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Restoring an TIB Image from Vista into VMPlayer: is it really possible?

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Hi,

I dont have Acronis true image yet, before I try it, I'd be very grateful to you if you may want to answer me, thanks.

If I install Acronis true image and I get an Image (TIB ?) from my C:\VistaOS, and then I will restore this image into a virtual machine (i.e. different hardware) VMware Player 3.1.4, it is possible?

1) TIB image in a usb pen drive
2) VmPlayer: Create a new virtual machine
3) Play the new VM, boot with an Rescue CD from Acronis (???)
4) On the Acronis Rescue CD wizard (?) select the TIB image from the usb pen drive
5) restore the image into the virtual hdd VMPlayer (standard IDE or SCSI emulated interface needed? or both will work?)

then...will this restored image work fine even after the roboot???

or (I guess this will be my problem) it will work fine until the first reboot and the I become boot warnings "the hardware has been modified..."

I'd very glad to purchase Acronis True Image, but only if you are able to *guarantee* that the TIB image from **Vista** (not XP, XP may work...) restored in VmPlayer will work fine even **after** reboot and with no Windows activation/license issue (I have Vista OEM!!).

thanks a lot in advance.

PS: I tried with macrium reflect and the restored image works fine...until the first reboot...then bye bye!

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You won't be able to get around the activation issue. You'll need to either get Microsoft to reactivate the OEM version, get another OEM key (not linked to a "brand name" computer), or just install a retail version. You can't activate an OEM version with a retail key.

Thank you MudCrab for your reply!

ok for the retail version.
but I think that if I will be able to load an image into VMPlayer without driver issues ("hardware has been modified" warning) the OS will not alert me about the three days time before activated Windows [but that happened with Macrium Imgae in windows XP only...]

what think you about please, it were possible to perform the 5 steps (see please above) with a TIB image? i.e. I will able to get this image restored in VMPLayer withour driver/hardware issues at the reboot?

thanks a lot in advance.
best regards

The "hardware" of the virtual machine will be different enough from the original physical machine to trigger a reactivation, even if the image is working.

Thanks Pat L

but why the reactivation is NOT required, if you use Windws XP (instead of Vista) ?

also I guess no matter if you get an Image from Acronis or Macrium... perhaps there are differencies between XP and Vista about the need of the activation...

I don't know for sure. I'd bet the activation and change detection mechanism is different and more stringent in Vista and later.

OK. at the moment the most important thing for me is that the restore process will work flawlessy (no driver issues in VMPLayer at the first reboot!!)...until today I had problems at the first roboot of my Vista restored in VMPlayer (boot failed > delete the VM> the end). I warmly hope that with the image I'll become from Acronis (Universal hw restore ?) there are no driver issues or booting issues due to different hw....the licence comes later... at the first the driver ;-) thanks!

You cannot be sure you will not have hardware issues. I tried to restore a Vista machine using Universal Restore to a VMWare VM. It didn't work. I eventually reinstall Vista.

You might be better off just using the VMWare converter to convert your physical machine to a virtual machine (this, I didn't try, but that is the standard way to do it).

oh what you tell me is very important! nobody did that. thanks!

ok . I will try this VMWare converter!!
so I will not need an image...
simply install the converter and I will get "my Vista" into a "virtal Vista". this were wonderful!

thanks a lot!!