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I'm searching for a user-friendly tool (preferable with a GUI) which could help me convert my system partition (ext3/ext4) on my Linux Mint
installation to a VirtualBox or VMWare HDD (VDI).
It should run on Linux Mint 17, and be able to do the conversion while the system is running.. :-)
Anyone ?

Edited by it@61@sec because: Language correction :-)
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Short summary and context: asked for a user-friendly, live way to turn a Mint 17 system partition into a VM disk; and correctly point out that offline P2V is the usual, safest route. For completeness, below are two practical "live" approaches (one LVM-based, one generic) plus post-conversion checks and cautions you won't see in the earlier replies.

LVM snapshot (best if root is on LVM)

  • Create a snapshot of the logical volume so the running system keeps writing to the original while you image the snapshot. Example (replace vg0/root with your names):
    lvcreate --size 2G --snapshot --name rootsnap /dev/vg0/root
qemu-img convert -f raw -O vdi /dev/vg0/rootsnap /path/to/mint17.vdi
lvremove /dev/vg0/rootsnap

    Notes: pick a snapshot size large enough to hold all changes while the copy runs; if the snapshot fills you can corrupt data on it. Use this when you need minimal downtime and have free VG space.

Non-LVM but still "live" (risky)

  • Freeze the filesystem, image the block device, then unfreeze:
    fsfreeze -f /
dd if=/dev/sda1 of=/path/to/mint17.raw bs=4M status=progress
fsfreeze -u /

    Caveats: freezing root will pause all writes and may disrupt services. This is a short-window technique only; if unsure, boot a live ISO and image offline.

After the image

  • Convert or compress (qemu-img, virt-sparsify), then test boot in a throwaway VM. Typical fixes: update /etc/fstab to use UUIDs, regenerate initramfs, reinstall GRUB from a rescue ISO, and remove hardware-specific drivers (GPU, proprietary NIC) before first boot. If the VM drops to initramfs or cannot find root, use a rescue ISO to chroot and correct fstab or GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX. Offline conversion remains simpler and safer, but the LVM snapshot method is the practical live path when you must avoid full downtime.

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Member Avatar for CimmerianX

I've converted many physical to virtual hosts. VMWare has a conversion tool that you need (free). For Linux hosts, you can't do this while system is on since you need to boot to a CD image to get the conversion going (last time I ran it anyway).

VMDK files created from the conversion can be used in Virtual Box or can be converted into other formats as well.

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