Note: this article only applies to Intel-based Mac computers, as the Boot Camp® feature is currently not available on Mac computers with M1 chip.

Symptoms

You experience any kind of issues with your Virtual Machine installed from Boot Camp partition:

• issues with installing, starting or stopping the virtual machine
• error messages when working with your Virtual machine
• other issues

Cause

Virtual Machine installed from Boot Camp partition may fail to work properly due to several different reasons, most of them are related to Boot Cam partition configuration and Windows misconfiguration.

Resolution

1. Find the type of the issue you face and proceed to the corresponding step to solve it:

   • Cannot create Virtual machine. See p.2.1.
   • Cannot start Virtual machine. See p.2.2
   • Cannot stop Virtual machine. See p.2.3
   • Windows activation issue. See p.2.4.
   • Cannot migrate Boot camp partition to Parallels Desktop virtual machine. See p.2.5.
   • other issues. See p.2.6.

2.1. Cannot create Virtual machine:

• Parallels Wizard does not detect Boot Camp partition

  • You can find a solution here: http://kb.parallels.com/en/116235

• Parallels Desktop does not detect Windows 8 Boot Camp partition

  • You can find a solution here: http://kb.parallels.com/en/115145
• ERROR: The disk partitions in Windows Boot Camp are not the same as in Mac OS.

or

• ERROR: PRL_ERR_DISK_GPT_MBR_NOT_EQUAL (0x80021065)

  • You can find a solution here: http://kb.parallels.com/en/11244
• ERROR: The Boot Camp hard disk has been successfully configured, but an unexpected error occurred when mounting the selected Boot Camp partitions back to your Mac.
  • You can find a solution here: http://kb.parallels.com/en/111750

2.2 Cannot start Virtual machine

• Cannot run Safe Mode in the Virtual machine based on the Boot Camp partition.

  • You can find a solution here: http://kb.parallels.com/en/113202

• The BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) is shown inside the virtual machine: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

  • You have Paragon HFS+ installed inside your Virtual Machine.
    • Start Boot Camp natively.
    • Go to Control Panel ► Add or remove program.
    • Uninstall Paragon HFS+

• ERROR: The Boot Camp partition /dev/disk0s3 used by Hard Disk 1 is not supported

  • You can find a solution here: http://kb.parallels.com/en/111629

• ERROR: Not enough free disk space on your Mac

  • You can find a solution here: http://kb.parallels.com/en/112777

• Virtual Machine installed from Boot Camp partition does not start after migrating Mac to new hard drive

  • You can find a solution here: http://kb.parallels.com/en/114270

• Virtual Machine installed from Boot Camp partition does not start because Safe Mode is enabled

  • You can find a solution here: http://kb.parallels.com/en/115161
• ERROR: PRL_ERR_DISK_READ_FAILED(820021029),errno=5 (input/output error)
  • Locate your Boot Camp virtual machine .pvm file in Spotlight and move it to trash
  • Recreate Boot Camp-based virtual machine via Parallels Desktop upper menu ► File ► New and install new virtual machine from Boot Camp.

2.3. Cannot stop Virtual machine

• Virtual Machine installed from Boot Camp partition hangs in the stopping state
  • You can find a solution here: http://kb.parallels.com/en/114121

2.4. Windows activation issues

• Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 Virtual Machine installed from Boot Camp partition shows that it is not genuine and ask for activation.
  • You can find a solution here: http://kb.parallels.com/en/9703

2.5. Cannot migrate Boot camp partition to Parallels Desktop virtual machine

• ERROR: Failed to import the virtual machine.
  • Start Windows from Boot Camp partition or as a Virtual machine
  • Go to Start ► Computer
  • right-click on Local Disk C: ► choose Properties ► Tools ► Check Now
  • check both checkboxes and press Start

• Reboot Windows and wait till the disk is checked for errors
• After the disk is checked and Windows boots up please shut it down.
• Try to import Boot Camp partition again.

2.6. Other issues:

• ERROR: Hard disk %1 used by the virtual machine \"%2\" cannot be compressed

  • You attempt to compress a real hard disk or Boot Camp partition. Real hard disk and Boot Camp based disk compression is not supported by Parallels Desktop.

• Cannot access the Mac OS X disk from a Boot Camp Windows virtual machine

  • You can find a solution here: http://kb.parallels.com/en/112031

• ERROR: A virtual machine snapshot cannot be created

  • Snapshot are not supported for the Virtual machines based on Boot Camp partition.
• ERROR: Unable to turn on the SmartGuard option
  • You can find a solution here: http://kb.parallels.com/en/10133