Convert Parallels to Bootcamp Partition using Acronis TrueImage?

[SaRes]

Hi,

I´ve read all the postings around which talk about the way to convert a Parallels VM to a BootCamp partition. The most of them suggested Acronis to do this task.

I have an actual registered Acronis TrueImage version, but I was not able to manage this task. I´ve created a backup of my VM, de-installed the Parallels Tools and created an Acronis Image of my VM. No problem at all.

The tricky part, which I was not able to figure out was, how to restore the Acronis Image to the Boot-Camp Partition as Acronis a) is not able to boot from the Boot-Disc (the build in Linux do have some problems in recognizing the Keyboard and Mouse) and b) didn´t recognise the Partition created by BootCamp.

I also tried to make some BartPE Disc with the Acronis Plugin installed and followed some descriptions which I´ve found in the forum, but I didn´t succeed.

That´s why I want to ask if anybody out there was able to convert the Parallels VM into a BootCamp Partition. If so, please let me know how it was possible to play back to Acronis Image to the Bootcamp Partition.

I use Acronis TrueImage Home (latest 10.x version), Bootcamp 1.2 and I have an actual MBP 17" with 2GB of Memory and 160GB HDD (if this kind of information might be interesting). If you could give me some other advice how I could manage this task with different tools, please let me know in either case.

Kind regards
SaRes

 

[Al_Q]

Acronis CAN access any Parallels boot drive, including the boot camp partition. I use Acronis 10 in Parallels to back up my boot camp partition that way.

My plan for recovery is to start Parallels as if it is creating a new VM, run the Acronis bootable CD just like an installer CD, and then recover from my Acronis backup. But I have not yet tried this to be sure it works.

My Plan B is that with a little luck Acronis will support the Boot Camp partition scheme before I need it. Emails from Acronis support suggest that they are looking at it, but they have not promised anything.

If you try to transfer a VM this way, please let us all know whether it works. You will of course need to install drivers from Apple's driver CD after you have set up your boot camp partition. But I expect that first you should run the recovered boot camp partition from Parallels, and then shut it down cleanly from the Start menu so that Parallels will remove its drivers.

You are likely to have to reactivate Windows, but so far Microsoft has done that over the phone for me with no complaints, whenever I have had to reinstall. I just told them that I was reinstalling Windows after drive problems on the same computer where I was running it before (true though not the whole story).

 

[SaRes]

Hi,

thanks for you posting.

Unfortunately I am not able to see my Bootcamp partition when I use Acronis in my Parallels environment. Neither when I try to backup it nor when I try to restore it. It´s simply not visible.

I do not know how you´ve been able to do so. Maybe you have make your backup using Acronis when working with your started Bootcamp partition (not the embeded Bootcamp Partition using Parallels)?

As I am not able to see my Bootcamp Partition using Acronis your plan for recovery does not work for me, because the recovery CD makes no difference.

I´ve read some postings in the Acronis forum, but this time there are no direct announcements or plans to support Bootcamp on MAC. Acronis suggest to make an entry on the "wish list" forum, and maybe they will support it once.

So I will try some other things suggested in different forums and maybe I will find a working solution. If so, I will post it here.

Thanks again and all the best
SaRes

 

[Al_Q]

I tried Acronis True Image 9 to clone my Boot Camp drive. It refused saying something like
it doesn't do virtual drives. Do you think True Image 10 can clone a Boot Camp hard drive?

If you boot into native Boot Camp, Acronis will not do a backup. It does not support the kind of dynamic partition Boot Camp uses.

You can create a Parallels VM that uses your Boot Camp partition as its C: drive (you have to choose custom settings in the Parallels wizard to create a parallels VM based on Boot Camp). When you boot that VM, Acronis sees your boot camp partition as a normal C: drive (because Parallels has virtualized it) and will happily back it up.

What is not clear is how well Acronis deals with a boot camp partition when it is not the Parallels boot drive. That ought to work too, but I have not tried all the combinations.

 

[na9d]

If you mount the BootCamp drive as a secondary drive in Parallels, Acronis sees it. But I'm not sure how well it works to back up to it. I was messing with this last night and given I have my own thread started on this, I won't duplicate things, but you definitely have to add the BootCamp drive as a drive in Parallels...