Hard disk image corrupted

Hello,

I am glad that your issue was resolved.

For your login problem, please try to do the following:
1. Start your Parallels VM.
2. From the Windows Start menu, choose Run.
3. In the input field, type CONTROL USERPASSWORDS2 and click OK. The User Accounts dialog box appears.
4. In the User Accounts dialog box, open the Users tab and select your account from the Users for this computer list.
5. Select User must enter a username and password to use this computer. Click Apply.

Best regards,
Stacey
 
Obviously the posters in this thread are more computer savvy than I am. Can you please explain the fix for this problem in simple step by step language I might be able to understand? I looked in the winxp.hdd folder and there are two .hds files so I don't know which one I should be trying to fix. When I try the configuration editor I get the same message that the virtual hard disk image can't be accessed because it's corrupted.

Thank you
 
Hello,

I have the same problem with a corrupt HHD. I have tried almost everything and still can not recover my disk.
I´m just a designer and i dont know anything about HardDisks.
My problem is the following:

Since this morning i have been trying to start my virtual machine.
First i received an error that said that it could not started because the some files was beeing used by another program. So i search the Parallels knowledge-base. I followed the article n. 4938. It did not solve my problem.
At this time, i was receving a message telling me that my files were corrupted.
So i searched again and followed the article 4680.
And here i my concerns:
- when open the "show package contents" of the winxp.hdd file (the original one that is corrupted) i have 2 hard disk files :
one named winxp.hdd.0.{5fbaabe3-6958-40ff-92a7-860e329aab41}.hds with 24,05 GB and another named winxp.hdd.0.{949e0386-0328-4e77-9da8-71f6c4c60a66}.hds with 3,2 GBs.
I made a copy of the biggest file, changed the name, edit the configuration on the Parallels virtual machine. I also received the diologue box asking if i wanted me to convert the file. When i click finish and tried to start again the virtual machine it asked me for the the windows xp cd. So i had to reinstall everything and of course lost all the information. I did not recognize the previous XP installation.
I also tried the same procedure with the small hds file and it worked fine. Could open the virtual machine and the xp worked, but i did not have any of my recent files on this HardDisk. Is there any way to recover the big hds file without having to reinstall windows? I´m a recent user of parallels and need to recover my outlook files!!!
 
Forgive me if the answer is above and I'm just not seeing it but I seem to have a similar corrupted .hdd problem.

It started after I moved all my Parallels folder from the Documents directory of one user to another one. I used the steps detailed here:
http://kb.parallels.com/en/4680

But when I got to the conversion part, it gave me a 'corrupted file' message. The new 'windows.hdd' file is not recognizable, but it's there if I can do anything with it.

Please help if you can.

If not, how easy is it to re-install windows completely and put the base directory where it can be used by all Users?
 
Hello,

I´m not na expert in the area, but i managed to solve my problem after editing the xml file in the hdd file.
See the theard posted by Xenos (corrupt hdd file and pvs is zero kb). Maybe it will help.
 
Have a similar issue and a major logistical problem. Macbook 2Gb, OS 10.5, Parallels Desktop 3, current build. Windows XP as guest OS in HD set to be expanding at 70Gb. 2 days ago got a strange message saying Host 'running low of disk space, 512mb needed, 520mb available... please clear more room..." Only I had 10Gb free at the time! Deleted some stuff to clear room. Before quitting, tried to make a Snapshot (just to be safe) and it crashed, badly. Took down the Mac OS too. Restarted and tried to reopen Parallels.

Now getting a "Corrupt .hdd message"
Mounter and Tools do not open the drive.hdd file.
Can see the list of Windows Applications, not sure if that matters.

I need files in off that HDD right away, kind of desperate and don;t know what to do. Everything had been working perfectly right up until it failed. No clones or backups available.

