Saving VM settings without exporting (copying VHDs)

Question

Hi,

We have 7 VMs running on a host. We made a mistake and installed DC edition of Windows Server instead of Standard. So we basically have to format and re-install the O/S on the host. We want to save the VM settings so that we can quickly restore once server is rebuilt.

We do not want to use export because it copies the VHDs which in this case are very large. VHDs are located either on a different volumes and will not be moved. So ideally we want to backup all the VM settings (we don't have any snapshots), and restore when we rebuild Windows.

We research but couldn't find a solution. In the worst case scenario, we could detach large VHDs, only keep the relatively small OS drive of each VM, export and then import. That seems unnecessary and time consuming. Is that our only option?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Hello there,

I guess the only option would be export .

An export gathers all required files into one unit--virtual hard disk files, virtual machine configuration files, and any checkpoint files. You can do this on a virtual machine that is in either a started or stopped state.

This article shows you how to export and import a virtual machine, which is a quick way to move or copy them. This article also discusses some of the choices to make when doing an export or import.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/virtualization/hyper-v/deploy/export-and-import-virtual-machines

Hope this resolves your Query !!

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