On Sun, Nov 10, 2019 at 09:36:00AM +0000, Chris Green wrote: > > I want to create an independent copy of the OS which I can > > modify without changing the original on the hard disk partition. > > > > If I do what's descrbed in section 9.8 of the manual can I then *copy* > > that virtual machine to a 'normal' VirtualBox image? > > Sure. Boot any Linux in Vbox (even a live iso), and include both the > Win 'image' as described above, and a new VDI that is large enough. > Then you can just dd between them. > > > So, I'm not *quite* clear what I have to do, is the following correct:- > > Start my normal VirtualBox which runs on a Linux (xubuntu) machine. > > Install/run a new (to me anyway, I don't have any Linux virtual > machines at the moment) Linux virtual machine.
No need to install an OS in the guest, just find a live distribution that runs off an iso (I believe ubuntu has such a beast), and use that. > > Then, using the Linux virtual machine I copy the Win7 image (which > is the real Win7 partition on the hard disk) to a new 'empty' VDI > which I have created in the same VirtualBox installation that the > Linux virtual machine is running in. Yes, specifically, create a .vmdk from your host disk like the virtualbox manual describes. Create a native vdi disk that's big enough, and attach them both as drives to your guest. Boot from the live iso in the guest, figure out which drive is full (the source) and which drive is empty (the destination). Then just do: dd if=/dev/source of=/dev/destination You now have a vdi disk image which is a copy of the host disk, but is independent from it. You can then attach that image to a guest configured to mirror the host hardware as close as possible, and boot from it. HTH. Greg -- web site: http://www.gregn.net gpg public key: http://www.gregn.net/pubkey.asc skype: gregn1 (authorization required, add me to your contacts list first) If we haven't been in touch before, e-mail me before adding me to your contacts. -- Free domains: http://www.eu.org/ or mail dns-mana...@eu.org _______________________________________________ VBox-users-community mailing list VBox-users-community@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vbox-users-community _______________________________________________ Unsubscribe: mailto:vbox-users-community-requ...@lists.sourceforge.net?subject=unsubscribe
