems, but VMWare cannot? (The OED also worked fine on Virtual PC 4, 5, & 6.)

If someone can help get VMware to load my legally purchased copy of the OED, I will buy VMWare Fusion in heartbeat.

BTW, I am not the only user of the OED facing this problem. There are others on other forums across the internet who would love to hear that their beloved OED can be run with VMWare without them having to buy the new update to the OED. The charge to previous owners of the OED for the brand new native Mac version of the OED is $295. (There's no upgrade price for Mac users because there has not been a Mac version of the OED since the early 90s. Only Windows versions lumbered with the atrocious Cdilla Safedisc protection have been on the market. So we have to run the OED on a virtual PC. Yeah, yeah, another sad story. )

Hope there's some help out there. I am used to solving my own problems, but I am stumped as to why VMWare which seems so much better than Parallels at handling Win ME cannot open the OED as painlessly as Parallels.
Tags: mac, oed, winme, cdilla, safedisc

Re: VMWare Fusion (trial) vs Parallels (currently own)

1. Jul 3, 2009 1:15 AM in response to: HapK
Click to view etung's profile Guru
etung
11,086 posts since
Oct 15, 2006
On VMWare, the OED CD-ROM's Cdilla Safedisc 1 protection will not allow the data disc to be authenticated.

What's the exact text of the error? There's a good chance that the copy protection software is specifically looking for us and refusing to run if it thinks it's running in a VMware environment - this is the developers of that software being unfriendly.

Re: VMWare Fusion (trial) vs Parallels (currently own)

2. Jul 3, 2009 4:43 AM in response to: HapK
Click to view benc1's profile Novice
benc1
10 posts since
Jul 1, 2009
Did you remember to install the patch for Windows me?

http://www.oup.co.uk/ep/cdroms/oed2v2/

Only reason I ask is a quick google located someone claiming to run it successfully under xp. And I noticed the patch also applies to ME.

So if it isn't that maybe it's worth trying under xp - if you have access to a copy.

Good luck!

Re: VMWare Fusion (trial) vs Parallels (currently own)

3. Jul 4, 2009 11:52 AM in response to: benc1
Click to view HapK's profile Enthusiast
HapK
23 posts since
Jul 2, 2009
Thanks. Yes, oh yes, patch applied. I have done it everything that has ever been tried....over and over. Have read everything on the internet about failed and succesful installs of the OED. I am so sick of trying to keep this very expensive program from becoming a coaster on my desktop. It doesn't help that Oxford Univsersity Press refuses to support installs on virtual machines (even though the OED has worked for me and others on Virtual PC, and does now work with severe limitations on Parallels).

I don't have a copy of XP and buying one would be yet more money thrown at trying to get the OED to work. And XP would only help for an install of version 3 or now version 4. My version 2 works in Win 98 or ME. (Realistically the main difference in the three versions before the just released version four is that Oxford University Press increased the amount of copy protection each time it did an "upgrade" for new Windows operating systems. The dictionary inself changed little.) Oxford University Press has it's head up its fundament for inflicting C-Dilla Safedisc on legal purchasers. (Iillegal users have long since cracked C-Dilla and are sharing the OED on the internet. Apparently C-dilla is commonly used for protecting games, so gamers have no problems getting around this protection.) What baffles me is why C-Dilla allowed the install with Parallels but NOT with VMWare Fusion. I'm left wondering what is differernt about Parallels?


On thing is that Parallels apparently does not have a debugging feature while VMWare Fusion does. I have found some posts on other forums about debugging software making C-Dilla stop the install. I made sure the debugging feature was off, but apparently it's presence is enough to cause problems.


The error message at install is that authorization failed--this is always the same when C-Dilla rears it's head. What about VMWare makes C-Dilla unhappy while Parallels does not bother C-Dilla? My guess is the debgger! Any way to remove the debugger from VMWare Fusion?


Thanks again

Re: VMWare Fusion (trial) vs Parallels (currently own)

4. Jul 4, 2009 1:53 PM in response to: HapK
Click to view HapK's profile Enthusiast
HapK
23 posts since
Jul 2, 2009

I might have another way around this. I have read that the OED may mount without C-dilla problems if it's running in it's own mapped drive. That is, I could install it by itself on an external hard-drive as drive E for example then direct win ME to find it by replacing drive D with drive in the OED.ini file in windows. So I have formatted an external USB drive as Fat 32 and told VMWare Fusion is it hard-drive 2. Fine, I now have a second hard-drive symbol down next to the other hard-drive in VMWare, BUT I cannot find anywhere in VM Fusion settings, prefs that will allow me to map this external hard-drive with a drive letter. (If it's there, I missed it, please someone, how do you map a drive leter in Win ME in VMWare??) And trying to do it inside Win ME does not work.

