Can't open parallels

[newyorkd.o.c.]

I actually paid for the telephone help desk but no one is answering my call. Very annoying. So maybe someone here can help me.

I get this message when I try to open windows:

Documents/Parallels/Microsoft Windows Vista/Microsoft Windows Vista.pvs seems to be not a valid Parallels virtual machine configuration file!

My problem is that I have no clue whatsoever when it comes to fixing this. I was not the person who set up my mac and that person is now 6000 miles away from me. I cannot even figure out what build I am using since I cannot get it to open.

I read that I can maybe open the file in a text editor and save it but I don't know how to go about doing that. Can someone please, please, please help me? I cannot access my work server on Mac OS and the IT person here does not know how to work with parallels and cannot help me.

Any help is very much appreciated.

 

[rm53]

I am not the guru here, but no one seems to answer, so I try:
1. you do not need a VM to be able to open Parallels Desktop (PD). If you want to find out the build number, just move that destroyed file to another place (better: move the complete folder "Microsoft Windows Vista") to a save place, then start PD (maybe by making a new Windows VM if it insists...).
2. your problem desc sounds to me like you have a corrupt VM (that .pvs file). In this case nothing will help you except (1) you find a sound backup of your VM (Time Machine?) or (2) you make a new Windows VM and start all over.

I think that backups are generally important, but really save backups of VMs are extremely important just because there is so much work involved to get a OS installed, configured and then all the needed software installation and configuration work.
Use Parallels snapshots, AND use TM backups, AND make a manual backup to an external disk right after Windows and Software configuration is complete, at least once. It pays off!