iTunes and Parallels

Funny thing happened on the way to work today.  And by that I mean I fell into a pain-bedazzled frustration pit while trying to do something simple.

Goal: Install iTunes on a parallels virtual machine so that I can use it to mess with interview audio files (convert them to different formats, change quality etc) without sorting through all my music.

Pain-Bedazzled Frustration Pit: Somehow it picked up my library from the Mac side during installation, and then I dealt with it in the unthinking manner that typically pisses IT people off and lead to the name of this blog.

Outcome:  I'm taking my time writing this instead of working because my computer has no speed now that I have TWO instances of iTunes running trying to sort out their libraries.

I think the problem was either/both/and/or that I had "home-sharing" turned on, or that the default location of the preferences file turned out to already have my preferences file in it.  My thoughts:

• I know that iTunes can just pick up where it started if you uninstall it and then reinstall it.  I didn't think that would be a problem here because I expected the virtual machine (Windows 7) to store all that shi-junk in a different place.
• So that's why I think it might be the home-sharing thing.  But then I thought that Parallels treated the Mac side as a networked drive, not as another computer connected to the network.  Maybe that's the same thing, but in my innocence I thought it wouldn't go searching for preference files and such on what is basically just an external harddrive.

One interesting thing was that iTunes in Windows 7 even had the shuffle toggled on, which is how I had left the Mac-side iTunes last time I used it.

Why don't I use software specifically designed for converting audio files' format and quality?  I dunno.  I don't like those and the websites I have to sift through to find good shareware and kind of shifty.  And it's dark.  And I was at my smarm limit.


Ah-Ha!

There's a setting in the configuration of the Parallels Virtual Machine that maps Mac folders onto the Windows folder (and/or vice versa).  I forgot about that.  So the default location of the itunes library really was the same.  I changed that, and we'll see if I'm able to fix up both libraries.

Shortcut Keys in Parallels (NVivo and Atlas ti)

Things I've Tried

1] Using AutoHotKey to customize key mappings (FAIL)

This almost works, but it may be obsolete for Windows 7. The idea is to tell Windows to switch the "control" and "command" keys.

It was finicky and the "auto" part was a lie. I had to mess with it every time I opened Windows, which, because I don't just magically understand coding syntax, meant I had to Google each problem and copy and paste another line of code. Plus, even when it "worked" it was too easy to double-map things and freak Windows out. I think this contributed to a few NVivo crashes.

2] Changing shortcut keys in the programs (FAIL)

NVivo 9 removed this option. I never found it in Atlas Ti 6.

3] Changing settings in OS preferences (FAIL)

I can't remember all the different ones I tried, but the goal was to make it so that the function keys weren't tied to the OS X utilities (like Spaces, Expose, changing screen brightness etc). I never found a setting that helped with Parallels that didn't annoy me the rest of the time. I don't like the Function key. It's dumb.

4] Changing configuration of Virtual Machines (FAIL)

This might work with more effort, but I couldn't get the changes to stick (kept reverting back) or be consistent. It would work for some programs, but confuse NVivo, or it would stop working in the middle of a session.

5] Changing Parallels Preferences (PERSONAL/PYRRHIC VICTORY!)

Update

I turned off the "allow Mac OS X shortcuts" option in Parallels / Preferences / Keyboard. This is generally good, but it means I get stuck in Full Screen mode unless I flick-n-click the hot corner, which is dirty-sounding and annoying because then it switches to Window mode just because I wanted to check my email or what not.

Update the Second: 

Also, in Coherence mode the "Cmd + Q" shortcut I use for creating a new code tries to close the program. Modality fixes that problem, but sucks in almost every other way. "Window Mode" seems to be okay.

Update the Third: 

The four-finger horizontal swipe allows me to switch programs/spaces pretty easily.

Update the Fourth: 

 There's probably a better way to keep track of this stuff.

