Disk2vhd: Convert Windows Installations into Images for Virtual Environments

There are times when you'd like to have an exact copy of your main environment, running inside a virtualizer like VirtualBox. That would allow you to evaluate low-level settings (which carry some risk), updates, beta software, and much more, without touching your primary system.

Installing a copy of Windows inside VirtualBox is very simple. You set the technical parameters (say, RAM and acceleration modes), load the ISO image, and wait for it to finish. VirtualBox reduces driver installation to a couple of clicks thanks to its Guest Additions, and the rest is a matter of adding all the programs you need.

However, one thing is to start from scratch, and another is to work with a completely "equipped" operating system, so to speak. If the goal is to actually move a clone of your main environment to a compatible virtualizer, you need the help of an external tool like Disk2vhd.

Virtualizing Windows

Disk2vhd is an official Microsoft program, part of the well-known Sysinternals suite by Mark Russinovich, which also holds gems at the level of Autoruns and Process Explorer. The interface doesn't include advanced options beyond enabling VHDX support (for images over two terabytes) or using Volume Shadow Copy.

In general, it's enough to select the drive that contains the operating system, and the partition "reserved for the system". Disk2vhd itself calculates the actual space the image will demand, though the final speed of the whole process depends on how fast your drives are.

Another positive aspect worth highlighting is that VHD images require no conversion afterward. VirtualBox reads them as if they were just another disk, without any trouble. When you load the environment for the first time inside the virtualizer, Windows 10 needs a moment to adapt, and it's likely that some previous versions of Windows will show a blue screen (hardware drivers that are no longer there, etc.), but everything worked very well during our tests, even though the program has been around for a few years.

You can download it from the official site and download.