Parallels WorkStation 2.2, 100-249u, EDU, ESD, EN WWL2XL-A05-EN Manual Do Utilizador

A virtual hard disk can be one of two formats: plain or expanding.  

A disk of this format occupies all of the allocated space from the moment it is 
created. It takes more space on the real hard disk and more time to create as 
compared with an expanding virtual hard disk, but allows the guest OS to 
operate faster. 

A disk of this format is small initially and grows as you add applications and 
data to the Virtual Machine. The disk size you enter when creating the disk is 
the maximum size to which the disk can grow. When you just begin to operate 
with the disk, it's size is much less than this value. 

Expanding disks take less time to create and save disk space. 

Disk format is set when you create a hard disk image. If you need to change the disk format 
after the hard disk file is created, a copy of the disk in another format can be made using the 
Parallels Image Tool (page 183).  

Hard disk images of both formats are stored in .hdd files, however the structure of a disk file is 
different. Format of the virtual hard disk is displayed in the Disk format field on the Advanced 
(page 116) tab of Hard Disk Options.  

If you discover that a hard disk's size is insufficient, you may increase disk capacity using the 
Parallels Image Tool (on page 174). 

A new virtual hard disk can be created at the same time when a virtual machine is created and 
attached to this virtual machine. For a typical virtual machine, a new hard disk is created 
automatically, as for custom virtual machines, you have to select Create a new virtual hard disk 
option in step 6 of the New Virtual Machine Wizard (page 59). 

To add a new virtual hard disk to an existing virtual machine use the Add Device Wizard (page 
128). 

You may also replace the current virtual hard disk in an opened virtual machine configuration 
with a new one using the Recreate button on the Hard Disk Options (page 114) tab in 
Configuration Editor.  

Besides creating new empty disk, an image of a real hard drive with all the data inside can be 
created using Parallels Image Tool (page 174). This feature is intended mainly for migrating 
data from real hard drive to virtual machine.