Migrating Windows FROM vmware TO bootcamp

Having done this only once, I’m not prepared to write an authoritative HOWTO.  Nevertheless, since there isn’t a lot of info out there on how to do this, I’m reporting my experience.

First of all, why go to bootcamp?  Bootcamp allows you to run the Windows operating system natively on a Macintosh.  VMWare provides a virtual machine that runs simultaneously with your Mac.  I needed Bootcamp because one of the shortcomings of VMWare is that the video driver doesn’t work as well.

Here is how I did it.

• Run bootcamp assistant and setup a partition that is 1GB larger than the disk you are cloning FROM.  I made the mistake of making them both the same size (ie. 32 GB) and when I got to the CLONE step below it complained the destination was smaller than the source.
• Install Windows XP as usual
• Reboot into mac os
• Run VMWare and adjust the new “bootcamp” vm…
• Add the VM you wish to clone as a second hard drive (uncheck the Copy/Move item in the dlg box).
• Download clonezilla livecd ISO and attach it to the VM
• Boot your bootcamp VM, but press F6 and go to bios screen to specify to boot from CD
• Boot the bootcamp VM (off the clonezilla CD)
• Choose partition clone to clone FROM your vmware disk TO the bootcamp partition of your internal hard disk
• Shutdown clonezilla live.
• Adjust bootcamp VM settings, removing the VM disk and the clonezilla ISO
• Reboot bootcamp VM,  with luck it will boot the OS that used to be on your virtual disk, but now from your bootcamp partition.  For me it “repaired” things and rebooted a few times here.
• Shutdown the virtual machine.
• Reboot the real machine, holding option key, choose Windows from the boot menu
• Bootcamp should boot the cloned windows install on real machine.  It did for me, anyhow!
• Finally, you’ll have to activate your copy of windows.  Which it should do, because you have a legal license for it, right?