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Creating an Image of a Real Hard Disk

For What These Images Can Be Used

The Parallels Image Tool can create images of real hard disks. Such disks are intended mainly for migrating data from your real computer to a virtual machine. Since configuration of the virtual machine is probably different from the hardware configuration of your real computer, an operating system installed on the real disk (if it is installed) is not likely to function properly on the virtual machine. Thus such virtual disk is not recommended to serve as startup disk, rather it should be attached to an existing configuration as an additional one.

Requirements to Computer Hardware

An image of a real hard disk is created in plain format only. See the Format of The Virtual Disk in the Hard Disk Images topic for description of the plain format. Virtual hard disk in plain format occupies all its size right from the moment it is created. This means that the disk image is the same size as the real disk itself, regardless of how much space on the real disk is actually used. So, to create an image of a real hard disk you should have one real hard disk more for storing the image file. And to accommodate the image, the size of the additional hard disk should be not less than the size of the one you are going to image.

So, in order to create an image of a real hard disk:

Using the Wizard to Modify an Existing Hard Disk Image

To create an image of a real hard disk follow these steps:

  1. Start the Parallels Image Tool. Upon startup, the wizard displays the Welcome screen. If you want to skip this screen next time you run the Image Tool, select the Skip Introduction next time check box. Click Next.

    Image Tool - Welcome

  2. On the Select device type screen select the Hard Disk Drive option and click Next.

    Image Tool - Select Device Type

  3. On the Select operation type wizard screen, select the Create new Hard Disk image option and click Next.

    Image Tool  - Select Operation Type

  4. On the Specify source and destination folder screen:

    in the Source field, select a physical hard disk to be duplicated,

    in the Destination field, specify a destination directory and file name for the disk image file. The folder should be located on another physical hard disk.

    Click Next.

    Image Tool - HDD Create Source and Destination

  5. The wizard will display the chosen operation and the selected options on the Review processing options screen. Carefully review the settings (operation, source drive, and destination file). If everything is correct, click the Start button to begin the operation.

    Image Tool - HDD Create Review

  6. While the operation is being performed, the Execution in progress screen is displayed.

    Image Tool - HDD Create Execution in Progress

  7. After the disk image is created, the Processing is completed screen appears. The disk image is created and placed in the destination folder specified in step 5. See Adding New Devices to Virtual Machine to learn how to connect a hard disk image to a virtual machine or Hard Disk Options to learn how to replace one of the currently connected hard disks with the new one.

    Also see the Hard Disk Images section for ideas on using hard disk images in Parallels Workstation.

    Image Tool - Processing Is Completed