Went through the links here including all the steps in http://kb.parallels.com/en/4680
Unfortunately, these are the contents of the .hdd file:

DiskDescriptor.xml 4K
XP-70HD.hdd.copy.0.{c6cacd42-e86e-453d-88be-9f8793a5a15b}.hds Yesterday 5:04am Zero K
XP-70HD.hdd.copy.0.{5fbaabe3-6958-40ff-92a7-860e329aab41}.hds Novemember 29, 2007 9.19 GB
XP-70HD.hdd.copy.0.{800e5a6a-35d8-440b-8cf5-e796514458b2}.hds May 8, 2008 37.93 GB
XP-70HD.hdd.copy.0.{1879337f-1ee3-4ffb-a8cf-6ffb66e7e39f}.hds July 12, 2008 34.93 GB
XP-70HD.hdd.copy.0.{a771e134-d564-4172-ba6a-14f2fb584b4d}.hds Yesterday 5:04am 10.71 GB

I'm on a notebook and traveling. The Host HD is only 180 and has 70 GB of stuff that can't easily be deleted. The copy and paste of the .hds file required by the outlined procedure is only possible with the 10.71 GB .hds form yesterday. The others are too large to try with the space I have available, unless they can be removed (cut and paste) from the .hdd package when pasted into the Virtual Machine folder. Did not want to test that without asking first.

I did try the msaller 10.71 GB file, renamed as required. The VM opens and prompts for reinstall of Windows right away. Not an option right now where I am. Guessing the Zero K file is from the bad snapshot attempt earlier. Not sure at all of the dates for the others and if they correspond to the earlier snapshots.

Oddly, before telling the disk was still bad, it told be to lower the RAM to 412Mb even though it has been 512Mb without complaint for many months. Did that, then got the same "Corrupt .hdd" error.

Since I'm stuck with the finite hard disk space problem, went looking for a more benign solution. Found and attempted the solution in:
http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?t=20075

There was no DiskDescriptor.xml.lock file

The 70 Gb planned size looks to actually be 93 Gb, but it is set to be expanding so I'm not sure if that is a problem. Have not checked in a while, but thought the contents of the virtual XP drive was only about 60Gb. That might be another problem.

Really stuck. Grabbing a 100Mb drive to make a backup of what is here, or moving everything I can to try and do that hds paste and rename solution. IF I can SAFELY REMOVE one of the larger .HDS files. Really need to know.

I'm on the road and do NOT have the ability to reinstall windows here.

Have to think it is something in the DiskDescriptor file, but don't know how to fix it. Will post the contents of that file if you need to see. PLEASE HELP!
 
well, the problem is that main hdd is this one
XP-70HD.hdd.copy.0.{5fbaabe3-6958-40ff-92a7-860e329aab41}.hds Novemember 29, 2007 9.19 GB
and you did snapshots
but if you restore this, you will get Windows at state of November 29

Backup VM, and try to merge snapshots
note, backup is necessary, if something goes wrong you will lose all data
 
Not sure about this

John,

Let me be sure I understand. The main is the one from back in November, and because it is first (the oldest) it is assumed that is where the damage is?

This is counter to earlier instructions which said to try the most recent and largest. Since that is the oldest and smallest.

IF I do the copy and paste solution with that November 2007 hds file. my restore will be to November last year. Merging snapshots will get my some of my data, but will I loose the balance sine my last snaphot?

That is a worry, since I'm not sure how long ago I did that. The data I need is recent, maybe since that last snapshot.

What can I do to recover all of the data?
 
before performing any operation do backup
The problem is that only one for November contain OS, others, only data
If you merge snapshots, OS will be reverted to last snapshot state
 
Worried - Here is DiskDescriptor

Hi John,

Really appreciate the help. My last snapshot was the one from when this happened. Suspect that is the Zero K file that is there. Zero K does not make me think it has any real data in it.

Truly not certain how snapshots work. If they are just pointers or aliases or some kind of meta-table that references where the data changes in the larger or source file, then shouldn't that data all still be there even without the snapshot? Maybe that is just wishful thinking, but I know with certainty that my last good snapshot is too old to have the data I need right now.

If I use the copy and paste procedure with the November 2007 hds file, will I be able to restore the data that was missed by the messed up snapshot attempt?

Got the feeling the answer will not make me happy.

Is there an alternative? Maybe doing some kind of edit to the .xml files? DiskDeskscription.xml should have a specific structure, and if I knew what it should be, at least that is file that I can edit. I am pasting the contents below if it helps.

