Cannot access Virtual Machine after clean reinstall

[ghhill61]

Apologies if this is covered in an earlier thread, but I could not find it.
I have uninstalled, then reinstalled, Parallels Desktop for Mac 7. Before doing so I read Knowledge Base Article 114624, which states that Virtual Machines will not be affected by uninstalling and reinstalling Parallels, but although Parallels is now reinstalled on my Mac (running Lion) I cannot access my Virtual Machine or any of the files created, which seem to be all there, albeit greyed out. Right-clicking the Parallels icon in the dock simply produces the window for creating a new Virtual Machine. Is there a way of retrieving the guest OS and files?
ghhill61

 

[kat]

In your Mac finder search for .pvm files.
file location could be:
user name>Doucments>Parallels - .pvm
macHardDrive>User>shared>Parallels -.pvm

 

[ghhill61]

Hi kat

Entered .pvm in Finder search box and only thing which showed up was Parallels User Guide.

 

[kat]

also look for .hdd.
Did you back up your files (copy to external media)?
Also please make sure they are not in the trash.

 

[ghhill61]

nothing more on .hdd either.

I opened Time Machine and retrieved a page from before I reinstalled, clicked on the Parallels icon, and then on "replace original". I then got an error message to say that I couldn't replace as Parallels was already open. I right clicked the icon in the Dock and pressed "quit" and the icon also disappeared from the Finder page on Time machine. I then went back to an earlier page on Time Machine but this time clicked on "keep both". I now have two Parallels icons, one described as "original", presumably the clean reinstall version. Clicking this one opens the install from image or transfer from PC window. When I click the other icon, either directly or through control-click, a second Parallels icon appears in the dock and immediately disappears, and nothing else happens. Still no change when searching for .pvm or .hdd in finder. I suppose the next step is simply to reinstall the guest OS, but I've stored the product key in such a safe place that I can't remember where it is! I'll have a good search. Meanwhile, I'm very grateful for your help.