Hi. I'm currently running Windows 7 as a VM in Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac Pro Edition (version 13.2) on my Mac, running under macOS 10.13.3. It is not installed in a separate partition or anything, but on the main partition of my Macintosh HD. Bootcamp is not involved here. I have a new Mac on order, and so I intend to use the Mac Migration Assistant utility to transfer all the content of my present Mac onto my new one. I anticipate using a Time Machine backup to do this, and I will be transferring all my existing apps as well as all my data. When the migration/transfer of all my stuff to the new Mac is complete, will Parallels run Windows 7 on the new Mac as if I were still using my old one, or is there some further tweaking that will need to be done? A quick search of the forums revealed a thread which suggested that there may be a licence problem when -for a brief period- Parallels will inevitably be installed on two Macs at once, but there was no public solution to that in that particular thread. Obviously I'd like to be aware of any potential snags before I begin the migration to my new Mac if possible. Thanks in advance.
Hi @Billymac231 , regarding Parallels Desktop for Mac, if you are planning to use the same license on the new mac, please login to your account and deactivate the old mac as one Parallels Desktop for Mac license (Home & Pro) can be used only at one computer at the same time. When it comes to Windows , you can just move the .pvm file to new Mac once Parallels Desktop for Mac application is installed.
Okay, so I deactivate the Parallels app licence on my present Mac before I transfer everything over to my new one, and then reactivate the licence on my new Mac. That seems straightforward enough, thanks. But you say that the .pvm file needs to be moved separately? Will it not go over to the new Mac with everything else then?
Hi @Billymac231 , the migration assistant will move all the files (this includes the .pvm file in it). Usually the (.pvm) stays in Documents > Parallels folder or Shared > Parallels folder. Make sure that the size of the .pvm file reflects the same like how it was on the old Mac after migration. Once confirmed, manually double click on the .pvm file to start the virtual machine.
Nice to hear that. Also, in the future, when transferring the .pvm file to another machine, avoid relying on Apple Migration Assistant and use an external hard drive instead to manually transfer the .pvm file (to keep the chances of .pvm file corruption at a minimum). Make a note of the steps below: 1.) Shut Windows down (as opposed to simply suspending it; see this article for details) on the old Mac. 2.) Locate the virtual machine file on the old Mac (the .pvm' file). 3.) Make a copy of this file and move the copy to an external hard drive with a Mac-compatible file system [e.g., exFAT, Mac OS Extended (Journaled) etc.,]. 4.) Install Parallels Desktop on the new Mac. 5.) Move the .pvm file copy from the external hard drive to the new Mac, place it under Macintosh HD/Users/(username)/Parallels, double-click on it and run it [select 'Moved' (or 'Use Current') when asked to choose between 'Moved' and 'Copied' (or 'Use Current' and 'Create New')].