All the data should be there, in theory. And it is there until I change things. I'd like to rule out every other possibility before doing anything I can't recover from. BTW the Windows installation is a nice thing to recover, but the data files are the most critical. If I knew how they were stored in the .hds maybe there is some tool that can parse through them? Can't be a unique issue, there must be some way to do that. It seems the Snapshot Manager should have the ability to manipulate the same file elements. What I need is the most recent stuff, must be a way to do that.

Here is DiskDescription.xml Maybe you'll see something helpful. Getting desperate.


<Parallels_disk_image Version="1.0" >
<Disk_Parameters>
<Disk_size>143360784</Disk_size>
<Cylinders>142223</Cylinders>
<Heads>16</Heads>
<Sectors>63</Sectors>
<Miscellaneous>
<ChangeState>0</ChangeState>
<SuspendState>0</SuspendState>
</Miscellaneous>
</Disk_Parameters>
<StorageData>
<Storage>
<Start>0</Start>
<End>143360784</End>
<Blocksize>63</Blocksize>
<Image>
<GUID>{5fbaabe3-6958-40ff-92a7-860e329aab41}</GUID>
<Type>Compressed</Type>
<Flags/>
<File>XP-70HD.hdd.copy.0.{5fbaabe3-6958-40ff-92a7-860e329aab41}.hds</File>
</Image>
<Image>
<GUID>{1879337f-1ee3-4ffb-a8cf-6ffb66e7e39f}</GUID>
<Type>Compressed</Type>
<Flags/>
<File>XP-70HD.hdd.copy.0.{1879337f-1ee3-4ffb-a8cf-6ffb66e7e39f}.hds</File>
</Image>
<Image>
<GUID>{800e5a6a-35d8-440b-8cf5-e796514458b2}</GUID>
<Type>Compressed</Type>
<Flags/>
<File>XP-70HD.hdd.copy.0.{800e5a6a-35d8-440b-8cf5-e796514458b2}.hds</File>
</Image>
<Image>
<GUID>{a771e134-d564-4172-ba6a-14f2fb584b4d}</GUID>
<Type>Compressed</Type>
<Flags/>
<File>XP-70HD.hdd.copy.0.{a771e134-d564-4172-ba6a-14f2fb584b4d}.hds</File>
</Image>
</Storage>
</StorageData>
<Snapshots>
<Shot>
<GUID>{5fbaabe3-6958-40ff-92a7-860e329aab41}</GUID>
<ParentGUID>{a771e134-d564-4172-ba6a-14f2fb584b4d}</ParentGUID>
</Shot>
<Shot>
<GUID>{1879337f-1ee3-4ffb-a8cf-6ffb66e7e39f}</GUID>
<ParentGUID>{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}</ParentGUID>
</Shot>
<Shot>
<GUID>{800e5a6a-35d8-440b-8cf5-e796514458b2}</GUID>
<ParentGUID>{1879337f-1ee3-4ffb-a8cf-6ffb66e7e39f}</ParentGUID>
</Shot>
<Shot>
<GUID>{a771e134-d564-4172-ba6a-14f2fb584b4d}</GUID>
<ParentGUID>{800e5a6a-35d8-440b-8cf5-e796514458b2}</ParentGUID>
</Shot>
</Snapshots>
</Parallels_disk_image>
 
If we edit Disk descriptor file you still will be reverted to
XP-70HD.hdd.copy.0.{1879337f-1ee3-4ffb-a8cf-6ffb66e7e39f}.hds July 12, 2008 34.93 GB
stage it is from July 12th
anyway try on backed up Vm, there is no problem, and check to which stae you reverted
 
John,

Need instructions, or the edited DiskDescription.xml

Seems the edit is the easier, less destructive method. Tell if there is a tool that will do what I need to get teh more recent data. If I can get back to july 12 I'm still losing better than one month of data. But isn't that data still there? All applcuations save data, os does the guest OS so it should be constantly updating one of the those hds file, right? If I could get inside the right one, wouldn't the data be there?

Or.. Is there a way to build a snapshot file from outside?

Can't believe there isn't a way to reconstruct to the last state from the day before.

Tell me your thoughts.

I have a backup of everything as it is - broken but backed up. I will try your solution, but please give specific instructions. Like the xml edit idea best, easiest to test.
 
