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I've been told there's a tool which can be ran from a currently-running Windows to create an image of it, which later can be used, or converted to a format which can be used by vmware. Since I have some special conditions I wouldn't discuss, I need to copy the currently-running windows Vista with this tool.

How this cloning tool is called?

UPDATE: "special conditions" include a hard-drive encryption called as PointSec, therefore I really can not mirror the disk off-line.

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2 Answers 2

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VMWare's free VMWare Converter Standalone will also do this, and most of the time it does it very well.

For general image-work Microsoft's WIM format (part of the WIndows Automated Install Kit - WAIK) also has some very nifty feautures that makes it well worth your time to look into. There are even some freeware GUIs you can use on top of it so you won't have to remember all the command-line parameters. Highly recommended.

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  • I can't see if it able to clone a running window, directly ran from it. Can it?
    – asdmin
    Sep 30, 2009 at 5:20
  • VMWare Converter will clone a running machine, yes
    – Mark Henderson
    Sep 30, 2009 at 6:11
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Driveimage XML will hot image a running Vista computer. However, if you want to move that computer to a VMware Virtual Machine, why not just use VMware Converter?

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  • Since asadmin mentions "special conditions", figure I should mention that while VMware Converter is a wonderful tool, don't convert machines running OEM licenses... unless you can re-key 'em.
    – Chris_K
    Sep 28, 2009 at 3:47
  • OEM license is a good and valid point. Does "special conditions" mean something I should know but don't?
    – user17642
    Sep 28, 2009 at 23:34
  • I mentally substituted "licensing shenanigans" for "special conditions" ;-)
    – Chris_K
    Sep 29, 2009 at 13:47
  • +1 for the driveimage xml. special conditions are encrypted hard drives ;)
    – asdmin
    Sep 30, 2009 at 5:25

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