Move Physical Systems to Virtual Environments
Move Physical Systems to Virtual Environments
You're looking to transfer your operating systems from old boot disks to a virtual disk. It sounds like you want to preserve the images rather than just discarding everything. The process involves backing up your systems and then cloning or migrating those backups to a virtual disk. You might need tools that simplify this, especially if you're new to the task. Just be sure to keep your important data safe before starting.
They can easily be converted into ISO files, making it simple to use VM tools. When you need to restart those older operating systems, just run them inside the virtual machine.
I understand the context of booting VMware, but I need to clarify my approach. I'm planning to run on a Linux host (Ubuntu 16.04) to take full advantage of VT-D support. Additionally, I want to use the built-in DNS package to handle any future errors, so I don't have to depend solely on ISP DNS servers. Unless the hypervisor allows VMs to receive physical devices, I'll migrate all operating systems to the Ubuntu VM Manager, using a "MEGA" backup image that includes Ubuntu plus the ISO files. If not, I'll move everything to Ubuntu's VM Manager and create a backup containing both the OS and ISO images.
The system needs to be active both in the physical machine and the VM for bets to work. If it's only running in one environment, the outcome won't be reliable. Microsoft doesn't matter much in this case. You're free to use the license wherever you like. VMware offers a "virtualize physical machine" option that I haven't used yet but seems effective.
Planning to run both at once? I’m focusing on moving the operating system entirely from a physical disk to a virtual one.