In this article, we will explain how to transfer the Windows operating system from a physical computer to the VirtualBox virtual environment. This method is only suitable for systems installed in Legacy BIOS mode, not UEFI.
Using the Disk2vhd Utility
To transfer a physical Windows system to a VirtualBox virtual machine, we will use the Disk2vhd utility developed by Microsoft. Disk2vhd allows you to create a virtual hard disk image (VHD or VHDX) from the contents of a physical hard drive, which can then be attached to a virtual machine.
Steps to Use Disk2vhd:
1. Turn on the computer and boot into Windows. Download the Disk2vhd utility from the official Microsoft website.
2. Extract the application to any convenient location and run it with administrator privileges.
3. In the Disk2vhd application window, in the “VHD File name” field, choose where to save the virtual hard disk. Below, check the boxes for the partitions you need to save.
– Important: Do not select the disk where you plan to save the virtual disk if it is connected to the computer as external!
– Uncheck the “Use Vhdx” option, as the VHDX format is not supported by VirtualBox.
4. After selecting the necessary settings, click the “Create” button and wait for the process to complete. The progress of the virtual disk creation will be displayed at the bottom of the application window.
Creating a Virtual Machine in VirtualBox
Once the virtual disk (VHD) is created, transfer it to the computer with VirtualBox installed and follow these steps:
1. Open VirtualBox and click the “New” button.
2. Enter the name of the virtual machine, select the type and version of the operating system according to the parameters of the physical system you are transferring. Set the amount of RAM.
3. During the hard disk selection step, instead of choosing “Create a new virtual hard disk”, select “Use an existing virtual hard disk” and specify the previously created VHD file.
4. Complete the virtual machine creation process by clicking the “Create” button.
5. After that, you can start the virtual machine and boot into the already working system. For better performance with the virtual machine, it is recommended to install the VirtualBox Guest Additions (after following the link, you need to open the directory with the correct VirtualBox version and download the file starting with “VBoxGuestAdditions”).
Troubleshooting Possible Issues
Windows XP Hangs on a Black Screen During Boot
If, when launching Windows XP in VirtualBox, the system hangs on a black screen with a blinking cursor, try changing the virtual machine settings:
1. Go to the “System” section in the virtual machine settings panel.
2. In the “Motherboard” tab, enable or disable the “Enable I/O APIC” option and try to boot the system again.
