Question Cloning software for MacOS X and Windows XP?

[me88]

i want to clone my mac osx and windows xp computers what's the easiest cloning software to use and if possible that won't take 3+ hours to go through the process.

i plan on taking the cloned operating systems and putting them into virtual box

 

[Alabalcho]

VMWare, VirtualBox (and probably other VM hosts) have utilities to convert physical disks to virtual. Don't expect you can use any cloning software, with their proprietary imaging formats, to work as virtual disk.

For binary disk images - on Mac, you have dd. Not sure how "easy" would be to MacOS into a virtual machine, though. On XP, winimage still has a version which can work on XP.

 

[me88]

VMWare, VirtualBox (and probably other VM hosts) have utilities to convert physical disks to virtual. Don't expect you can use any cloning software, with their proprietary imaging formats, to work as virtual disk.

For binary disk images - on Mac, you have dd. Not sure how "easy" would be to MacOS into a virtual machine, though. On XP, winimage still has a version which can work on XP.

I didn't realize virtual box had cloning software, i'll take a look at it. i think on mac osx in disk utility it allows for disk cloning, but i'm not sure.

so basically if i put a cloned os into virtual box it may not work or work the same? what did you mean by "dd"?

 

[Alabalcho]

so basically if i put a cloned os into virtual box it may not work or work the same? what did you mean by "dd"?

"dd" is easier to answer: https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/how-to-create-disk-image-on-mac-os-x-with-dd-command/
Whether a disk (image) running on geniuine Mac will boot and run on a VM is completely different question, which goes into the gray area of Apple enforcing its licenses.

 

[me88]

"dd" is easier to answer: https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/how-to-create-disk-image-on-mac-os-x-with-dd-command/
Whether a disk (image) running on geniuine Mac will boot and run on a VM is completely different question, which goes into the gray area of Apple enforcing its licenses.

so basically i would be taking my chances if i'm using cloning software?