Manually configure Parallels 16 BootCamp

[haralds]

I am trying to move from VMware to Parallels. It cannot see BootCamp on a std hybrid disk with High Sierra on a Mac Pro 5,1. I tried installing with it booted, I normally run Catalina or Big Sur.

On VMware you can use a command line tool to just create a physical media VMDK. Not sure Parallels has something similar.

My cMP has a lot of disks with some on PcIE cards.

 

[startergo]

Parallels normally offers to boot from Bootcamp. It can also convert Fusion machine. I got a different issue. It starts configuring bootcamp, but then it is stuck on this screen and the keyboard does not work inside the machine:

My Windows is a UEFI install not the hybrid Apple Bootcamp though.

 

[haralds]

Finally got clarity. My problem is by design.
- Parallels will recognize a second or third Primary Partition with Windows on an Internal Drive.
- It will only recognize a single partition on External Drives. External drives on the cMP 5,1 are all drives not on one of the four drive slots.

Apparently Parallels had some trouble with the second option and decided to disable it.

I have not found any other work around but to remove one of the main slot drives and replace it with my SSD holding High Sierra and a large Windows 10 BootCamp installation. Luckily I was wasting some space on the 20TB + spinning platter configuration with an additional 4TB SSD and 2TB NME. But I also appreciate how long it takes to move 3-4 TB from one spinning drive to another.

BootCamp works fine on Parallels running from other partitions booted under Mojave, Catalina, and Big Sur.