The Best Way to Clone HDD to Virtualbox

Why Clone HDD to Virtualbox?

Cloning a hard drive to VirtualBox is a great way to create a virtual machine that can be used for testing, development, or other purposes. It allows you to create a virtual environment that is identical to your physical environment without purchasing additional hardware. There are many other users in life who also have the need to clone hard drives to virtual machines. So why clone a physical PC to a virtual machine? Below are two common causes.

• Safer testing environment: Most Windows users are aware that there are many potential security pitfalls in certain operations. What you do on the VM will not cause damage to your physical machine.
• Run multiple different operating systems: Virtual machines such as VirtualBox, VMware, Hyper-V, Virtual PC, etc. provide the ability to run multiple operating systems in a virtual environment. You can do almost anything you want in a virtual machine.

Best Way to Clone HDD to Virtualbox

Cloning a hard drive to VirtualBox can be done quickly and easily with the help of AOMEI Backupper Professional. It is a powerful backup and restore software that can be used to clone a hard drive to VirtualBox. It is a reliable and easy-to-use tool that can be used to clone a hard drive to VirtualBox in a few simple steps.

The software can be used to clone a hard drive to VirtualBox in different situations. To clone the hard drive on Windows Server to a virtual machine, please go to AOMEI Backupper Server.

• Create Bootable Media: This feature helps you create bootable media to boot from a physical computer or a virtual machine. It has 3 options including USB boot device drive, burn to CD/DVD or export ISO file. You can choose one of them according to your needs.
• Universal Restore: This feature is designed for users who want to restore virtual machines on computers with different CPUs, motherboards, etc. Its purpose is to ensure a secure boot after recovery.

This article will introduce the two situations in turn. Each case includes a detailed graphic tutorial. You can read on to learn more.

If the Virtual Machine is on Your Computer

Before you start you need to download and install this reliable backup tool - AOMEI Backupper Professional. then follow the steps below.

Step 1. Open AOMEI Backupper. Click Backup -> Disk Backup to create a hard drive image. Follow the prompt steps to complete the operation and remember where you put the image like a USB flash drive.

Step 2. Then create a bootable ISO file and save it on the local disk.

Step 3. Open  Virtual Machine VMware and go to VM -> Settings. Then select CD/DVD -> Use ISO image file, click Browse to find the image file on your local disk and hit OK to save the changes.

Step 4. Boot the Virtual Machine from the bootable ISO file. It will run AOMEI Backupper automatically. In the main page of AOMEI Backupper, click Restore > Select Task.

Step 5. Select the Disk Backup to restore and click Next.

Step 6. Select to restore entire disk or a partition and then click Next.

Step 7. Select the target disk or partition on the Virtual Machine to restore the backup image to. Preview the operation that will be executed. Click Start Restore.

If the Virtual Machine is on Another Computer

Step 1. Open AOMEI Backupper to create a hard drive image and save it on your USB flash drive (other removable devices are OK and you can even store it on NAS).

Step 2. Make a bootable ISO file and put it on the USB flash drive.

Step 3. Boot  Virtual Machine from the bootable USB. You’ll see loaded AOMEI Backupper once login. Follow step 4.5.6 above to select a restore task.

Step 4. If your Virtual Machine is on a computer with different hardware, the Universal Restore feature will be checked by default. Confirm operations on the Operation Summary page and click on Start Restore button

Notes:

• Edit Partition:  You can change the partition size when your target disk is larger than the source disk. 
• SSD Alignment:  If your target disk is an SSD, please check the SSD Alignment option to optimize the SSD’s reading and writing speed and its lifespan.

Summary

This article explains why you need to clone your hard drive to Virtualbox and the best way to do it. Cloning a hard drive to VirtualBox with AOMEI Backupper is a quick and easy process. The software is reliable and easy to use, it can be used in different situations to clone hard drive to VirtualBox. Whether your virtual machine is on this computer or on another computer, AOMEI Backupper can help you quickly and easily clone a hard disk to VirtualBox.

In addition, this software also provides multiple functions such as system clone, partition clone, and recovery environment to protect your data security. You can download this software to explore more.