Did you create your VM from the windows installation on your BootCamp partition? there are occasionally issues that arise when using those for the VM install. You might try reinstalling Windows within Parallels (as a test) to see if Coherence mode launches from that VM (if you keep that one you'll have activation issues but not immediately).
That's what I would try - if you still have the Windows install disks it won't take too long.
Cheers
It will create a second VM (of course none of your software will be on it), but just install something - anything - and then try to run it in coherence mode. If it works fine, then that's your issue. If it's still mucking up, come on back and we'll try to sort it.
Cheers
So which one would be a faster and stronger Windows 7 computer? Running a Parallels w7 installation under Mac OS X or running a bootcamped w7 installation under Mac OS X?
Windows 7 or any version of Windows will always be faster and more responsive when run natively. That means a separate dual boot using the Boot Camp assistant.
When running in a virtual machine, Parallels uses a "virtual" graphics adapter and inserts a layer between the VM and a fair amount of the hardware including your graphics adapter. To run games, which is what most folks need native graphics access for, a Boot Camp installation will work best.
Had you followed my original advice - install a second VM in Parallels in addition to your Boot Camp partition, you could then have chosen which way to go. Normally, you should have been able to do that with what you did (install a VM off your BC partition) but for some reason you couldn't run parallels.
Ultimately, you have to decide what works best for you. Windows is just as "strong" either way - the question really is whether you have applications that require native graphic hardware access. productivity apps (e.g., Office), web surfing, email, even watching DVDs, etc. don't really require native hardware access. However, video editing, heaving photo editing and demanding 3D games typically do.
Your choice.
Cheers
Well, you better look at your question again because it's exactly what you asked.
Running Windows 7 natively "means" using Boot Camp and a dual boot. Once your Mac dual boots to Windows 7 it becomes a Windows machine and therefore runs Windows 7 natively.
So which one would be a faster and stronger Windows 7 computer? Running a Parallels w7 installation under Mac OS X or running a bootcamped w7 installation under Mac OS X?