Time for action – cloning an Ubuntu Linux hard disk image

In this exercise, I'll show you how to clone a VirtualBox hard disk using Ubuntu Linux as the guest operating system and Windows XP as the host.

1. Open a Command Prompt window (Start | All Programs | Accessories | Command Prompt), and type the following lines (don't forget to press Enter after each line):

   cd .VirtualBox
   cd HardDisks
   "C:\Program Files\Sun\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" clonevdi "UbuntuVB.vdi" "UbuntuVBClone.vdi"

2. Now just wait until VirtualBox finishes cloning your hard drive. The following screenshot shows all the disk cloning process:

   

3. Close the Command Prompt window. Then open VirtualBox, and select File | Virtual Media Manager to open the Virtual Media Manager.

4. Click on the Add button, or press the Insert key to open the Select a hard disk image file dialog, select the UbuntuVBClone.vdi disk image you created before, and click on Open to continue.

5. The UbuntuVBClone.vdi disk image file will be added to the Virtual Media Manager...