Acronis backups (.tib files) of disks or partitions can be converted to virtual hard disks (.vhd(x) files).
How to use .vhd(x) files
You can boot your computer from the converted .vhd(x) file to test whether the backup is valid and can be recovered to a bootable operating system.
You can keep a converted .vhd(x) file for emergency situations. For example, if your computer cannot start and you need to run it right away, you can boot from the .vhd(x) file.
In Windows 7, you can mount a .vhd(x) file as an additional drive. The .vhd(x) file may contain any partitions – system or non-system.
You can run a converted .vhd(x) file as a virtual machine.
Limitations and additional information
A file backup cannot be converted to a .vhd(x) file.
To boot from a converted .vhd(x) file, it must contain:
System partition of the same computer. You cannot boot other computers using the same .vhd(x) file.
Windows 7 or later operating system.
Any changes you make to a booted or mounted .vhd(x) file are saved to it. If you boot from a .vhd(x) file and make changes to the data that was not backed up, these changes will affect your live system.
The standalone versions of Acronis True Image 2021 that start when booting from the bootable media do not support conversion operations.
Acronis True Image 2021 cannot convert .tib files that contain dynamic volumes which were originally located on more than one disk drive (for example, spanned or striped dynamic volumes).