Parallels virtual hdd ability to shrink if we free spaces

From what I've seen, the Parallels virtual hdd in automatically growing mode, it does indeed automatically grow, but as I expected in fact, it doesn't shrink if I free some disk space on Windows.
I mean, I had 7.5GB of used space before, and the virtual hdd is indeed of this size, then I uninstalled some programs, and removed some files, and now the used space is 5.9GB but the virtual hdd size is still 7.5GB.

I don't know if it's technically possible, but it'd be great that the hdd has the capacity to shrink when the used space on the Windows disk is being reduced.

 

I feel french today:

ze answe ise comprzzo.

(The answer is compressor. It will compress down the disk size for you to the needed space.)

 

Thanks for the english retranscription, I don't understand frenglish

That's not the answer, but a possible solution instead. But the proposition I made still stand, as compressor doesn't allow to do it on the fly. That would be better if the file would shrink dynamically on the fly while using the virtual machine.

EDIT: After reviewing Parallels Compressor Workstation requirements, it appears that Compressor is not a viable solution as it requires to have Windows or Linux as host OS. While I'm using Parallels Workstation for Mac OS X, so the host OS is Mac OS X.

Still having dynamic shrink on the fly on Parallels Desktop (when you free spaces on the virtual HDD, the virtual HDD file shrink accordingly) would be a far more elegant way to save space, as you wouldn't have to even think about it, it'd shrink (and grow as it already do today) dynamically according to the real used space on the virtual hdd.

 

Compressor works for OS X... It comes bundled with every OS X installation for at least 3.0...

I agree though, shrinking on the fly is good.

 

A sorry, but on my install the only things I see are:

- Parallels Desktop itself
- Parallels Image Tool, which offer to increase the size of the virtual hdd, but not to shrink/compress it.
- Parallels Explorer which allows to browse the content of the virtual hdd
- Parallels Transporter which is used to migrate a real computer or another virtual machine to a Parallels Workstation virtual machine.

But no compressor as far as I can see... And I'm using the very latest version of Parallels Workstation 3.0

 

What does Actions -> Run Parallels Compressor do for you?

 

I have tried this and after many hours it has not done anyhing!! Useless!!

 

Really? Do you have a sizable amount of unused space?

 

Take a look at the Compressor forum. There are many problems with Compressor for many people. For some it does not work at all, for others it takes hours and hours and hours to work.