I need to clarify, even if you edit DiskDescriptor.xml, you will get to 12 July's state,
I suggest you to try first Parallels Image tools on backup VM
 
Need instructions please

Hello John or anyone on now,

This is the message I get from Parallels Image Tool:

"Image Tool is unable to process the file. The hard disk image file you specified is either a read-only file, or in use by another application. Make sure that you have write permissions for this file and it isn't in use by other program"

I verified that I do have read and write permissions for the hdd file and all the contents of the package. Also made sure that nothing else was running. Did a complete restart to be sure. Got the same exact message again anyway.

Also had checked earlier and there is no DiskDescriptor.xml.lock file

Let me explain again: My notebook has 160 Gb maximum, currently 18 Gb are available.

I have a 110 Gb external drive, with the backup of the VM on it, it has only 3 Gb available.

If you are telling me that I must follow the procedure outlined in /KB #4680 to copy, paste and rename the July 2008 hds file, there will not have sufficient space available to do that - unless I can delete that file from the hdd package at the same time. Need to know if that is possible and safe to do. There just isn't enough room on my hard disk to have that exist in two places at once. Just to be clear - there is nothing else I can do to make more space available on either drive, have already deleted too much.

You said there was an alternative solution by changing the DiskDescription.xml:

***************
If we edit Disk descriptor file you still will be reverted to
XP-70HD.hdd.copy.0.{1879337f-1ee3-4ffb-a8cf-6ffb66e7e39f}.hds July 12, 2008 34.93 GB
stage it is from July 12th
anyway try on backed up Vm, there is no problem, and check to which stae you reverted
***************

Please tell me how to do that, you have the contents of the DiskDescription.xml above

I really want to better understand the way the systems store files. There is still 93 Gb of information there. If I use the July 2008 snapshot.. is that more recent data destroyed? Is there some way to access it before it is lost?

Thinking that it is always saving data, where does it save to? What hds file? Or is it another file? What tool can see into that file to let me extract the missing data from it?

It is all still there right now. There is something else that is preventing access the the hdd file, strongly suspect it is a element outside of the hds files - maybe the DiskDscription, maybe that Zero K failed Snapshot file, I just don't know, but you or someone else there must know, please tell me.
 
Still waiting on answers and instructions...

Still stuck at the 30 Gb file that can't be copied while it still lives in the original package as there is no space available.

Any alternative solutions or that involves edits to the DiskDescriptor.xml file, really need the details on how to do that.

Data I need is less than one month old, where is it on my real drive? Which file? Is it an hds file? If so, how do I get that data out of that file? There must be a tool that does it somewhere.

VERY DESPERATE - PLEASE HELP
 
Snapshots.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ParallelsSavedStates xmlns:xsi="" vm_uuid="" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="" >
<SavedStateItem guid="" state="poweroff" >
<Name></Name>
<DateTime></DateTime>
<Creator></Creator>
<ScreenShot></ScreenShot>
<Description><![CDATA[]]></Description>
<SavedStateItem guid="{dea49aa4-666c-4d06-9ff4-29659fca2394}" state="poweroff" >
<Name>HDD Snapshot 1</Name>
<DateTime>September 30, 2007 4:01:25 PM</DateTime>
<Creator></Creator>
<ScreenShot>:/Resources/Saved_state.png</ScreenShot>
<Description><![CDATA[Desktop set to correct Vaio but still 37gb]]></Description>
<SavedStateItem guid="{f0c9b6e4-a338-47a4-979a-459e16b3db12}" state="poweron" >
<Name>Snapshot 2</Name>
<DateTime>September 30, 2007 8:16:36 PM</DateTime>
<Creator></Creator>
<ScreenShot>Snapshots/{f0c9b6e4-a338-47a4-979a-459e16b3db12}.png</ScreenShot>
<Description><![CDATA[Resized to 65Gb with 2 drives, recognizes capicity and both drives but seems not to boot from bigger drive. Hangs at Win logo no accounts show]]></Description>
<SavedStateItem guid="{800e5a6a-35d8-440b-8cf5-e796514458b2}" state="poweron" >
<Name>Snapshot 5</Name>
<DateTime>November 29, 2007 3:49:27 AM</DateTime>
<Creator></Creator>
<ScreenShot>Snapshots/{800e5a6a-35d8-440b-8cf5-e796514458b2}.png</ScreenShot>
<Description><![CDATA[New Desktop. Things OK but still lost items from early revert to Snapshot. Snapshot 4: Post Leopard X 10.5 Upgrade. Needed RE-INSTALL OF PARELLELS DESKTOP even though was OK prior. Worked OK but Desktop mess, and then odd drivers for net access. Reverted to Snapshot 3 then came back here. Does not save data from time forward. Recommend 1 week intervals]]></Description>
<SavedStateItem current="yes" guid="{a771e134-d564-4172-ba6a-14f2fb584b4d}" state="poweron" >
<Name>Snapshot 6</Name>
<DateTime>July 12, 2008 4:58:23 PM</DateTime>
<Creator></Creator>
<ScreenShot>Snapshots/{a771e134-d564-4172-ba6a-14f2fb584b4d}.png</ScreenShot>
<Description><![CDATA[After rearranging desktop. Had a VM for Ubuntu running and when returning to this it kept saying HD70 was in use by another application. Took a restart and deleted the Ubuntu HD image. 7-12-08]]></Description>
</SavedStateItem>
</SavedStateItem>
</SavedStateItem>
</SavedStateItem>
</SavedStateItem>
</ParallelsSavedStates>
 
