VMWare Workstation 7.1.2 64-bit Windows Host Cloning Failure

[JohnLeibacher]

I have tried (and failed) three times to create a clone of a 90GB 64-bit Ubuntu guest VM on the host computer, and two different external USB HDs. It fails at about the same 3/4 point, with the .cl1 (?) file a bit over 30GB, with the message "vmware cloning failed: the request could not be performed because of an I/O device error". There is plenty of space on the target disks. The guest machine is powered down.

I've done the usual few hours of searching, and am surprised that such a relatively simple problem doesn't have some traffic, which leads me to think/hope that it is a really simple issue, which I am missing.

Thank you in advance,

John Leibacher

[joehecht · Accepted solution]

Unless you are making a clone from a snapshot (an independent or full clone?), why not just copy the guest VM where you need it to go, then open the VM, change the name etc.. and answer "I copied it" when you start it up in it's new location?

J

[JohnLeibacher]

Many thanks! I'm pretty new to all of this, and thought that the cloning was the way to grab all of the files that were needed to install the VM on another computer. I'll try what you suggested, which sounds easier in any case.

The problem may not have had anything to do with the cloning (I was trying to do a "full" to run independently on a notebook), as I got the same error when trying to do a "harddisk" defrag of the VMs disk from within VMWare Workstation. But it sounds like I have a problem with the "disk", cloning or not...

thanks again!

John L