Moving pvm files into a Dropbox folder?

Discussion in 'General Questions' started by FrankO1, Oct 13, 2017.

  1. FrankO1

    FrankO1 Member

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    51
    I'd like to move my pvm files for Parallels Desktop 13 to a folder in the Dropbox file area on my MacBook so that they will have a guaranteed backup.

    Is this permitted?

    If so, what do I need to do to make this change?
     
  2. Meenakshi@Parallels

    Meenakshi@Parallels Pro

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    450
    Hello FrankO1, it is not recommended to have a backup for Windows virtual machine (.pvm file) in Dropbox. Thanks!
     
  3. FrankO1

    FrankO1 Member

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    51
    Meena, thanks for the information. Just out of curiosity, why is it not recommended?
     
  4. PaulChristopher@Parallels

    PaulChristopher@Parallels Product Expert Staff Member

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    3,158
    Hi @FrankO1, the reason why is, the performance of the virtual machine will be affected. It might runs slow. Dropbox syncs all files in 4MB chunks. If, when writing a file, the application in question just changes a portion of the file, then Dropbox will only sync the changed portions, in 4MB chunks. However, if an application re-writes the entire file's structure when saving (like with some compressed files), then Dropbox will see that the entire file has changed and will need to re-sync the entire thing.
     
  5. FrankO1

    FrankO1 Member

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    51
    Paul Chris, thanks for the explanation. Are there any other relatively automated backup systems that work well with Parallels .pvm files? Perhaps iCloud?
     
  6. Ajith1

    Ajith1 Parallels Support

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    2,719
    You can use Time Machine to backup the virtual machine. Refer to article for steps.
     
  7. FrankO1

    FrankO1 Member

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    51
    Thanks. That's what I'm actually doing right now (backing up with Time Machine). I was hoping for a more automated approach that wouldn't require me to do anything, but I guess I can keep going with Time Machine if need be.
     
  8. PaulChristopher@Parallels

    PaulChristopher@Parallels Product Expert Staff Member

    Messages:
    3,158
    Alright ! @FrankO1, Time Machine back up is recommended. Feel free to reach out anytime and we are here to help!
     

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