Stuck at boot: "Inaccessible Boot Device" after Parallels update

M

MayS1

Bit poster
Hi all,

I'm running a 2023 Mac M3 Pro and have been using a Windows 11 virtual machine through Parallels Desktop for almost everything.

There have been zero problems until yesterday, when I got the usual popup saying a new version of Parallels Desktop was available. Unfortunately I don't remember which version I was on before or what I updated to, as I always just stay up-to-date and install the latest version. But after updating, I face a BSOD with the error "Inaccessible Boot Device".
(Excuse the Japanese. Actually before the Inaccessible Boot Device error, I get this "Automatic Repair" screen. I've tried various options in the advanced menu, but nothing appears to help).
Ibln3Fp.png


It's only after clicking "restart" on this screen, that Windows lands on the Inaccessible Boot Device screen, which then automatically restarts and goes back to the repair screen, for a perpetual loop.

M40fsdo.png


Current Situation:
  • I always have two-way shared access enabled between macOS and the VM.

  • I have another, second Windows 11 VM on the same machine that boots up and works just fine.

  • However, as long as the broken VM doesn't boot, I can't access its C drive or data via shared folders

iZ5Huei.png


This VM has 157GB of data, and now I'm stuck.

My Questions:
  1. Is there any known fix for this "Inaccessible Boot Device" error? I'd love to repair the existing VM if possible.

  2. If not, is there a way to transfer or extract the data (157GB) from the non-bootable VM into my working VM or into macOS, even though the shared folder access doesn't work while it's not booted?
  3. Are there any tools or recovery procedures within Parallels that could help mount or browse the VM's virtual hard disk (.pvm or .hdd)?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm hoping to avoid major data loss.
Thanks
 
Hi,
This probably won't help but I am having the same problem, except I don't get the Inaccessible Boot Device message. There was a Windows Update, I don't remember the code, I installed it. Turned off the VM. Installed the Parallels Desktop update. Now the VM does not boot. It automatically goes to the repair option. Uninstalling latest updates/resetting windows with the keep files option fails. I am now restoring the VM that existed before the Windows update (which is taking forever as it is 90 GB). I would appreciate any help as well.
 
I narrowed down the problem to "Sharing - Share Mac" option in the configuration. If I tick the box saying "Mirror Mac and Windows user folders" VM does not boot up. If it is not ticked, it works fine.
 
KurayD said:
Hi,
This probably won't help but I am having the same problem, except I don't get the Inaccessible Boot Device message. There was a Windows Update, I don't remember the code, I installed it. Turned off the VM. Installed the Parallels Desktop update. Now the VM does not boot. It automatically goes to the repair option. Uninstalling latest updates/resetting windows with the keep files option fails. I am now restoring the VM that existed before the Windows update (which is taking forever as it is 90 GB). I would appreciate any help as well.
Click to expand...
I actually found a solution, silly how simple it was. Though it doesn't fix the boot, it keeps your files safe (by allowing you to access them). I found the Windows.pvm in Finder, then opened contents, and inside found the .hdd file. Open the .hdd file with Parallels Mounter.app and you'll be able to see all files within the VM. I downloaded the important ones and imported them to a VM with a working boot.
 
Thanks. I've actually found a work around for my problem. It seems like sharing the desktop is causing the problem in my case. I deselected desktop but other files are being shared and the VM is working as it should now. Sometimes if I try to go to MAC desktop within VM, it abruptly stops. I don't know which file in my desktop or what else is causing this.
 
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