virtualbox.org

Hello!

I decided lately to put off VMWARE and try VirtualBox. I tried to recover Acronis backed-up PC image into Virtual Machine. And failed.


1. I made an Acronis boot-able recovery ISO image file.
2. Created new VM with virtual IDE, dynamically allocated VDI HD image drive.
3. Added IDE CD/DVD virtual drive and linked it to Acronis recovery boot-able image.
4. Installed expansion pack to enable USB 2.0 capability.
5. Started VM into Acronis Recovery Manager.
6. Attached external USB HD with Acronis *.tib image.
7. Started dialog, using Acronis explorer and found TIB image, defining source for process of Recovery.
8. At the very end when it seemed I was close to success it brought up the last screen which asked to determine destination HD
where this image would be recovered.
And it was a moment of complete frustration. Virtual Hard Drive, where I want the new Virtual PC
located, was greyed out with "not initialized" status. I did everything I could, I changed this drive types, I made it fixed size, writethrough..
Nothing helped.

What is this? How could virtual drive be possibly not initialized?


Then I decided to try the way which has always worked for me in VMWARE.

1. Using Acronis converted TIB file to VHD file.
2. Created a new VM and used that file as existing HD when was creating this VM.
3. Started. Black screen. Nothing works.



Sorry for disturbing you. Does it mena Acronis and VirtualBox are not compatible? Should i try Hyper-V?

Or if this is fixable how I can do it?

Thanks!

I'm afraid you need to ask Acronis support about that. If VMs really couldn't access their (virtual) hard drives then I think lots of people would have noticed. So your problem is with the Acronis software.

I can tell you that I've successfully restored an Acronis .tib into a VM in the distant past when I was still a noob: for the old discussion see here.

p.s. These days I would just use Disk2VHD to image the source drive, then (because VHD is unsafe) I'd convert it to VDI format using CloneVDI. That way I use the VDI format directly in the VM, no need to go through "restore" rigmarole.

Thanks, I will try.

Which version of Acronis are you using?
In newer version of Arconis True Image Home they implemented a "virtual maching detection"
which hides all virtual stuff intentionally...you shall be forced buy the more expensive "business" version to make or to restore a VM...
(Onc uppon a time I used a "VM install" to "unpack" the propiety, undocumented, encrypted acronis tib to a standard image,
now i have to use real hardware to do that... Thanks acronis)

Instead of Acronis yo may use "fog" for management and "partimage" etc. fpr imaging.

HTH