Creating a one-time conversion to a virtual machine

Last published : Apr 02, 2026
You can create a one-time conversion job to convert a running physical computer to a virtual machine without a separate backup job. A one-time conversion job can be scheduled to run at a later time, but it cannot be scheduled to run more than one time.
Only Full (Copy) backups are supported for this type of conversion. Incremental and differential backups are not supported for one-time conversions.
Note: Copy backups are not supported in Hyper-V 2008 or 2008 R2. A crash-consistent conversion is created instead.
To create a one-time conversion to a virtual machine
  1. On the Backup and Restore tab, select the server that you want to convert to a virtual machine.
  2. In the Conversions group, click Convert to Virtual, and then clickOne-Time Convert to Virtual Machine.
  3. On the One-Time Convert to Virtual Machine Properties dialog box, in the Convert to Virtual box, click Edit.
  4. In the left pane, select Schedule to select when to run the conversion job:
    To run the job immediately Click Run now .
    To schedule the conversion to run at a specific time Click Run on , and then enter the date and time to run the job.
    To create the conversion job without scheduling it Select Create without a schedule . When you use this option, the job does not run at the time of creation and it does not have a recurring schedule. The job remains in a pending state until you choose to run it. You can use a third-party job automation or task scheduling tool to run the job later.
  5. (Optional) In the left pane, select Notification if you want to notify a recipient when the job completes.
  6. In the left pane, select Conversion Settings to set the options for the conversion.
  7. In the Convert for field, select either Hyper-VorVMware ESX/vCenter server.
  8. Configure the conversion options:
    If you selected Hyper-V in step 7 Do the following to configure the conversion options\:
    - Click the arrow in the Hyper-V server name field, select the name of the server where you want to create the virtual machine, and then click Add .
    - In the Destination drive or path field, enter the location on the physical computer where the virtual disks should be created. Enter a drive letter and path.
    - If you want to change the default virtual machine name, type the new name in the Virtual machine name field.
    - If you want to enable Backup Exec to overwrite a virtual machine if a virtual machine with the same name already exists, verify that the Overwrite the virtual machine if it already exists option is selected. If this option is not selected and the virtual machine name already exists, then the job fails.
    - In the Full path of Hyper-V Integration Components ISO image field, enter the location of your Hyper-V Integration Components ISO image. The ISO image is needed to make the virtual machine bootable. Note: This option is not available for Hyper-V servers that run on Windows 2016 or later. Such Hyper-V servers install integration services directly on the virtual machine either through a Windows update or a user-initiated download.
    - If you want to change the CPU count or amount of physical RAM for the destination virtual machine, on the Server configuration tab, enter the new amounts in the Desintation virtual machine fields.
    - If you want to change the disk type, the controller, or the virtual disk location for one of the disks, on the Disk configuration tab, click Edit disk configuration , and then enter the new information.
    If you selected VMware ESX/vCenter server in step 7 Do the following to configure the conversion options\:
    - Click the arrow in the ESX/vCenter server name field, and click the name of the server where you want to create the virtual machine.
    - Click the arrow in the Logon account field, and then select the appropriate logon account for the server that you selected.
    - Click Select next to the ESX/vCenter server name field. Backup Exec fills in the remaining information about the server.
    - Browse to select the virtual machine folder and resource pool that are associated with the server that you selected. Note: If you target an ESX server and select a resource pool, the newly created virtual machine is not added to the resource pool automatically. You can manually move the virtual machine into the appropriate resource pool after the conversion.
    - If you want to change the default virtual machine name, type the new name in the Virtual machine name field.
    - If you want to enable Backup Exec to overwrite a virtual machine if a virtual machine with the same name already exists, verify that the Overwrite the virtual machine if it already exists option is selected. If this option is not selected and the virtual machine name already exists, then the job fails.
    - In the Full path of VMware Tools ISO image field, enter the location of your VMware Tools ISO image. The path should be accessible with the default credentials. The path should also be local to the Backup Exec server. The ISO image is needed to make the virtual machine bootable. Note: In a CAS environment, this path should be local to the managed Backup Exec server to which the job is targeted.
    - If you want to change the CPU count or amount of physical RAM for the destination virtual machine, on the Server configuration tab, enter the new amounts in the Desintation virtual machine fields.
    - If you want to change the disk type, the controller, or the virtual disk location for one of the disks, on the Disk configuration tab, click Edit disk configuration , and then enter the new information.
  9. Click OK to save your selections.
  10. On the One-Time Convert to Virtual Machine Properties dialog box, click OK.
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How conversion of physical computers to virtual machines works in Backup Exec
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