Snapshots Folder

There are actually 2 folders named Snapshots. Showing you what is in both:

{800e5a6a-35d8-440b-8cf5-e796514458b2}.mem November 29, 2007 512 MB
{800e5a6a-35d8-440b-8cf5-e796514458b2}.png November 29, 2007 1000 KB
{800e5a6a-35d8-440b-8cf5-e796514458b2}.pvc November 29, 2007 4 KB
{800e5a6a-35d8-440b-8cf5-e796514458b2}.sav November 29, 2007 21.3 MB
{a771e134-d564-4172-ba6a-14f2fb584b4d}.mem July 12, 2008 512 MB
{a771e134-d564-4172-ba6a-14f2fb584b4d}.png July 12, 2008 940 KB
{a771e134-d564-4172-ba6a-14f2fb584b4d}.pvc July 12, 2008 4 KB
{a771e134-d564-4172-ba6a-14f2fb584b4d}.sav July 12, 2008 21.4 MB
{dea49aa4-666c-4d06-9ff4-29659fca2394}.pvc Yesterday 4 KB
{f0c9b6e4-a338-47a4-979a-459e16b3db12}.mem September 30, 2007 512 MB
{f0c9b6e4-a338-47a4-979a-459e16b3db12}.png September 30, 2007 32 KB
{f0c9b6e4-a338-47a4-979a-459e16b3db12}.pvc September 30, 2007 4 KB
{f0c9b6e4-a338-47a4-979a-459e16b3db12}.sav September 30, 2007 21.3 MB

Inside the Snapshots folder is another folder named Snapshots:

Snapshots
{c6cacd42-e86e-453d-88be-9f8793a5a15b}.png August 22, 2008 532 KB

Folders:
Windows Applications August 22, 2008
Windows Disks August 20, 2008
 
Some history

John,

There was a Ubuntu VM a while ago. It was deleted but exists in backup. It ran just fine, even when the Windows XP VM was running too, but the Ubuntu VM was very low resource.

Don't know why there is a second Snapshot folder inside the Snapshot folder. Seems odd.

I had merged a couple of snapshots a few months ago, had seen no ill effects. Just thought it might save drive space.

Does DiskDescriptor list the planned size of an 'expanding disk' or the actual size? I did an experiment with a replacement DiskDescriptor file, just to see what it looked like fresh. The size it showed for a 70 GB volume is the same size shown in the real DiskDescript.xml but the real .hdd file is already much larger than that. Shouldn't it show the bigger number instead?

Parallels Image Tool can see and apparently work with all of the .hds files in the .HDD file, but can't open the .HDD file itself. I didn't let it do anything to any files.

Please help

Please answer as best you can my questions from before. I really want to find a way to resolve this that is not destructive of the recent data. if I better understand the way the data was stored and had the right tools maybe I could recover it. Still hoping for a happy solution form a simple edit of a file or two. Please let me know
 
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