If I share and map Windows folders to Mac folders, where are files actually stored?

Discussion in 'Installation and Configuration of Parallels Desktop' started by mitts2010, Sep 7, 2011.

  1. mitts2010

    mitts2010 Bit poster

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    I mean if I save something into the Documents folder while using OSX and save something using Windows into the Documents folder, the files will show up no matter if I use OSX or Windows. But where is the file actually stored? Is it always on the Mac? Or do the things I save in Windows get stored in the Parallels image file? I want to know so if I decide to delete Parallels one day, will the things I created in Windows be deleted, or are they all on OSX anyway?
     
  2. Tom Collignon

    Tom Collignon Member

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    If you store something in the windows documents folder (from mac or windows) it is stored in the parallels vm file.
     
  3. mitts2010

    mitts2010 Bit poster

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    So there is a copy of it in the VM file as well as a copy on my OSX drive?
     
  4. Tom Collignon

    Tom Collignon Member

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    39
    I think you use a shared profile?
    I just share 1 folder.
    Just look in the help function of parallels, it is explained there.
    And if you are not sure, don't start parallels and look for the files in the mac os folder. If they are there, then the files are on the mac os hd and it is safe to delete the vm.
     
  5. JesterbeanA

    JesterbeanA Banned

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    Yes there is, in fact you can find it easily if you shared files.[​IMG]
     
  6. mitts2010

    mitts2010 Bit poster

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    I have my Mac's home folder shared with my Windows VM, and I turned mapping on. So on my Windows VM there is a folder "My Documents", and "Documents", "My Pictures", "Pictures", etc. All the folders without the "My" have all my Mac files, all the ones with "My" have nothing in them. So I deleted all the folders in Windows with the "My".

    So If I save something in Windows into one of these folders in Windows with all my Mac's files in them, it is saving them to the Mac and not Windows correct? They just become visible on the Mac?

    If not, then how do I go about only having one copy of all the files I create? I don't want to have two Documents folders, one with all the files created on Windows, and one separate for all my Mac's files.
     

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