The file is used by other application

P

PigsOnTheWing

Bit poster
Hello! I've got a problem that just popped up out of nowhere. I'm running the latest version of Parallels under Leopard. No problems until today. I'm now getting an error message that says:

Virtural machine cannot be started because of the following problem:

Parallels Desktop is unable to access the virtual hard disk image file /Users/ ... /Documents/Parallels/Windows XP/windows.hdd. The file is used by other application.
Click to expand...

I actually started out today (and ran Windows XP successfully this morning) with a .hdd file named winxp.hdd. I already tried the method where I was supposed to look inside of the package contents for a lock file and remove it. I had no such file to remove.

I then used a second method which stated I should open the package contents for winxp.hdd, remove the .hds file, rename it to windows.hdd, and then edit my virtual machine settings to point to the new hard disk, and then allow Parallels to convert the file to a new format.

All well and good, I suppose, but when I attempt to start Parallels with the new drive, I get the same message about windows.hdd being used by another application. I've looked inside of its package, and, of course, there is no lock file in there either.

Please tell me I'm not screwed. I don't have a backup of this drive.

Thanks!
 
It probably got opened by another user or process, or the file was 'closed' without the proper 'check-out' procedure to the file-system.
 
I tried that -- still getting that same error message.

Uh-oh, I'm worried. My XP froze on shutting down my Mac earlier, and so I just turned the Mac off manually. The Parallels Desktop reads that XP is "Stopped", and when I try to start XP, I get the error message that it can't start due to that disk image being used by another application.

Any other ideas to help solve this would be most welcome!
 
I have the exact same problem. I woke my MacBook, and it said that Parallels Desktop had unexpectedly quit. As soon as I relaunched and tried to start Windows, it gave me the "file in use" error.

I tried removing the .lck file from inside the package, but then I get the message "the file is corrupted". VERY FRUSTRATING!

Rebooting the computer doesn't help.

Kate, thanks for the link, but it didn't help either. I'm dead in the water until I can get rid of this error message...
 
still not working ...

I tried to delete the .lck file, and now the message reads:

Parallels Desktop is unable to access the virtual hard disk image file /Users/psax78/Library/Parallels/winxp/winxp.hdd. The file is corrupted.

Thanks for your help, still hoping there's a solution!
 
Danteskasas

LONG PATH TOOL
Do you have error messages?, like :
• Path too long
• Error cannot delete file: cannot read from source file or disk
• Cannot delete file: Access is denied
• There has been a sharing violation.
• Cannot delete file or folder The file name you specified is not valid or too long. Specify a different file name.
• The source or destination file may be in use.
• The file is in use by another program or user.
• Error Deleting File or Folder
• Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.
• Error Copying File or Folder.
• Cannot remove folder.
• The filename or extension is too long.
• Path too deep.
• Destination Path Too Long.
• Could not find this item.
• Filename is not valid.
• The file could not be accessed.
• The path you entered is too long. Enter a shorter path.
• File Name could not be found. Check the spelling of the filename, and verify that the file location is correct.

Download LONG PATH Tool 3.6 at http://longpathtool.com/
 
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