How to reduce disc image size

O

ohTina

Member
Hi! I'm not using the full 32G of space I originally allotted for parallels (running XP in the parallels VM 5584). Apparently I have 23G of space available.

Is there a way to reduce the amount of space parallels is using for XP, so I can free up some Gs for the Mac side? (I'm in a MacBookPro Leopard)

Thx
-Tina
 
Hello ohTina,

Please sorry for the delay.

You can use Parallels Compressor from Actions menu in Parallels Desktop menu bar.

This tool will let you to:
- delete unnecessary files on the current system;
- defragment virtual disks and clean up unused space;
- compact the virtual disk.

Keep in mind that the process will take a couple of hours (or more).

The full description of the tool is in Parallels Desktop User Guide For Mac, p.246.

Best regards,
Xenos
 
This is getting a little scary.

I'm trying to delete the snapshots, and the delete status bar just spins and spins.

Any ideas?
 
OhTina, please use Parallels Image Tool to merge snapshots and prepare the virtual hard disk for compressing. You will find the Image Tool in Applications -> Parallels folder.

Best regards,
Xenos
 
Hi again Xenos. Thanks for trying to work me through this. Here's my latest snag:

On the "Disk Compacting Tool Options" tab, the table in the Status group: my VM volume is not displayed. I've deleted my snapshots, and never did have undo disk option active. What's missing here? thx again. -tina
 
Wow - Thank God I did the Clone backup before I started all this!

After running the Image Tool, I launched Parallels/Windows so I could log on as administrator to try the compression again, and the Black Screen of Emptiness was all I got. It wouldn't even start in Safe Mode. Nada.

I deleted that VM. My Clone was backed up on my server, so I started up the Clone, and Cloned that, so I could have everything running on the Mac. Now, the "new" VM is running smoothly, but I still have to get this compression process to work. I'm running out of space.

1. Should I do the Image Tool again, or skip it?

2. Under the Disk Compacting tab in P.T. Center - the status, under Volume, still says "There are no drives for compacting." How do I deal with that?

Please advise. Thanks!
 
I can't get it to work from the Windows XP CD. Can I do this from a Disk Image? I know how to generate the Disk Image itself, so how do I do it from a Disk Image?

Thx
-Tina
 
I did finally get the compressor to run - BUT then....

It's gets through the first compression phase, I get the restart request. I restart, it runs through acouple of initial things, and then get's to the "Prepare to compact disk" segment. Several times now, I'll get a message that it's out of virtual memory and is reallocating, and the compressor just stalls and never continues any further. I let it run overnight. Nothing. It's such a drag.

I've reset my virtual memory/paging size in windows, and restarted, in addition to increasing memory in the virtual machine area in Parallels, and nothing seems to work. How do I get through this snag?
 
you seem to be creating your own problems

If you are out of space on your macintosh hard disk add an external one

I run all my VM from external drives - La Cie firewire 800
and save my images and clones there too

Windows laptops are begining to have 250gb hard disks and
a Vista set up as sold takes about 30 gb

so my own 32gb WinXp Sp2 VM just keeps on trucking and I keep data in shared folders to keep it lean and mean

the whole point of the Mac GUI is automation
you need to drop the DOS / regedit / resedit mentality and use the utilities provided for the Mac OS
KISS

Hugh W
 
Thanks Mr. Watkins.

Meanwhile, I'd like for the compression to complete successfully, so can Support offer any further recommendations?
 
Hi ohTina,

I am trying to do the exact same thing fo the same reason. I am wondering if we can use Transporter to make a copy of our virtual PC to an external HDD - set the new smaller size as we do this - then replace the old with the new.

Can support confirm if this will work?

Cheers
H.
 
Do a Clone back up, and give it a shot. It seems a reasonable work-around, but it is a work-around. I'd like the Compressor to work as expected, but it's not.

Plz let us all know how it works out!
 
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