
It can be downloaded for free since it's open source tool. Convert Bootable ISO File to Virtual Disk VHD/VMDK on Windowsīefore proceeding, make sure you have the VirtualBox software already installed on your computer. Here is how to use Command line tool on Windows 10 and MacOS. You can convert:Īfter the conversion, you can directly boot the operating system from VHD/VMDK. You can consider the pre conversion way to directly convert an ISO file into an VHD/ VMDK using VirtualBox.

While you can still use the ISO file to directly start up any OS on virtual disk image like VirtualBox, VMWare, if you do not want to install ISO file, converting it to VDI format (Virtual desktop infrastructure) will be the best idea.

ISO file is the most widely-used format for OS installation. This tutorial will be both for Mac and Windows computers. In this guide today, we'll walk you through how to convert a bootable ISO file into VHD or VMDK using Command line. It's very helpful, especially when you want to customize the image file or use it for testing. The process of converting is also more difficult than booting Virtual from the ISO file, instead of using an xx.iso file and then converting it to a Virtual disk. If you frequently use VirtualBox, one of the best free virtual machine software, then you should know how to convert an ISO file into a VirtualBox hard disk (VHD). It is neither useful nor does it make any sense.By Petty Madison | Last Updated: Aug. I am sure that most VMware admins would tell you: iso to vmdk is as useful as apple to oranges. The only useful usecase for an ISO - to - VMDK converter tool is if you have a Linux-LiveCD and want to boot this one file in as many different scenarios as possible. The vmdk created with the workaround I mentioned is not compatible with any standard partitioning tools - you can not write to it easily and lots of additional problems turn up. So to make it short: normally there is no need to convert isos to vmdks - because it does not make sense unless you have very special needs. Though I use this quite often it is not a common scenario - never heard about anybody else using iso-files like this. The iso-file still has to be renamed to name-flat.vmdk and you have to create the descriptor.vmdk manually. In the ESXi environment an iso-file that has been modified by isohybrid can be directly used as a bootable vmdk. When the tool has finsihed the iso is slightly modified so that it boots after the image has been transfered to a harddisk. It was designed to eaily create an USB-bootable stick when you have a bootable ISO.


There are no commandline options for ESXi to convert / create a vmdk from an Iso-file.įor Linux there exists a tools named isohybrid.
