How to install Mavericks with Parallels 9

This is indeed correct!

 

Many thanks for this hint.

I've tried that with the normal Parallels Desktop 9.0.23140 under OS X 10.6.8 and it works.

As described, it must be a bootable Image created first. Go to the 'Install OS X Mavericks.app' (the Download from the App-Store). In Finder, right click on it and choose 'Show Package Contents'. Go into the folder 'Contents' and further into the folder 'SharedSupport'. Choose the 'InstallESD.dmg' as Installation Image for Parallels Desktop. It asks, if the Image should be converted to a bootable Image. Choose 'Yes' and save the converted Image. Use this converted Image as Installation source. Mavericks needs 2 GB RAM as well as 128 MB Graphics Memory, choose the appropriate settings in Parallels Desktop. Mavericks can now be installed normally in a empty Virtual Machine.

 

I'm really frustrated with Parallels support. As I stated in an older post above, I could neither install Mavericks from the recovery partition nor from a bootable USB drive I created with the Mavericks installer (and boots into the installer just fine, I tested it). Now I also tried the solution of PD_usr (thanks by the way), but still it doesn't work for me I downloaded the Mavericks installer from the App Store, copied the InstallESD.dmg, gave it to Parallels and it indeed asked me if I wanted to convert this to a bootable image. I said yes and Parallels Desktop 9 then tells me that it is not possible with this OS.

I contacted Parallels support. I even did a screen capture video of the exact steps to show them step-by-step what I did. But I only got very arbitrary responses back. The first one suggested that I create a bootable USB disk, which I already did and of course was shown in my screen capture video. Did that person even read my error report and look at my video? In that support mail there were multiple terminal commands with placeholders for paths of my USB drive and such, way tooo complicated to follow for an average person. Especially as there was no indication what placeholders I needed to exchange for the terminal commands to work in my case. It looked like copy pasted from the first source the tech person could find that seemed to be related to my case somehow. Of course this didn't help at all as the USB disk didn't work.

I wrote back and got the next reply from Parallels support. Directing me to a Knowledge Base article that stated it was not possible to install Mavericks DEVELOPER PREVIEW in Parallels yet. This article was written before Mavericks was even released. But Parallels advertises now on their page that one can install Mavericks and even has an option named "Install Mavericks from Recovery Partition". So in the second response Parallels are telling me that it's suddenly NOT possible to install Mavericks as a guest OS. I'm really starting to wonder how competent these people are in the support section. Still looking for a solution.

 

After experimenting with it for the last hour I finally found a solution that works for me. Thanks PD_usr for bringing this method to my attention and to experiment with it to FINALLY find a solution that works for me

I DIDN'T have to copy the InstallESD.dmg out of the "Install OS X Mavericks.app" and convert it to a bootable image. Only the following worked for me:
1) In Parallels Desktop 9, I chose NEW
2) Then "Install Windows or another OS from a DVD or image file".
3) In the next screen I chose "Image File".
4) I right click on the "Drag the image file here" section and chose "open file" in the context menu.
5) I then simply direct Parallels to the complete "Install OS X Mavericks.app" in the Applications folder (no drilling down or copying something out of this application package).
6) It then asked me also if I want to create a bootable image of it, and I said yes.

It did its thing and I could now finally install Mavericks into a VM.

So for me, no other way did work. Neither having a working bootable USB stick with the Mavericks installer on it, nor installing from Recovery Partition, nor providing Parallels with the InstallESD.dmg file. I needed to give it the full "Install OS X Mavericks.app".

Hope that may help somebody else who has the same issues.

 

Yes, that was the problem.

I have done the same first and it didn't work, until I found AMcWhirter's post. Again, thanks a lot for that

Leave the 'Install OS X Mavericks.app' as it is, choose in Parallels manually the Installation-Image, drag the 'Install OS X Mavericks.app' from Finder to the field 'Drag the image file here' (or direct Parallels with right clicking into the field to the 'Install OS X Mavericks.app') and let it create the new bootable Image. No previous extraction is needed. Use the new bootable Image for the final Installation.

After many frustrating experiments (same like ChrisPolus), I was surprised how easy it is to install Mavericks in Parallels Desktop 9 .....


Btw: Who's interested in running Mavericks natively on older Macs (unsupported by Mavericks), have a look here (Post #705, #914 and further).

 

Thanks, your explanation was very helpful, and I have just booted up into Mavericks for the first time.

I was able to do this with a USB image of Mavericks, created by DiskMakerX (formerly LionDiskMaker), for those interested.

 

There is now a official Guide from Parallels regarding the Installation of Mavericks in a Virtual Machine:

"How to install OS X 10.9 Mavericks in a Virtual Machine in Parallels Desktop 9"

http://kb.parallels.com/en/118806

 

This may be true, but by the same token, Parallels is using a Darwin boot loader to install OS X..

The same Darwin boot-loader hackin-tosh users use to violate Apple's EULA,,, on a 'vanilla' PC (with the right hardware.)

So, whats the difference here between Parallels getting away with this and being "legal", and a hackin-tosh, even though they both need to use Darwin, or Linux boot loaders, one violates Apple's EULA while the other doesn't ?

As if Parallels is saying a VM is a separate PC, which it is. then building a hackin-tosh would also be legal, but its not ...

Explanations are in needed here


Also, regarding Parallels 9 Mavericks installation, its just like order versions of Parallels where as in the wizard, you just drag & drop. It works.

(just a note : Why does "Locate automatically" take so long to scan.... It should only be scanning /Applications on folders on the Mac, since since this mainly used anyway on OS X. Maybe scan /Documents & Downloads too, and scan will increase by a huge factor

Even though images can be stored outside, going over your entire Hard drive just takes too long.... I'm not quite sure how Parallels is searching, but whatever it is, they not using Spotlight. As this would always be quicker..