PVM file size

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Parallels User

I just migrated my virtual machine (Windows XP) to my new MacBook Pro and upgraded from v7 to v8 in the process. In the guest OS, my hard drive is set at 30GB and is about 75-percent full. I would have expected my PVM file to be somewhere between 23 and 30GB in size, but it is over 72GB. Why is that and is there anything I can do about it?
 
Hi Ray,

To reclaim space on your hard drive:

With your vm selected (but do not start)got to Virtual Machines >Configure>General>Reclaim...>yes

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The above screen shot if from my Ubuntu but the process works for all VMs.
 

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Since my original post, I began to wonder if it was a snapshot that was taking up the extra space. However, I checked the configuration window and there are no snapshots, and no reclaimable space, either. Here, it says the disk size is 67.3 GB. Is there really 37.3 GB of overhead?
 
Hi Ray,

From inside your windows vm do a Disk Clean up.
Control panel>Performance Information and Tools>Disk Clean up.
You might also do a Disk Defrag.
Control Panel>Performance Information and Tools>Advanced Tools>Open Disk Defragmenter

You can also find them by going to start menu and search for them. (much quicker)

After you do that see the size of your drive, and if any space can be reclaimed.
 
Unfortunately, that didn't help. Defragmenting cleaned things up some. However, I had four files, each 600 to 640 MB, that couldn't be moved. Afterward, there was still no reclaimable space. Hard disks: 68.6 GB, 1252.1 KB Misc, Snapshots 0, Reclaimable 0. It's almost as if there's another hard disk there but I've looked at Windows Explorer. I find two "network" drives ("on 'psf'"): one appears to be my host machine hard drive (labeled as "MobileBackups" and showing no free space), the other (Home on 'psf'), appears to be the same but mirrors the used and free space on the host hard drive (actually, a SSD :) ).

Those four un-moveable files belong to the same program that I installed yesterday (this issue pre-dates the installation). I might uninstall, defragment, and reinstall to see if that helps.
 
Hi Ray,

I have a question for you how did you migrate your vm?

Also I would like you to save a copy of your vm to an external hard (for safety)
Next go to Virtual Machine>Configuration>Options>Sharing>uncheck all sharing options.

Start your vm
go to My Computer>

  • How large is Local Disk(C:)
  • How many .psf Network Drives do you have?

Thanks,

kat
 
kat said:
how did you migrate your vm?
Click to expand...

Copied to external drive then used File>Migrate....

kat said:
Also I would like you to save a copy of your vm to an external hard (for safety)
Next go to Virtual Machine>Configuration>Options>Sharing>uncheck all sharing options.

Start your vm
go to My Computer>

  • How large is Local Disk(C:)
  • How many .psf Network Drives do you have?
Click to expand...

Local Disk (C:) 31.2 GB
One .psf drive (Home on 'psf' (Z:))
PVM file is currently 73.69 GB

I have decided to create a new Windows 7 VM and will be moving everything (just a few apps, including one large one) to that machine. Probably will be doing that early next week.
 
I have now successfully created a 36 GB Windows 7 VM. It is currently compressed and is taking only 9.4 GB on my drive. :) I'll soon be saying goodbye to my bloated XP VM.
 
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