Eek! Parallels, Bootcamp, & Windows Oh My!

Joined
Aug 1, 2013
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I've been a Mac user forever.

I am about to graduate from graphic design school and needed an upgrade.

I purchased a beautiful 27" iMac from eBay. It works wonderfully, looks brand new, and came in the original box.

I went with this PARTICULAR computer because it had Parallels, Bootcamp, & Windows 7 & 8 installed.

I've never had any of that on my mac, but there are a couple of things I've wanted to be able to do on my old laptop that I couldn't and was excited to get the opportunity.

Anyways, it all worked (or worked to the extent of my knowledge) for about 3 days. Then it said I needed to activate windows. I wasn't concerned because I have the original boxes for the parallels and windows 8. But it won't accept either key. I emailed the guy who sold it to me and he sent me another key which also didn't work.

Not only do I need help fixing all this stuff and getting it running again, but I also don't completely understand what it all does.

Will someone who knows about all of this stuff give me the lowdown and help me to fix it please?

Thank y'all so much!
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
I went with this PARTICULAR computer because it had Parallels, Bootcamp, & Windows 7 & 8 installed.

You have to understand that buying a used computer with pre-installed licensed software does not necessarily mean that you now are licensed to use it. Unless the seller transferred the licenses to you which would mean he included the boxes, disks, and serial number product keys, you do not legally own the license to the software.

Anyways, it all worked (or worked to the extent of my knowledge) for about 3 days. Then it said I needed to activate windows. I wasn't concerned because I have the original boxes for the parallels and windows 8. But it won't accept either key. I emailed the guy who sold it to me and he sent me another key which also didn't work.

As stated above, unless the seller provides you with the right product key for Windows 8, you can not legally use it beyond the MS trial period. You didn't mention anything about Parallels, so I assume you have the right serial number for it with the box he gave you.

Will someone who knows about all of this stuff give me the lowdown and help me to fix it please?

The fix is obvious. Either the seller provides you with the correct product key or you will have to purchase a key from Microsoft.

Also - we recommend wiping that machine clean, reinstall OS X, Boot Camp, Parallels, and a legal copy of Windows 8 or 7 licensed to you.

If you need further help with this, post back to this same thread.

And welcome to the Mac Forums.
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
I went with this PARTICULAR computer because it had Parallels, Bootcamp, & Windows 7 & 8 installed.

Anyways, it all worked (or worked to the extent of my knowledge) for about 3 days. Then it said I needed to activate windows. I wasn't concerned because I have the original boxes for the parallels and windows 8. But it won't accept either key. I emailed the guy who sold it to me and he sent me another key which also didn't work.

Purchasing a "new to you" computer with software "pre-installed" (in many cases)...is not a great idea. Firstly because in many cases the software installs are not legitimate/legal...but also because they may not be stable:

- They may be trial installs that only last a certain number of days.
- The installs may be "locked up" the first time the computer is connected to the internet...when the apps connect to their "home server" for updates (because an inappropriate serial number was used).
- The serial numbers/codes used may have been used on multiple computers...and eventually get put on a serial number "black list"...which means the serial number is made no longer valid.

You even mentioned that you tried two Windows 8 codes...and both didn't work. The fact that you tried two codes in itself is wrong.

The simple answer is...you need to purchase the software packages you need. This guarantees you both legitimacy & stability.

- Nick
 
OP
I
Joined
Aug 1, 2013
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Thanks for the replies.

I want to make it very clear that even without the parallels software this computer was a great buy and is exceeding all of my expectations. The Mac OS works fine as does all the other programs. Buying a computer second hand (if you do your research) is no less risky than buying a used car.

Anyways, I figured it out. Apparently when you use an OS from Bootcamp in Parallels you always have to reactivate it. There are more ways to do this than through the product code. There's an automated number you can call that verifies your software is genuine through an extremely lengthy pair of codes. I called the number and now Windows 7 works fine.

I don't understand bootcamp but don't really care to. I have the windows OS running coherence and it's quite seamless.

As for Windows 8 I just reinstalled it and now it works fine. I have all the original boxes, keys, and disks for all of the software on this computer.
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
OK, that's fine. We were just pointing out what you would need to be legal with regard to Parallels and Windows. Apparently, the seller did give everything to you along with the machine. You are in the minority with this sale. Most folks that post here after buying a used machine do not receive disks, serial numbers, etc. Which is why we always advise doing a clean install.

Anyway, enjoy your (to you) new iMac and visit us often. :)
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top