Sharing A Windows Virtual Machine Between Two Macs

Background
I've got an iMac running on Snow Leopard. I have a BootCamp partion with a WindowsXP virtual machine. Using Parallels 6. All of my Windows data files are here.
I've more recently gotten a MacBook Pro running on Lion. Using Parallels6 I have created a Windows7 virtual machine on an external HD (a Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-Portable).

Objective
My desire is to install my Windows programs and move all of my Windows data files to the portable drive and be able to use the 7 VM on either Mac. Once I get the data files copied from the XP VM on the BootCamp partition to the 7 VM on the portable drive I will get rid of the BootCamp partition on the iMac and upgrade the iMac OS to Lion.

To be more specific, the only Windows apps I use are Quicken (the Mac version sucks) and some NOLO apps (no Mac version exists). To keep the data 'in sync', it seems best to have only 1 set of data files on an HD that I can attach to whichever Mac it's most convenient for me to use at the time I want to work.

Questions
1. With the portable drive connected to the iMac I can see the Windows7.pvm file in a Finder window, but I can't figure out how to get Parallels to see it. When I open Parallels on the iMac the only VM it can see is the XP VM in the BootCamp partition.
2. How can I copy the contents of My Documents from the XP VM to the 7 VM? I can copy the files to my iMac desktop when the XP VM is running, but how can I get them onto the 7 VM if I can't find a way to run the 7 VM on the iMac.
3. Perhaps this should have been #1 - is what I want to do possible?

Thanks for any suggestions anyone can offer.

 

3. Yes. Parallels must be installed on both macs, and Parallels version in both macs should be exactly the same down to the build number, so you don't get annoyed by Parallels Tools upgrading/downgrading whenever you switch macs. Also you shouldn't have any programs depending on files on shared folders from OSX (because they might not exist in both macs).

1. Double click on the Windows7.pvm file, it will register in Paralllels, and appear on the VM list. Or in Parallels File>New>Open existing...

2. Is solved by (#1.). Additionally you can temporally add a second virtual hard drive to your win7 VM pointing it to your boot camp partition (while running on the computer that has it), this will allow you to copy the files inside while running the VM like it was a second drive, after that, remove the second virtual hd from the configuration of the VM.

 

Thanks for the information, Specimen.

3. Parallels is installed on both Macs, and I've checked and confirmed that it is the same version:
Build 6.0.12106 (Revision 692267 September 7 2011)

1. When I have my portable drive connected to the iMac, with the drive open in a Finder window, and I double-click on the Windows7.pvm file, Parallels opens but there's nothing on the screen. I know Parallels is open because of the white dot under the Parallels icon on the dock and the Parallels Desktop menu bar is showing and active. If I select File>Open a selection window opens showing the My Boot Camp.pvm that was originally created on the iMac. I can navigate to the Windows7.pvm on the portable drive, and a window briefly opened that said 'Registering', but then a 'Parallels Virtual Machines' window opens that shows only 'My Boot Camp'.

File>New takes me to 'New Virtual Machine Assistant - Create New Virtual Machine'. With File>Open I can navigate to Windows7.pvm, but double-clicking or single-clicking and hitting 'Open' does not open it. It brings up the 'Parallels Virtual Machines' window that shows only My Boot Camp.

2. I do not understand this instruction. How can I add a 2nd virtual hard drive to my Windows7 VM and have it point to the Boot Camp partition? Maybe this would be more obvious if I could open the Windows7 VM on the machine that has the Boot Camp partition, but as discussed in #1 I cannot.

If you can spot what I'm doing wrong, please provide further guidance. Thanks!

 

The most obvious explanation is that the Windows7.pvm does not contain a virtual hard disk, is an alias/shortcut, or has files missing (.pvm is actually a special folder, and if you right click on it and press 'show package contents' you can see the files inside), now, if you right click on this .pvm and select 'get info' and the size is not the several GBs (at least 4 GB) a Windows 7 installation is expected to occupy than the .pvm you have on your external drive is invalid/incomplete.

