Windows image backup vhd to ESX vmdk

[vembustoregrid]

Hi

In our test environment we have no of Windows 7 Ultimate edtion machines. I am taking regularly its full image backup as vhd file. Can I use the VMWare Converter4.x to convert this vhd file into vmdk file and can be imported into esx server. So that i can make it as P2v solution, and if my users machine crashes i can make it in ESX server immediately. I am doubt VMWare Converter will do this.

Regards

Gopal

[DSTAVERT]

Try using Winimage http://winimage.com or Starwind converter http://www.starwindsoftware.com/converter

[vmstorage]

Hello Gopal,

Enterprise converter doesnot support .vhd format , I have a similar environment and tested the import it says "P2VError IMPORT_SOURCE_UNKNOWN_TYPE()".

Is your testvms running on hyperV ?

A K

[vembustoregrid]

Hi

Thanks for the reply, All the systems are physcial machines, not vms and I am using WbAdmin utility, (Image backup utility comes with Windows 7), that will create a vhd file. You can mount this vhd file into a drive letter and restore the files you needed, when your physcial machine crashed, also you can restore the

image into an identical machine using Windows Recovery Environment.

But,i would like to use this as P2V conversion, wherein the created vhd file can be imported into ESX based vms. I have checked winimage also as mentioned in the previous thread, but it seems it converts Virtual PC, Virtual Server and Hyper-V vms into vmdk. So I am wondering, is there any difference in vhd files created by wbdadmin and Windows Virtual PC,Virtual Server and Hyper-V ?

I googled about this difference, but in vain.

Regards

Gopal

[AureusStone]

As mentioned above use StarWind to convert from vhd to VMDK. Should get an option to choose VMDK for vSphere.

I have never used this product, but I am told it does what you need. :smileyhappy: