"The virtual machine is not available"

Discussion in 'Windows Virtual Machine' started by StuartD2, Nov 14, 2018.

  1. StuartD2

    StuartD2 Member

    Messages:
    21
    Was working away, doing several things at once, as usual, when my virtual machines present suddenly as a black screen with a question mark...
    Came in here looking for answers.
    Followed some leads, (http://kb.parallels.com/10109) basically in order to direct the machine to it's PVM file. Looked around, couldn't find anything where it was meant to be, found the folders, but they were empty....
    The P.D. article suggests recounting the steps that led up this situation, in order to have an understanding of what may have happened to the file...
    That's easy: on the back of another task in OSX, I emptied the trash can.....
    There it is then.... from this point, it seems, everything has to be built from scratch, so much for my deadline...
    But why in blazes were the virtual machines running from PVM files in the trash....????
    And what happens when I rebuild this thing? Does it run the virtual machine from the trash again.......
    For flocks sake.......
     

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  2. Hi StuartD2. We regret for the inconvenience caused. By default, virtual machine files are located either in Documents/Parallels folder inside your user folder, or in /Users/Shared/Parallels. The file can be moved to any other location on Mac and still you can access the virtual machine as long as the file is present. If you have a Time Machine backup, please refer this article to restore the file from it and check whether it works. If not, then you need to reinstall the Windows virtual machine and the programs.
     
  3. Ajith1

    Ajith1 Parallels Support

    Messages:
    2,719
    Hi StuartD2, virtual machines will not run from Trash Bin. If you have used any cleanup software on the Mac then it might get the VM moved to Trash. With the latest Parallels Desktop, apart from the two default locations mentioned in the previous reply VM's will be also saved on /<Users>/Parallels/ folder.
     
  4. StuartD2

    StuartD2 Member

    Messages:
    21
    If it won't run from the trash, I guess it won't run from the trash, but it was working one minute and then gone... I'm just putting two and two together here and the trash seemed to be it.. I had it in mind to go to rummage through the trash in Time Machine and after reading a little bit on that I don't think anybody has successfully found trash folders in time machine, in the history of computing....
    I trawled for PVM files and found several versions, (why several....?), picking the latest, I did a restore and managed to fire things up again. So both of my PVMs sit currently in /Users/Shared/Parallels.

    I have done a "clean" in the past, but sometime ago.. and in the interim everything ran, until emptying the trash...
    So, you're saying parallels doesn't respond well to programs cleaning the drive..? Because I continually get prompts to "clean"...
     
  5. Ajith1

    Ajith1 Parallels Support

    Messages:
    2,719
    Hi StuartD2, it is not Parallels Desktop but the PVM file for the VM (a big file) which will be detected by cleanup utilities as a file occupying more space removing which will free up more space on Mac disk.
     
  6. StuartD2

    StuartD2 Member

    Messages:
    21
    The PVM does not exist without parallels desktop, to wit, parallels desktop has a problem with 'cleaners"........
     
  7. Ajith1

    Ajith1 Parallels Support

    Messages:
    2,719
    Even without Parallels Desktop, a PVM can exist on the Mac and can be used using another virtualization software. For example, if you create a word document use Microsoft Office Word for Mac and save it on Documents folder as DOC or DOCX file even if Office is removed/uninstalled that file will remain. If that file is moved to trash by a cleaner then the issue is with the cleaning app. Similarly, your entire Windows is created as a file with an extension .PVM and it is read/write by Parallels Desktop when Windows is used. It is also saved in a folder separate from junks and logs are saved. Even when that file is saved on a private folder and deleted by a Cleanup tool, then the issue is with the cleanup tool.
     
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2018
  8. StuartD2

    StuartD2 Member

    Messages:
    21
    That's all undeniably true, but you've slipped into semantics now....

    This is also bigger than a document, it's an operating system..
    From the users perspective, there are no protections, from the parallels desktop side of things, to prevent the most important file in this process from being scooped up and tossed, buy a "cleaner" (which I will no longer be employing, including the one in parallels toolbox.....).

    However you choose to describe it, that's how it plays out at the coalface, in my experience....
     
  9. Ajith1

    Ajith1 Parallels Support

    Messages:
    2,719
    I understand your concern if the PVM file is protected by some kind of security in Parallels Desktop it will not get removed by a Cleaner application. You can suggest the same in this thread as a feature request which might be considered and included in the future.
     

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