(The real .pvm is probably on ~/Documents/Parallels of the computer where you created it).

 

I will investigate this possibility later tonight.

If I find that you are correct, and the real .pvm is on the MBP and there's an alias on the portable drive, will it work to switch them? Move the 'real' .pvm to the portable drive and put an alias in its place on the MPB? Or will that just make things worse?

Thanks for your continued support and suggestions.

 

Forget about the alias for now, move the 'real' .pvm to the external drive and point both Parallels installations to that .pvm (double-click on it, or File>Open).

Note: When the external drive is not connected you'll get a question mark front of the VM in the VM List window, this is expected. Also, once you move the VM to the external drive the original VM List entry will become invalid as it will no longer find the VM, either point it to the new location or remove it an register is again (File>Open or double click).

And now, if you really want to have alias to the .pvm create them in each computer by right clicking on the real .pvm (now on the external drive), select Make Alias and then move that Alias (not the real pvm!) to where you want it to appear.

 

Specimen,

I believe that the <Windows 7.pvm> file on the portable drive is the real file. It's 20.99 GB in size and contains the following:
config.pvs 20 KB
config.pvs.backup 20 KB Unix executable
parallels.log 1.3 MB text doc
snapshots 0 KB folder (empty)
statistics.log 25 KB text doc
unattended.fdd 1.5 MB floppy drive image
Windows 7-0.hdd 20.99 GB hard drive image (68.72 GB, 49.02 GB available)
Windows disks (folder) containing:
C: 44 B Unix executable
D: 44 B Unix executable

The Windows 7-0.hdd can be mounted on the desktop and opened in a finder window. At first glance it seems to contain all of the folders that a Windows machine would have. <Get Info> shows a total size of 68.72 GB with 49.02 GB available.

Do you see anything missing in the .pvm file?

Could the space in the .pvm file name - <Windows 7> rather than <Windows7> or <Windows_7> - be causing some problem?

Thanks

 

Seems like the real .pvm to me also.
No, spaces in file names don't make any difference here, it's perfectly supported and transparent on both OS X and Parallels.
I don't see anything wrong with the pvm. On the computer that doesn't run this pvm can you try to create a new VM from scratch? I'm wondering if the problem is with the installation of Parallels itself. You can try to uninstall Parallels and reinstall it again.

 

I haven't had much time to pursue this problem, but I'm wondering if it might be related to sharing a VM with several user accounts since there are two different user accounts involved? One on each machine?

I'll be back again towards the end of the month to report on progress. Thanks for help and suggestions thus far.

 

Reinstalling Parallels was my first thought.
No, multiple users accounts doesn't make difference

 

Yes, it is exactly the same build number.

The only way I have been able to get this to work is to copy the .pvm file to the iMac desktop, and double click on it there. When I double click on the .pvm file on the external HD I get a dialog box telling me that Parallels wants to make a change, enter password. After entering the password nothing happens, the .pvm file does not register. Guess I'll have to copy the file back and forth each time I work with it - very time consuming and aggravating.

 

Once it registers and appears on the VM list (you should register the pvm on the external disk, not a copy on the desktop) you don't have to register it again, it stays on the VM list with a question mark when the external drive is not connected and when you connect it it recognizes it (unless the path has changed, or you changed the name of the Volume/Partition on that external device.

To access the VM list: launch parallels desktop.app, from the top menu: Window>Virtual Machines List

 

As I wrote, the pvm on the external disk will not register.

 

The replies are so far a part in time that can't follow this thread properly (yes I could re-read everything, but in the time spent doing that I could probably help 2 other users, I don't really have much time for this to begin with).

My last suggestion is that you edit the permissions on the .pvm package via command+i and set read and write access to your user, or to everybody

If that doesn't work I suggest you contact support directly.

 

I reported that the pvm would not register from the external drive, only after being copied to the internal drive, in my current post, the one to which you responded. You must have overlooked it.

In any case, I will review the permissions - thanks for that suggestion.