How to Make a Virtual Image of a Hard Drive

With a virtual image of the hard drive, a system restore is an easy process.

A virtual image of a hard drive can be useful when backing up the computer. The virtual image file is, in essence, a clone of the computer's hard drive. If anything happens to the computer, such as a virus or malware, you can restore the system using the virtual image file of the hard drive. The computer must have adequate hard drive space to store the image, or it should be stored on an external device such as a DVD, USB or external hard drive. You can create a virtual image of a hard drive using native Windows software.

Instructions

1. Create a backup disc image of the computer's hard drive using any backup method. The native Windows option for this is the "Backup and Restore Center." Click on the "Start Menu," then "My Control Panel" and double-click on "Backup and Restore Center." Follow the instructions of the "Backup and Restore Center" backup creation wizard.

2. Open Microsoft Virtual PC. Click "Start Menu," "Program Files" and then "Microsoft Virtual PC." In the program click "File," "Virtual Disk Wizard" and "Next."

3. Click on "Create New Virtual Disk" and then "Next." Click on "Virtual Hard Disk" and click "Next."

4. Click "Browse" to make an Explorer window pop up. Select the folder where the "Virtual Disk Image" will be saved. Type a "File Name," click "Save" and then click "Next."

5. Click "Linked To A Hard Disk" in the "Virtual Hard Disk Options" menu box.

6. Click "OK" and "Next" in the "Caution -- Virtual PC" menu box.

7. Select the backup volume created in Step 1. Click "Next" and then "Finish." Windows will create a virtual image of the hard drive, and it will be saved to the location specified in Step 5.

References

• Microsoft Support: How to Create a Virtual PC Hard Disk Image by Using a Backup Disk Image File