Parallels for Mac, import Mac partition

Discussion in 'Installation and Configuration of Parallels Desktop' started by WalterR7, Jul 1, 2020.

  1. WalterR7

    WalterR7 Member

    Messages:
    27
    I am using Mac. I have bootable Mac partitions with other OS-X / MacOS versions.
    Is there a way that I can import those partitions as VMs that use the partition for their storage, like the way that you can use the actual Bootcamp storage for Windows?
    I know that it is possible to create VMs that use the host OS hard drive space, and that I can install Mac operating systems on the VMs; I have done that several times.
    I know that it is possible to use Time Machine to back up an existing Mac system, then create a VM that uses the host hard drive space, install a Mac operating system in the VM, and then do a Time Machine restore into the VM.
    But neither of those are what I am looking for at this time.
    I had to create a true bootable Catalina partition, and sometimes I will need to boot my Mac into that partition (not all software I need is fully compatible with Parallels.) But I also would find it useful to fire up Catalina in a VM. It would be useful if I did not have to have two Catalina installs, one the real drive partition and one the VM: it would be useful if the VM could use the OS directly off the real partition.
    Parallels already supports the basic technology for BootCamp.

    On a related topic: I have multiple bootable Windows partitions on my Mac (different Windows versions.) I can do the shared-drive trick with the official Bootcamp partition. But can I do the shared-drive trick for other Windows partition that are not Bootcamp? By "shared-drive" I mean that the OS and user files would be read directly from the hardware partition and that is where writes would be made, but all managed by Parallels so that I fire it up in a VM; I am not referring to copying over the drive contents into a VM that is living in the host OS hard-drive space.
     
  2. WalterR7

    WalterR7 Member

    Messages:
    27
    [Note: I am using Mac Pro version]
     

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