Bootcamp VM setup (noob questions)

Hey guys,

I setup a Windows 7 VM using Parallels because I underestimated how much space I would need for my Bootcamp partition, and thought I would give this a try instead of resizing it.

I thought the Windows VM was standalone within my Mac partition, but when I check how much space is left, it mirrors a similar amount to the original tiny Bootcamp partition that I copied it from.

Is the new Parallels VM (Windows) referencing the original Bootcamp partition, or is it standalone?

Can I now delete the old Bootcamp Windows partition that I copied the VM from?

I can't tell if the VM is somehow reliant on the original Bootcamp partition or not.

If anyone could shed any light on this matter I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

 

I've been reading advice but I'm still a bit confused.

I configured the Parallels VM to use the Bootcamp partition, so I gather deleting the Bootcamp partition will break the VM.

How can I fix this so that I can remove the Bootcamp partition and keep the VM?