Windows 7: How to Copy a Virtual XP machine

I have tried to make a copy of a virtual XP machine for backup purposes, but the new Virtual machine will not open. Any Ideas on the correct procedure to make a copy of an existing virtual machine?

Hello, jpgailey, and welcome to SevenForums, The Ultimate Windows 7 site.

Every virtual hard drive (vhd) created with Virtual PC consists of three files if it is turned off, or of four files if it is hibernated or running. The file extensions for these files are:

• .vhd = Virtual Machine virtual hard drive image
• .vmc = Virtual Machine settings file
• .vsv = Virtual Machine saved state file
• .vmcx = Virtual Machine description and registration settings

First three files are located in C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines, the last one in C:\Users\Your_Username\Virtual Machines. The two latter files are created automatically; to make a copy of a Virtual Machine we only need .vhd and .vmc files. In this example we call the original virtual drive Windows XP Mode, and the copy we create Windows XP Mode- Copy. You can name all your virtual drives as you like, as long as you remember to modify the settings file as described here.

Copying Virtual XP or any other virtual hard disk created with Virtual PC is very easy and fast. Here's what you have to do:

1. Turn off your Virtual XP, do not hibernate it
2. Open Folder Options, choose Show hidden files, folders and drives. Uncheck Hide extensions for known file types
   
3. Goto C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines
4. Copy Windows XP Mode.vhd and Windows XP Mode.vmc files. To be sure you copy the right files you can open Folder Options and uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types" and click OK
5. Paste files to the same folder. Windows adds word Copy to both filenames, so now you have two new files: Windows XP Mode - Copy.vhd and Windows XP Mode - Copy.vmc
6. Open Windows XP Mode - Copy.vmc with Notepad. It is a xml-file, so you can edit it normally with Notepad
7. Find the following string containing virtual drives name: <drive_type type="integer">1</drive_type>
   
8. Under the <drive_type...> change the vhd-file name to Windows XP Mode - Copy.vhd both in <absolute type="string"> and <relative type="string">
9. Find the following place under <virtual_network> containing MAC-adress for Virtual XP's ethernet adapter: <id type="bytes">
   
10. To allow two copies of Virtual XP to connect to network simultaneously , we have to change the MAC-adress of the ethernet adapter to avoid MAC-adress conflict. Adress is given in hex, 0-9 and A-E. It is enough to change one bit. In this example we have changed the last bit from 1 to 0
11. Save and close the file
12. Go to C:\Users\Your_Username\Virtual Machines , copy Windows XP Mode.vmcx and paste it to same folder
    
13. Open the file Windows XP Mode - Copy.vmcx with Notepad
14. Change the vhd-file name to Windows XP Mode - Copy.vhd both in <primary_disk1 type="string"> and <vmc_path type="string">
    
15. Save and close the file
16. Open Folder Options and choose Don't show hidden files, folders or drives. Check Hide extensions for known file types and click OK.

That's it. Now you can run two Virtual XP's simultaneously.



Have fun,

Kari

Here is how I do it
1). Shut down original machine
2). Copy the large virtual hard drive file to another location
3). Create a new VM and give it a new hard drive of any size
4). Copy the large virtual hard drive file from the backup location into the new folder
5). Go into the new VM and delete it's hard drive from the hard drive
6). Choose add hardware, add an existing hard drive and point at the file that you just copied over
7). Start the new VM.

Hi there
If you use a product like vmware just power off the vm and then on the menu choose CLONE VM>

You can either make a "linked" clone or a full clone. the full clone is what you need as the "linked" clone will still require access to the state of the original vm.


(I think virtual box has this facility as well).


Another method is to install acronis true image on your VM and back it up.

Then create another vm. install acronis true image and restore your original vm.

Cheers
jimbo

will this let you have more than 1 XP vm, if you copy the "xp mode" vm?

Yes. I have currently 3 separate, individual Virtual XP's for test purposes. Come back if you have any problems.

Three separate Virtual XP's starting, same time on same computer:




Three different users logging each on own XP:




Three XP's running:




Kari

Sweet. So copying XPMode wont mess things up? I was worried it might confuse Windows 7 since you could pull apps from 3 different xpmode vms

Guten abend, s0me0ne. Willkommen in das SevenForum.

Of course every virtual session uses a lot of your computers resources, other than that there are no problems.

Kari

Kari,

I was able to follow your directions, but the copy of the WinXP Mode has greyed out login credentials in the settigs. That makes me feel that it's not a fulluy independent virtual session. Is it necessary to duplicate the parent disk as well? My purpose is to test potential malware and be able to just delete one copy if need be and revert to a backup virtual XP. (I am aware of the undo disk feature, but I'd feel more comfortable simply having a full second clean copy.)

Thanks,
Mick

Hi Mick, welcome to the Seven Forums.

I'm running three separate XP virtual machines for testing purposes and they are all working well, indepently. Any copy of XP Mode is always looking the base (or parent) drive in C:\Program Files\Windows XP Mode and it should remain there. It is not necessary to copy the base when copying the XP Mode.

A bit more "easy to read" tutorial is found here.

Kari