In Parallels Preferences / Keyboard, you can check a box in the Generic profile to kill the Windows key. I don't like the Windows key. It's dumb. Also check the box to allow Mac OS X shortcuts, because this makes it easy to use the full screen view with spaces.

In the Windows profile (each Virtual Machine has one profile mapped to it, the "edit profiles" button lets you change which VM uses which profile), map whatever key combos you want to the most useful shortcuts in Nvivo or Atlas. I mapped Command + Q, W, E, R and T toControl + F3, F4, F5 and F9, because those are most useful for coding.

Penta-Update:

Cntrl + Alt unshakles the keyboard and mouse from Windows oppression, so that I can use the Cntrl + Arrow Keys shortcut I prefer to navigate Spaces. Fullscreen Windows 7 is a go! I had a big coffee this morning!  So I can disable the "Mac OS X shortcuts" which cause nothing but problems, because all I have to do is press Cntrl+Alt and they're back!

Update 6 (12-09-10):

Shortcut keys broke.  Cmd + E still works, but none of the other ones do anything.  Even when I press them really hard...  It seems to be due to something getting confused about what I have selected in the document: if I try to code it using the toolbars or right-click context menus, it codes the entire document. When nothing is selected the shortcut keys don't work, so maybe it thinks nothing is selected (and it defaults to coding the whole document sometimes).


This may be due to copying and pasting abstracts from PDF articles into Nvivo, which means I should link to this.

Update 7 (12-14-10):

I fixed this by changing the key mappings to Alt+A, Alt+S, Alt+D.  I shouldn't have had to, but if I knew how all this worked I wouldn't have this pathetic nonblog.  A special clue was that if the source was editable, it would just replace the selected text with "q" or "w," suggesting that it wasn't reading the Cmd key as anything.

Also, the problems with selecting were just me being stupid.  There's buttons on the "Analyze" toolbar that are for coding the whole source.  I was using those.  So.  It coded the whole source.

Updeight [See what I did there?]  (12-21-10)

In the "advanced" pane of the Virtual Machine configuration there's a checkbox for "Optimize modifier keys for games" or something cryptic like that.  Having it checked broke my Alt+ shortcuts, so now it's unchecked.

Update 9  (02-01-11)

The shortcut keys for Atlas Ti are actually doable, in a way.  Well, mejor dicho, they require two hands anyway, so it's not skin off my...bodypart... to hit the Fn key as well.  How-the-duck-EVER, since the shortcut key involves the "control" button, the windows pop-up transparent - which is dumb.  So now I go with ALT, C, C, L for list (ALT, C, C, O for open etc).  Commas because it's consecutive, not all at once.

Memory Juice

So, I've got the memory, I just need to figure out how to properly juice it so that Parallels can run quicklyfast on the the sweet, sweet memory juice.

I used the Crucial scanner on the home laptop today, and learned a thing: apparently there's an upper limit the the RAM any given OS and motherboard can use.  I tried to use the Crucial scanner on the Parallels VM, and it was all "whaaaaaa" in a high squeaky voice.  Point is, I wonder if there's a limit to what it can make use of - probably not really, or at least it's the exact same limit as the Mac OS, so it doesn't matter.

Also wondering if 64-bit has anything to do with enabling the 2 CPU's.  I'm sure I'm supposed to know that already, but I don't, so deal with it, Internet.

NVivo 9 Service Pack 1

It doesn't fix the problems with PDF's, although it does make it all screwed up in a new way.  Performance isn't noticeably improved for me (still annoyingly slow - how can other programs be so, so, so much faster when doing basically the same thing?).

Hasn't crashed yet (after 10 minutes).

64-bit version also no improvement.

Thumbs.db? More like...nevermind

"Thumbs.db" files suddenly appeared.  I Googled.  This guy told me how to get rid of them.  The only note is that since the policy option is to "turn off" the cacheing, you click "Enable."  In my feeble mind I was thinking something like, "thumbnails bad, disable them!"  Also, as you type in "gpedit.msc" Windows will try to tell you there's nothing like that anywhere, and then when you press enter nothing will happen for a while.  Eventually that Group Policy Editor shows up though.