The irony? I went back to Parallels to try the same thing. Oh, it's so easy to map a drive letter in Parallels. Or it would be because they offer that choice but only IF, IF, IF I could ever get their crazy virtual tools for Win Me to install.


Re: VMWare Fusion (trial) vs Parallels (currently own)

5. Jul 6, 2009 3:35 AM in response to: HapK
Click to view benc1's profile Novice
benc1
10 posts since
Jul 1, 2009
If I am understanding correctly - I think you can do it via the following.

Create an oed folder in your home folder on the mac side.

Then in windows under my computer select tools, map network drive - and map the drive letter to \\.host\Shared Folders\hapk\oed.

You should then have a drive letter mapping to an external drive which is really the OSX folder.

At least that works under xp. I don't have a copy of Windows ME to try it with but if memory serves it was the same mechanism to map drives under 98 so ME is probably the same :)

Re: VMWare Fusion (trial) vs Parallels (currently own)

6. Jul 7, 2009 11:55 AM in response to: benc1
Click to view HapK's profile Enthusiast
HapK
23 posts since
Jul 2, 2009
Hi,

Thanks, benc1, that may work, but I was wrong in thinking it might solve my problem.

Current situation:

1. To try the workaround to get the OED to install in VMWare, the OED data file must be visible to the C-Dilla Safedisc 1.50.020 copy protection as X:\OED where "x" is whatever drive letter you have substituted in OED.ini
2. USB devices do not install in Win ME under VMWare even with VMWare Tools installed ( Anyone out there who is able to use their USB devices under Win ME? )
3. I did manage to get a second virtual HDD created in Win Me. You have to create the drive at the DOS prompt, then format after you return to Win ME. That takes care of the mapping because it then just appears in My Computer.

4. This hasn't helped because even though I could put the OED Data on that virtual drive, the *&**&%^$^%$ C-Dilla copy protection will not allow the authorization of this legally purchased first owner original CD-ROM to complete in VMWare Fusion no matter how I install the OED program.

5.I still want to know what could be different between Parallels and VM Ware Fusion that allows the authorization of the OED install to complete under Parallels, but not under VMWare Fusion. (As I said, Parallels runs the OED program but runs it badly because their tools will not install and Parallels WinME isn't running in true color.)

UPDATE:

I just tried creating a new VMWare virtual Win 98 SE hoping that I might get the OED copyright protection to authorize in the Win 98 se environment. No such luck. I am attaching a screen shot of the error message. Maybe it will mean something to someone. SCRFRSH.EXE is the copy protection software. Please Note: there is no serial number involved in the install. You authorize the dictionary data cd at the the end of the install, by putting the data disk in the CD drive. If all goes well, as it does for me in Parallels, the program runs. If it does NOT go well, as with VMWare, it says that it has failed to authorize.
Attachments:

Re: VMWare Fusion (trial) vs Parallels (currently own)

7. Jul 7, 2009 12:32 PM in response to: HapK
Click to view jmattson's profile Master
jmattson
1,223 posts since
Mar 29, 2006
I hate to start an arms race, but you could try adding the following to your VM configuration file:

monitor_control.restrict_backdoor = "TRUE"


If that doesn't work, try the following:

monitor.virtual_exec = "hardware"


In either case, you should remove these configuration options once you're done with the installation.

Re: VMWare Fusion (trial) vs Parallels (currently own)

8. Jul 7, 2009 12:44 PM in response to: jmattson
Click to view HapK's profile Enthusiast
HapK
23 posts since
Jul 2, 2009

Hi jmattson,

Thanks. Actually I have manged to get the USB devices to work (I think your fix was aimed at that?) and am now focusing my attention on my main problem--getting my OED program installed on VMWF (it installs on Parallels). Started new thread http://communities.vmware.com/thread/219844?tstart=0


Re: VMWare Fusion (trial) vs Parallels (currently own)

9. Jul 7, 2009 12:48 PM in response to: HapK
Click to view jmattson's profile Master
jmattson
1,223 posts since
Mar 29, 2006
Actually, these recommendations were aimed at getting your authorization to succeed.

Re: VMWare Fusion (trial) vs Parallels (currently own)

10. Jul 7, 2009 3:39 PM in response to: jmattson
Click to view HapK's profile Enthusiast
HapK
23 posts since
Jul 2, 2009
Sorry, at that point, I didn't understand what those changes would do. Now I do! Thank you, again.

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