Blog/Parallels/Convert Real HD
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Here is how to create a Mac VM from a bootable HD. You must have blank storage large enough for 2x the size of the HD you're creating an image from. 1 to create a disk image from the HD, and 1 to hold the final VM from the image.
- create a dmg of your HD (using Disk Utilities) (required because Parallels for some reason does not let you directly mount the disk hardware, but it DOES let you mount a DMG)
- note this image must be a DMG (or maybe a DVD master?), sparseimage won't work cuz Parallels won't mount i
- note this DMG must be "MacOS Extended" format, if you're creating a Mojave disk
- on the origin computer, create a new VM from your existing recovery partition
- when it gets to the installer, "Stop" the VM
- configure the VM
- select "Hardware->Boot Order"
- Check "Select boot device on startup"
- select "Hardware->Hard Disk", click Advanced
- in the next screen, set the HD size to 1TB or whatever
- start the VM
- when it gets to the boot screen, hit Escape
- now you're in the "select a drive" text screen
- in the "Devices" menu pick "CD/DVD->Connect Image..." and select your disc image you made in step 1
- press "1" to start booting, and let it fall thru to booting to Recovery which is all that's available now
- when you get to the installer, go into Disc Utilities
- you should see your disc image AND the blank volume
- select the volume INSIDE the disc image and pick "restore" on the right, the disc image should be in the "source"
- drag the blank HD (or the larger one you created) to the "Destination"
- click "restore"
- this will copy the disc image into the VM!
- when done, quit the installer,
- it will ask if you want to restart or set your startup disc
- click "Choose Startup Disk", pick your new startup disc (not the disc image), and click OK
- should boot without issue into your new VM!
- you may eject the disc image from the VM
- TADAA!