How to Extract Files from Windows 7 System Image using Virtual PC
Information
When you create a system image using Windows 7 Backup and Restore, it creates a virtual hard drive vhd-file which contains all your files and folders, and some xml-files which contain the information needed to restore your system using this image. See the image:
Notice that in this case there are two vhd-files; If your OS is not located on the first partition of the first hard drive, System Image Backup needs to save the boot information on a separate vhd. This also occurs when making a system image of a virtual machine. If this happens, the bigger vhd is your actual system backup.
Installing this system image as a second hard drive makes it possible to pick up and extract a single file or folder. It is a very practical tool if you make a system image often enough; it allows you i.e. to restore a file or folder you accidentally deleted, without the need to do a complete restore. Please notice Virtual PC has a 127 GB sizr limit for virtual hard disks. If your system image vhd-file is bigger, use Disk Management to mount image and extract files as told here.
Here's how:
Download and install Virtual PC here (You need Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate or Enterprise for Virtual PC to work)
Open the Virtual Machines folder (C:\Your_Username\Virtual Machines)
Choose the virtual machine you want to use to extract files from your system image and click settings
From the left pane, choose Hard Disk 2, then Virtual hard disk in the right pane and click Browse
Find the drive where you stored your system image and backups, open the folder WindowsImageBackup and open the system image you want to use, click OPEN
Close the settings, boot your virtual machine. After boot, you'll notice there are now two hard drives on the virtual machine
Opening the second hard drive, you'll find all your files and folders. Choose what you need and transfer back to your host system
Easy and fast!
Please remember that a Virtual PC vhd can be max 127 GB. If you need to mount bigger vhd's, use Sun VirtualBox or Disk Management as told in this Brink's tutorial..
Kari
EDIT: Once again, thank you Brink for "polishing" this tutorial and making it look better.
Hi. Everything seems to work... except I have one problem. I created a VM machine, went to my backup file... and it says the VHD is too large to fit over the IDE bus. There was a "compact" option that I'm trying now, to try reduce the size... but it's taking a long time. Is there some other way to have VM's read VHD's larger than (I think it was 127 GB?)
Hi. Everything seems to work... except I have one problem. I created a VM machine, went to my backup file... and it says the VHD is too large to fit over the IDE bus. There was a "compact" option that I'm trying now, to try reduce the size... but it's taking a long time. Is there some other way to have VM's read VHD's larger than (I think it was 127 GB?)
Thanx for the help!
I am really sorry to forget that piece of information from the tutorial. I am going to add it now.
So, as you noticed, Virtual PC has a 127 gig maximum size for a vhd. Compacting works, but I have tried only vhd's about 150-160 gig. Even I like Virtual PC more than VMWare or Sun VirtualBox, I use VirtualBox to handle my own system image vhd's because of their size. In the attached image you can see a virtual 7 Enterprise x64 running in VirtualBox, with an extra HD (my host system image) mounted. It is over 200 gig but still working like a dream.
Computer type Laptop System Manufacturer/Model Number HP ENVY 17-1150eg OS Windows 7 x64 Ultimate CPU 1.6 GHz Intel Core i7-720QM Processor Memory 6 GB Graphics Card ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 Graphics Sound Card Beats sound system with integrated subwoofer Monitor(s) Displays 17" laptop display, 22" LCD and 32" Full HD TV through HDMI Screen Resolution 1600*900, 1680*1050 and 1920*1080
Keyboard Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser (bluetooth) Mouse Logitech MX1000 Laser (Bluetooth) Hard Drives Internal: 2 x 500 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive 7200 rpm
External: 2TB for backups, 3TB USB3 network drive for media Internet Speed 50/10 Mbps VDSL Antivirus MSE, Windows Defender Browser Maxthon 3.5.2. Other Info Windows 7 Ultimate Retail Full in English, additional Guest-user accounts in Finnish, German and Swedish (Working languages English & Swedish, Family language German, my own language, mother tongue, Finnish. I really need Ultimate to get to use Language Packs!)
Hi. Everything seems to work... except I have one problem. I created a VM machine, went to my backup file... and it says the VHD is too large to fit over the IDE bus. There was a "compact" option that I'm trying now, to try reduce the size... but it's taking a long time. Is there some other way to have VM's read VHD's larger than (I think it was 127 GB?)
Thanx for the help!
I am really sorry to forget that piece of information from the tutorial. I am going to add it now.
So, as you noticed, Virtual PC has a 127 gig maximum size for a vhd. Compacting works, but I have tried only vhd's about 150-160 gig. Even I like Virtual PC more than VMWare or Sun VirtualBox, I use VirtualBox to handle my own system image vhd's because of their size. In the attached image you can see a virtual 7 Enterprise x64 running in VirtualBox, with an extra HD (my host system image) mounted. It is over 200 gig but still working like a dream.
Thanks for the quick reply. I saw Shawn's post too, so I tried it, and it worked. All I would ever want is to read individual files from a system image backup, so it's good enough for me. But your tutorial is good too - I now have the ability to create VM's on my box, if I ever need to.
Computer type Laptop System Manufacturer/Model Number HP ENVY 17-1150eg OS Windows 7 x64 Ultimate CPU 1.6 GHz Intel Core i7-720QM Processor Memory 6 GB Graphics Card ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 Graphics Sound Card Beats sound system with integrated subwoofer Monitor(s) Displays 17" laptop display, 22" LCD and 32" Full HD TV through HDMI Screen Resolution 1600*900, 1680*1050 and 1920*1080
Keyboard Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser (bluetooth) Mouse Logitech MX1000 Laser (Bluetooth) Hard Drives Internal: 2 x 500 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive 7200 rpm
External: 2TB for backups, 3TB USB3 network drive for media Internet Speed 50/10 Mbps VDSL Antivirus MSE, Windows Defender Browser Maxthon 3.5.2. Other Info Windows 7 Ultimate Retail Full in English, additional Guest-user accounts in Finnish, German and Swedish (Working languages English & Swedish, Family language German, my own language, mother tongue, Finnish. I really need Ultimate to get to use Language Packs!)
Information
Quote: Originally Posted by Sabre9 
