Blog/Parallels/Convert Real HD

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.

1. 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)
2. on the origin computer, create a new VM from your existing recovery partition
3. when it gets to the installer, "Stop" the VM
4. configure the VM
   1. select "Hardware->Boot Order"
   2. Check "Select boot device on startup"
5. if your disc image is > 64GB, do the next steps
   1. press the "+" key at the bottom
   2. select "Hard Disk"
   3. in the next screen, be sure "New Image File" is selected
   4. make the size correct
   5. check "expanding disk"
6. start the VM
7. when it gets to the boot screen, hit Escape
8. now you're in the "select a drive" text screen
9. in the "Devices" menu pick "CD/DVD->Connect Image..." and select your disc image you made in step 1
10. press "1" to start booting, and let it fall thru to booting to Recovery which is all that's available now
11. when you get to the installer, go into Disc Utilities
12. you should see your disc image AND the blank volume (plus the OTHER blank one if you created one > 64GB)
13. select the volume INSIDE the disc image and pick "restore" on the right, the disc image should be in the "source"
14. drag the blank HD (or the larger one you created) to the "Destination"
15. click "restore"
16. this will copy the disc image into the VM!
17. when done, quit the installer,
18. it will ask if you want to restart or set your startup disc
19. click "Choose Startup Disk", pick your new startup disc (not the disc image), and click OK
20. should boot without issue into your new VM!
21. you may eject the disc image from the VM
22. if you created a larger disk:
    1. shut down the VM
    2. then configure it again
    3. delete the smaller "Hard Disk"
23. TADAA!