[dmainzman]

I'm working with Parallels, and I recently hit 8 GB in my windows environment. For some reason, it won't let me work past this and keeps telling me that my drive is full.
It was already an "Expanding drive," so I don't know why that wouldn't work. So I went and used parallels' image tool, and made it 16 GB instead. When i booted back into the windows, it still said my C drive was 8 gb, even though the parallels home screen recognizes that it's supposed to be 16. I then even tried converting it from expanding to fixed, thinking maybe windows just can't understand the expanding concept. that didn't do anything either.
Now what do I do?? i need to install things.
And please don't just tell me to post this on the Parallels forums, because I've tried that before, and they were the least helpful bunch of.... well, anyway, I think posting here is a better idea anyway.

[braindoc]

I have limited knowledge of Windows, and limited experience with Parallels (I use it every day, but it has only been finalized for about 2-3 weeks.)
Here are my deductions about Parallels:
1) The partition size that you set in the initial setup of Parallels is the a preference of the maximum that the VM can occupy/see. It doesn't mean that it will take up that entire space initially, hence the expanding disk type. i.e. You indicated that you setup an initial partition of 8GB expanding HD for Parallel, this means Parallels will not physically take up the entire 8GB at the very start. It'll only take up space that is needed for the guest OS you've installed and the apps that you installed. Let say you have a 80 GB HD on your Mac. Parallels (at the setting indicated) will only seem to use up 4GB for WIndows and a coupla' apps. This will appear to be the actual occupied space on your Mac. Boot Camp, on the other hand, will physically set aside/reserve the full partition that you indicate in the initial set up. Parallels will expand that disk usage up to the 8GB limit that you set.
2) This has an effect upon installing Windows into that partition. Parallels basically tells WIndows that the boot partition has 8GB. As a result Windows will map/catalog 8GB for the primary partition. Regretably you cannot change the primary boot partition easily. At least not without some additional software. (This is as far as I know, which ain't a whole lot.)
3) I assume you used the Parallels disk utility to increase the disk space. This is infact now available to Windows but it will have to be set up as another disk partition. e.g. the primary boot disk is labelled C: then this one would be called the D: partition. This would be accomplished by creating a new partition/logical disk in Windows. I point you to [url=http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=309000