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Migrating from VirtualBox to Parallels Desktop

VirtualBox

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So, this has been my past 24 hours. Migrating from VirtualBox to Parallels desktop. You'd think it'd be easy, right? Well, you'd be wrong. I first installed Parallels 4, which the website said could import a VirtualBox VM. Well, it lets you select the VM in finder, but says that the .vdi disk is unreadable or has no OS installed on it. I know that that's false, because VirtualBox boots from it just fine. So, I tried to use VirtualBox to export a OVF device, which Parallels also said it could import. No such luck. So, after several hours of looking, and an hour of exporting, I still had nothing. 

My only solution was to migrate to Parallels 5. I installed this, and it imported the .vdi disk just fine. No problems, and no questions asked. As far as I could tell, everything was going swimmingly. That was until I started up windows in Parallels.
I turned on the VM, and immediately had problems. Windows was deactivated, and it wouldn't come back to life because it said that my windows key had been activated too many times. Well, there's an easy fix for that. Call the Activation Hotline, and tell the computer that answers that you went through a major hardware change. It reads out to you a new activation confirmation code, and windows activates just fine. And then, Parallels installed Parallels tools automatically and everything just worked. 
Bottom line is: If your happy with VirtualBox and have no reason for switching, save yourself the trouble and stick with what works. But, if you have the strong urge to have that shiny new and speedy Parallels 5, then go for it. But don't blame me if things break; you have been warned of the troubles it can bring.
All for Now!
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Arthur Rosa is an engineering manager based in Sunnyvale, California.