Parallels partition too big, can I make it smaller?

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Level 1

8 points

Parallels partition too big, can I make it smaller?

I only have about 3 gb left on my 120gb drive, and it seems that Parallels has taken about 30 gb of my 120.

Can I make that partition smaller, easily? I really don't want to reformat or reinstall.

Thanks in advance.

15: MacBook Pro (April 2007), Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Jun 8, 2009 5:12 AM

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Answer 1

Jun 8, 2009 5:49 AM in response to MikeMargolis

Did you actually partition your HDD, or are you saying that the Parallels virtual machine file (with the .pvm extension) is now 30 GB. If the latter, try running Parallels Compressor - Parallels > have the VM running > Virtual Machine menu > Run Parallels Compressor. The process will take a while (1-2 hours or more).

You may also want run Utilities > Disk Utility and Verify Disk on your HDD (if errors are found, you need to boot from your Install DVD and run Utilities menu > Disk Utility > Repair Disk to fix them).

You should always keep >15% of your HDD free!

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Answer 2

MikeMargolis Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 8, 2009 9:54 AM in response to neuroanatomist

Thanks. Running Parallels Compressor - Parallels > have the VM running > Virtual Machine menu > Run Parallels Compressor took me from 3.13gb free to 7.72gb.

The compressor locked up after about an hour running, and I had to use Apple Force Quit to stop it. (nice) But Parallels started Windows fine after a reboot, so I guess I'm good. I found almost 5gb, so that makes me pretty happy.

If I'm feeling lucky I might run it again. (on the other hand, after it froze, nothing bad happened, so I guess I AM lucky!)

Thanks for your help, much appreciated.

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Answer 3

Jun 8, 2009 10:41 AM in response to MikeMargolis

Ok, but 7.72 GB free on a drive with ~112 GB capacity (which is the real capacity of a 120 GB drive) means you have less than 7% free space. Running that close to the edge will cause problems with your system. In other words, you sholud be looking to delete (or archive to external storage) some files, either inside your Parallels VM or elsewhere on your Mac (movies, iMovie projects, maybe you have lots of music, etc.).

You can use freeware such as Disk Inventory X to see what's taking the most space on your HDD.

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