This thing is interesting...probably lots of annoying things to be fiddled with.

Automater Un-Plug

Having failed terribly to automate the disc-switcha, I decided to waste more time in a doomed, nihilistic time-saving effort.

Goal:  Automate all the things I have to do every time I move the laptop.
So I want a one-double-click option to unmount my external harddrives (which requires shutting down iTunes), and shutdown Parallels Virtual Desktop (because it gets sad and confused when I close the laptop without warning it first).


Attempt 1: Automator Workflow (FAIL)

• I guess I actually wanted an application.

Attempt 2: Automator Application

• Open Automator (I use spotlight)
• Do as such:

• Where "WD-Blackbook" and "Wallet" are the names of my external harddrives.  They have to be plugged in to find them in the "Get Specified Finder Items" tool thingy.
• Remaining questions:
• I have my Parallels Virtual Machines configured to "Suspend" when the application is closed (Configure -> "Startup and Shutdown" tab, "On Window Close" option).  I wonder if this is going to make everything stupid and angry.  I read that the Suspend mode just saves the state of the VM in a file somewhere (instead of losing that information or saving it in the RAM), but I wonder how big those files are, and how they deal with lots of them.
• I guess it's still an issue if there's an application open in one of the VM's.  Maybe, maybe not.

Stop Annoying Flicker in NVivo 9

It's apparently caused by something called "Aero" in Windows (limited to 7 and Vista, I think).  It also may have something to do with checking to make sure the application is on top of others.  Here's a helpful thread.

To make-it-stop-for-the-love-of-god:
Just pick a "Basic" theme for Windows 7 in the Display / Personalization options in the Control panel.  Also available through right-clicking on the Desktop.

UPDATE: 

That didn't work.  So Coherence is dead to me now.  And Full Screen makes everything dump in its pants when I have two monitors, so I'm basically stuck with Window mode.  Which isn't bad.  At least I'm free from the loathsome, unavoidable task of worrying about it all the time.

UPDATE: 

There's an option in the Parallels to disable Aero.  Virtual Machines -> Configure -> Options -> Coherence.  This also doesn't work, suggesting perhaps that I was wrong about Aero causing the flicker.

What's the Difference Between "Window" mode and "Modality" in Parallels Desktop?

I.

Don't.

Know.

UPDATE: Apparently you can resize "Modality" windows, and change their opacity. But...you can resize "Window" windows too.  So....UN_UPDATE.

Parallels Performance Preferences

I recently upgraded from 4gb to 8GB of RAM, and I'm trying to get Windows 7 to run well in Parallels Desktop. XP was fine with 2Gb devoted RAM, but, oddly, does better with the same 2GB now that the Mac OS has more leftover to work with.

(I know I've typed GB, gb and Gb for gigabyte. I don't know what it's actually supposed to be, and I'm too busy and important to GOoGle it.)

1] 1 CPU or 2?

It seems to mess things up more using 2 in Windows 7. It's not always slower, but it seems to faceplant more often.

2] How much RAM?

Shockingly, the recommended range seems to be right on. It recommends up to 4gB devoted to the virtual machine. It was slow, so I tried 5, and everything got stupid. Even though the Mac OS still has 3 Gb to work with, it's like it makes everyone stop and watch whenever it wants to do something.

UPDATE: It's tested and confirmed: 4 Gb of RAM with 1 processor is faster than 5 Gb with 2 processors.

3] Libraries and Networked Drives?

I don't have this figured out. Occasionally Windows Explorer or other programs (NVivo) will lose the networked drives (i.e. my entire expledited harddrive), sometimes in the middle of an operation. Once this broke Windows, but usually it just breaks whatever program has the problem.

I'm sure it's not worth it to copy everything to the Windows drive (or "index it" as Windows calls it), but it's still annoying. I'm hoping a Parallels update will fix it.