virtualbox.org

I have a perfect virtual machine in VirtualBox. However, I want it to run faster. I would like to use this vm and install it directly on the bare metal of the same computer. I tried using TrueImage and making an image, but it wouldn't install the image on the same computer's hard drive (bare metal). What is the easiest way to move the vm image to bare metal?

Thank you!

Moving an OS from one machine to another causes all sorts of problems because of the hardware changes (and the drivers for that hardware). With p2v you also should remove the guest additions before you start.

You will find plenty of info online for p2v or v2p.

Why wouldn't TrueImage install on the bare metal drive? That's its role in life. Of course you have to ensure that the drive image is compatible with the physical drive, e.g. not too large, and not all versions of TrueImage can fix partition alignment problems (applies if target drive uses 4K sectors). GPT partitioned drives could cause problems too of course.

Basically, the process for migrating a VM is the same as migrating the OS in any direction: P2V, V2P, P2P, V2V. Of course as Bill implies, just because the process of moving the image is simple doesn't mean that you'll have a working OS as a result. Transferring the image is just the start. Make sure you have all the necessary drivers handy for the target PC.

I was practicing with TrueImage before I did the real thing. When I tried to copy the image to the vm, TrueImage would not recognize the vdi drive that I wanted to use. It turns out that VirtualBox creates 32-bit vdi's by default. Really???? Yup. We live in a 64-bit world. Why would VirtualBox create 32-bit vdi's by default and not even tell you? I reported this as a bug. In the "Create Virtual Machine" dialog, in the Version dropdown, VirtualBox should show a 32-bit indicator:

Ubuntu (32 bit) <-- VB should add (32 bit)
Ubuntu (64 bit) <-- already indicates 64 bit
Windows 7 (32 bit) <-- VB should add (32 bit)
Windows 7 (64 bit) <-- already indicates 64 bit

I wasted many hours on this problem before I posted here on this forum simply because VB does not indicate 32-bit and simply creates 32-bit virtual machines.

@mpack: I googled v2p and I got LOTS of relevant hits. Thank you. I found one website that discusses CloneZilla. I will use CloneZilla and my portable 1 TB usb hard drive to accomplish my goal. Again, mpack, thank you. Just for people who are looking for an answer to this topic, here is the website to take your project v2p (virtual machine to physical machine): http://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/ ... al-machine

bird2010 wrote:It turns out that VirtualBox creates 32-bit vdi's by default. Really????

There's no such thing as a 32bit VDI, or a 64bit VDI for that matter. What made you think that?

Edit:  Ah. I see you mean VM, not VDI. I would dispute that "we live in a 64bit world" btw. I personally have no current use for 64bit hosts or VMs since 4GB is way more RAM than I need.