Unable to restore to a VM

I'm using Acronis True Image 2013 build 6514.

I backed up a laptop that I need to ship to the manufacturer for repairs, before shipping, I wanted to restore the laptop in a VMware Workstation instance to make sure the system is fully recoverable.

I attempted to use VMware converter, but have since found out that Acronis .tib files are not supported.

When I created the VM, I did not install the OS, I selected the option to do it later and set it to Windows 7 x64 (same OS as the laptop is running).

I then used a recovery .iso image to boot the VM and attempt the restore.

Acronis recovery image loads, I tell it to recover My Disks, and point it to the .tib file I backed, up. Set the recovery method to whole disks and partitions, set it to the C drive, MBR and Track 0 and NTFS (SYSTEM_DRV) partitions.

When I click next where it takes me to Specify recovery settings of Partition C. On that screen it lists partition location, partition type and partition size. Under Partition location, it shows Not selected and a link saying new location. Under New partition location is says No items to display.

There are no other selectable options and the program does not allow you to go beyond this point.

Is it possible to restore to a VM using Acronis True Image?