A virtual machine requires a virtualization program to run and consists of various files, including a virtual hard disk file, a configuration file, and a suspended status file. Configuration options include memory, hard drive size, processors, and network settings. Virtual machines can be suspended and resumed, and other files include virtual floppy disk images and registry files.
A virtual machine consists of an operating system, program files, and data files and requires a virtualization program to run. Each machine consists of various virtual machine files, including a virtual hard disk file, a configuration file, and a suspended status file. Other common files include registry files, floppy disk image files, and special internal files that some virtualization programs need for your machine to run.
Virtual hard disk files are usually the largest of all virtual machine files and contain the virtual machine’s operating system, program files, and all personal data stored in the virtual operating system. Some virtualization programs store all of the virtual hard disk data in one large file, but others divide the virtual hard disk into smaller pieces for easier archiving and backup. When setting up a virtual machine, you often have options to set a fixed size for the hard drive or allow it to expand up to a specified limit. While most virtual machines have at least one hard drive, they can include additional drives.
Virtual machine files also include configuration files used to determine the hardware options and settings for each virtual machine. Virtualization programs differ in the configuration options they make available, but users generally can select the amount of memory the machine uses, the size of the hard drive, the number of processors or cores used, and how the virtual machine uses memory. optical drive of the physical machine. Other options include folder sharing, printing options, video and audio settings, network settings, and universal serial bus (USB) device options. Each option often supports additional advanced settings that power users can implement.
Most virtualization programs allow users to temporarily suspend a virtual machine in its current state, so each virtual machine often includes a file containing information about the state of the machine when the user paused it. When the user powers the machine back on, the virtualization program uses the file to restore the virtual operating system environment and any open programs or files. This file is overwritten every time a virtual machine is suspended and resumed.
Other virtual machine files include virtual floppy disk images, registry files, and internal files that the virtualization program uses to load virtual machines correctly. When a user backs up a machine using some programs, the process can also create a special backup file that helps the user import the virtual machine into another program. While most virtualization programs include these various files, the extension used for each file type varies widely.
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