Unable to Write to NTFS USB 3 HD Running Windows 8 via Parallels 9

[Bengaldad]

I have been running Windows 8 on a maxed out Retina Macbook Pro and writing to an external USB3 HD without problems. Yesterday I installed Parallels 9 using my Boot Camp partition. Running Windows 8 under Parallels 9, I find I cannot write to this same external USB 3 HD. I can see all the folders and files on the HD, and when I right click on any folder on the external HD I can see that I have read only permission. When I uncheck that box, I get the message that I need administrator privileges for that action. However, I am the administrator and only account on this machine. Note that I have network file sharing set up on all hard disks under Parallels 9 configuration. I don't know how to solve this quandary, and I very much need to write to this external USB HD using Windows 8 with Parallels 9.

Thank you in advance for any help that you can give me.

Tom

 

[Bengaldad]

Since there have been more than 90 views to this post and not a single reply, I thought I might post the answer.

Windows 8 running under Parallels 9 cannot write to NTFS formatted HD's although it can read those disks. Running under Boot Camp Windows can both read and write to NTFS formatted HD's. Parallels is creating a virtual HD that takes its permissions from OS X and OS X allows Macs to read but NOT write to NTFS formatted disks. Since Windows running under Boot Camp does not involve virtual HD's, one can write to and read NTFS formatted HD's.

The fact that you can read and write to Mac HFS formatted HD's from Windows running under Parallels whereas you can read but not write to NTFS formatted HD's running Windows under Boot Camp seems counterintuitive. It would have saved me a lot of time and effort had the above simple facts been explained in the Parallels 9 documentation and judging from the lack of response here, it seems these facts are not well understood. I would encourage the Parallels Team to add this clear explanation of what is and is not possible with Mac HFS formatted and Windows NTFS formatted HD's running under Parallels in their documentation. In fact, no pun intended, these facts arose only after a full hour of talking with Parallels Tech support about the issue that began this thread.

I am posting this here in order that it may save others using Parallels from the same confusion about what type HD's can and cannot be written to when running Windows under Parallels.

Tom