Using AOMEI Backupper Standard 3.2 Free with VirtualBox to test a system image created on Dell Venue Pro running Windows 8.1 Pro. Hoping to test the image before i upgrade to Windows 10 Pro to make sure everything is ok. Been looking into setting up a a system so i can check images and test them before i need them, so this might be a bit of a challenge because I'm new to Aomei and VirtualBox so your help and patience is much appreciated. This is what i've got at the moment - created an Aomei PE boot disk and managed to create a virtual machine and boot this disk, this then gives me the option to select a created system image to restore but only from NAS/network or share which I don't have. The system image i created is on an external USB HDD. Is there another way to restore an Image in VirtualBox
HI MebackwardRight Using a VM to test an image is a good start, but the only way you are going to be 100% sure is to actually restore your system. Scary as all get out the first time, but gets easier with time. Tip. Image with 2 programs. I'd also image with Macrium Free. Pete
Windows can mount VHD images so one way to transfer files to a Virtualbox VM is to make a VHD format virtual disk in virtualbox, mount it in Windows, copy the image to it, unmount it and mount it in the VM. Since the Aomei PE boot image doesn't have the guest additions and USB support, that would be a way to do it. In Windows 7, you have to use the disk management applet to mount a VHD, in Windows 10, you just have to double click it, I'm not sure about Windows 8.
Thanks for your replies. MisterB - I am going to give your suggestion a try, can I clarify a couple of things first. 1 - make a new VM in Virtualbox and choose VHD format 2 - close virtualbox, go to where the VMs are stored and mount the VM i created in step 1 3 - add the Aomei boot image then unmount 4 - then open the machine in Virtualbox not sure what to do then
HI Again MeBackwardRight Even if all that succeeds it still doesn't guarantee the image will restore your system. The only way to be as sure as possible is to restore the system.
Thanks for taking the time to reply Peter2150, i have taken your advice and created another image or 2 lol and i am going to take the plunge and test them for real, fingers crossed. As for installing the image on VirtualBox, really want to get it working because it has become personal now. Not sure about a couple of things MisterB advised, the VM that I created doesnt have an OS on it yet, was booting Aomei iso to install the image of Windows Pro 8.1 but can't get access to the image file from within the VM. So at the moment my VM is blank so not sure how i am supposed to mount image in it as MisterB suggested.
As to 1. Yep first time is a nail biter. But once you done a bunch it becomes a common place thing. Laughing at the 2nd point. I know what you mean about something becoming personal. Good luck.
The Aomei boot image should be an ISO file you can boot from mounted as a virtual CD. For what you want you need two virtual disks. The VHD will just be for storage of the image file you want to restore and you will need a VDI image to restore it to. The Aomei boot ISO should recognize both of them and you then do the restoration just like in a real system. After the restoration, unmount the ISO and VHD disk and try to boot from the VDI disk. There is a good chance it will boot to the desktop with Windows 8. If it doesn't boot at all, it could simply be the partition needs to be set to active which can easily be done with Aomei partition assistant. If it starts to boot and crashes, it is a driver issue. I've used Aomei to transfer systems from one virtual disk to another in Virtualbox.
Thanks MisterB for all your help, I followed your advice and managed to boot my image. The image booted first time no problem, obviously Windows 8.1 Pro wasn't activated but I am using it on the other machine at the moment anyway, so I was expecting that. Really happy with this process for checking and using backups. Used Paragon, Acronis and Clonezilla in the past but like the look of Aomei. I'm sure I willbe back for help in the future. Thanks
Correct. A virtual machine is a "different computer" so a new license is needed for the OS in the virtual machine.
I have one Windows 8 VM that mysteriously activated itself in contradiction to that. I don't really have an explanation. I do remember reading something in a Windows Eula about having the right to use a product key in a virtual machine but I can't remember the details. I bought a 256gb mSata drive that had a system installed with GPT partitions. I put it in the Thinkpad I was going to use it in and it booted in a few seconds to Windows 8. It was a system disk from a Thinkpad Yoga. I was getting ready to transfer Windows 7 and Linux from another disk to the mSata disk and took the time to make an image of it With Aomei. Then I did the same procedure I outlined to transfer it to a virtual disk, made a Windows 8 VM and booted it. I removed the Lenovo drivers and software with it offline, installed the Virtualbox guest additions and then tested it online. When I checked, it was activated. The product key would have come from the machine it was originally installed on. I never went through any activation procedure. In Windows 8 and later you can use an unactivated system indefinitely. There will just be a little build number in the lower right corner and some of the desktop customization options won't work but even that isn't very strict and I've found that both Windows 8 and 10 will sometimes allow customizations even if unactivated.
Try it, you just get nagged and lose some functionality but you can still use it. This started with 7 which gave you and ugly black desktop with a nag message but would still work unactivated. For certain purposes, like a Windows 7 VM in Qubes which would always work in seamless mode, it would be the preferable way to run it.
