What is a disk image?

A disk image is a copy of the entire contents of a storage device, such as a hard drive, DVD, or CD. The disk image represents the content exactly as it is on the original storage device, including both data and structure information. A disk image of a hard drive may be saved as a virtual hard disk (VHD).

Uses of disk images include:

• Burning CDs and DVDs.
• System backup.
• Disk cloning.
• Computer forensics.
• Data recovery.
• Creating a portable version of the user's home system for travel.
• Distribution of operating systems as a LiveCD.

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08 Jul 2009