Hard disk image corrupted

H

hsiebert

Bit poster
I am running Parallels Desktop on a IntelMac with Mac OS 10.5.
The Guest OS is Windows XP.

When I tried to quit Parallels Desktop yesterday it froze and I had to use the force quit to end the application. Since then I can not start the virtual machine any more. The error message says that the hard disk image is corrupted. I have already deleted the lock file from the hdd package but it still does not work. Is there any way to recover this hdd?
 
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Hello,

please do the following:
1. In the Finder, browse to the virtual machine folder (the default path is: Documents-Parallels-Virtual Machine).
2. Find and delete the ".sav" and ".mem" files in the virtual machine folder.

Will it help?

Best regards,
Stacey
 
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corrupt hdd file

I followed the instructions, but when the vm comes up now I don't have many files and my desktop is missing icons and its so messed up I almost need to start from scratch.

I still have the original hdd file (package), tho I "moved" the hds file out of it accoding to the directions. If that is changed by the process I don't have a backup of it prior to getting this "corrupt / can't start" message.

Any help or clues you might provide would be much appreciated. All of the shortcuts and files I had on my desktop are gone. The VM was windows XP and was setup to prompt for a login / password, but now that doesn't happen.
 
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Hello,

when you used the article above, you have done the following:
1. Go to Macintosh HD -> Users -> "Your user name (The house" icon) ->Documents (Library) -> Parallels) and open the Virtual Machine Name folder.
2. Right-click (CTRL+click for Mac mouse or SHIFT+CTRL+click for Mac mouse) on the .hdd file and select "Show Package Contents".
Please provide me with a sreenshot of "Show Package Contents" window.

Best regards,
Stacey
 
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hard disk corrupted

Stacey-
I can't show you that as I first saw it, but it will be close. I discovered that the xml file was corrupted (I'm a developer, so you can talk tech to me). However I followed the procedure before I noticed that, or that there were 2 hds files in the hdd pkg.

The hdd included 2 snapshots, which is why I suspect there were 2 hds files.

After I applied the fix and discovered much of my hard disk was missing, I backed up all of the hdd/hds files, including the old "shell" I removed the hds from to create the new hdd.

I also discovered the snapshot files, and copied them (after doing your fix that converts the drive).

When I setup the vm initially, I created a snapshot of the basic win xp install. I was under the impression that a snapshot was a reference point I could return to. Somehow that first "snapshot" got lost. There is now 2 vm's, but their ancestry in the snapshot manager is identical. But when I try to start the original it says it can't find the hard disk image.

I've been looking at alot of the files under my home directory and they all seem correct, and so I don't know why the original vm won't start any longer.

OK, now to answer your question about the screen shot. I don't know how to get one on the mac. Sad I know. So I will have to describe it.

There are 3 files: 1 xml file I have attached, plus 2 hds files. The 3rd hds file referenced in the xml was never present as I recall (the one with guid {9a8caa31-0c4e-44b0-bfb5-406d36b75f8b} ). That one corresponds with the original snapshot I guess.

I presume the hard disk data resides in the hds files, so it seems like this can be recovered (I pray it can!). But the qirk is that I converted "part" of a disk state based on the instructions found here without having the complete picture of what I was doing.

Yesterday I couldn't reach this forum, it was down / offline. Shame b/c I will not be able to spend much time on this today & tomorrow. But Please do communicate what you can, and perhaps send an email if necessary.

Thanks for your assistance Stacey!
 

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Hello,

please try to use the solution suggested here. Will it help you?

By the way, you can do the screenshots by clicking 'Shift'+'Apple'+'3' or 'Shift'+'Apple'+'4'+'Space bar'.

Best regards,
Stacey
 
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understanding hds files & snapshots

I wish I knew about the hdd being a package and looked at the descriptor xml in it before I followed the recovery / conversion procedure. I noticed that the {5fb...b41} guid had 8 or more binary characters in it. I probably could have recovered at that point easily by simply fixing that xml corruption. Hindsight is always 2020!

After backing up all the files (but unfortunately after converting the {5fb...b41} hds), I tried to create a new hdd from the various pieces, and even tried to create one with multiple hds pieces in it like the original.

Every time I used the {6abeb04a-88fb-4640-aae0-f3355b26cb8e} hds file I got the corrupted disk msg. I am doubtful about the outcome of using only the oldest hds file however, b/c the converted image was bootable but was missing changes from the most recent snapshot.

I'd really like an explanation of the hds files.

The snapshots created a "layered" disk image:
{9a8caa31-0c4e-44b0-bfb5-406d36b75f8b} was the original (oldest) image with basic Windows XP.

{5fbaabe3-6958-40ff-92a7-860e329aab41} added a few applications, configuration to require login and various OS updates, such as IE7.

{6abeb04a-88fb-4640-aae0-f3355b26cb8e} has been in operation since Sept., and has many file additions. This is the critical data I really hate to loose.

So, I can't imagine that taking only the oldest hds would provide the correct image with all of my data. And as I said, the [9a8...f8b} hds is nowhere to be found, and this was true before[/] the corruption occurred that rendered the vm unbootable.

Also, if you would explain the snapshot & vm folder contents that might help me to reconstruct a complete hdd image. I have included a screen shot of my folder contents as they now are.
 

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May be it will be possible to convert the .hdd file you have received from .hds to old format using Parallels Image Tool and then to rename it in .hds again?

Best regards,
Stacey
 
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A couple of questions

I'm affraid I didn't understand your post regarding the old format. Could you be more specific please?


I've got a couple of questions I'm hoping you can answer and lead to a solution:

1. I bought version 3 build 4560, so I've never had a version 2.x image. Therefore, are the hds files actually altered by the "conversion" process, or does that simply reconstruct the xml file?

2. I have been able to create hdd images by manually editing the xml. However, when I start the VM it doesn't see the Windows XP OS and initiates a new guest OS install process. Why would that occur?

3. 2 days ago I was able to start the VM after following the instructions Stacey M recommended, albeit with missing files. However I can no longer start the VM, probably due to my edits in trying to recover the full disk image. I backed up the hds files before I started playing around trying to recover the full image, so shouldn't it be possible to recover my complete vm hdd image if the snapshot & descriptor XML files are correct?
 
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Parallels Image Tool

I didn't read your msg carefully. Now I see this image tool reference. I'll see if that will help. I know the image explorer isn't very useful tho.

Thanks.
 
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First of all, please tell me if you have .hdd file, that you have created from .hds file.
Second, please tell me if you know the exact name of this .hds file.

Best regards,
Stacey
 
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Good News!

I figured out how to reconstruct my disk image, well at least 99% of it.

I took each of the hds files and created an hdd package with only one hds in it. I hand edited the DiskDescriptor.xml for each one.

After reading several other posts you made on this issue in related topics, I figured the hdd/hds that showed an NTFS filesystem in parallels explorer was the root / original snapshot. Then using the original DiskDescriptor.xml from my "crashed" hdd, I figured out the correct order of the other 2 hds files.

So, I'm back!

What is missing is my login account. I mean the VM no longer prompts me to login as I had it configured before. Also, my desktop was clobbered but that was easy to fix.

I learned alot about Parallels disk images, and I definitely backed up now!
1. The names of the hds files is not important.
2. The hds files MUST reside in the same package that contains the DiskDescriptor.xml that refers to them.
3. The snapshot guids are important.
4. The "conversion" process seems to use the same guid for each new hds file name it creates.

I'm sure I forgot a few things but I'm not going to let this happen again without a backup.

Thanks for your help Stacey!!!
 
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