Parallels with USB-attached PC-drive with Windows

[Dehuti]

I google'd around trying to find a solution for a problem, which is: how to use virtualization software available for OS X when you don't want to create virtual disk rather - you'd like to use physical, real HDD attached to your Intel-based Mac by USB of Firewire? See the difference? Start a virtual system from a real drive with proper Windows on it... Just rip-off disk from your PC and start the environment on the Mac??? Beautiful..... I discovered, that VMWare Server can handle such boot-up and provide you with virtual environment launched from a USB-connected drive, but unfortunately this product is not available on Mac...

I hope Parallel Desktop team has a roadmap for the product which includes boot-up from USB-attached drive, but FOR NOW I assume temporary solution exists: to convert physical drive partition to disk image (DMG, ISO, TOAST) and then, reconvert it to HDD-expanded virtual drive format accepted by Parallels, and boot system from it!!! Aaaaa brilliant! The only problem is I tried that with mentioned disk image formats and Parallels failed to accept any of the drive images as "expanded virtual drive format" and even when it agreed on ISO after change of extension - was not very keen to booting from it.

Any ideas my geeky fellows?

[fryke]

Parallels is looking into this. Although their plan (and the users' request) is to re-use a BootCamp partition, so one doesn't have to install Windows XP twice. I guess one of the problems is that the OS sees two completely different computers. A "real" one with ATi graphics or intel on-board graphics chip etc., and one that has emulated hardware. Windows XP, for example, thinks it needs to be reactivated if such major changes happen to its setup. So even _if_ you get an external USB drive to boot in Parallels, such a boot might actually hose the system etc., because Windows would try to "fix" things.

[knight885]

Yes, trying to boot the same Windows partition within two different hardware configurations will go tits-up. At the very least, Windows will reboot automatically each time you start it up under a new setup, as it has to swap some low-level drivers around when the motherboard changes, but it's more likely that you'll just end up with a big bag of trouble.

[fried]

Have you seen this:

Multiple hard disks in parallels

Maybe it will help?