How can I snapshot a VM before booting it for the first time?

virtual-machine snapshot parallels

I'm running MS trial VM images which are time limited, based on initial boot. MS recommend you store a copy of the downloaded image or take a snapshot before booting: enter image description here

But how can you snapshot a VM without ever running it? I'm working via Parallels, but I'm not sure how relevant that is.


Parallels can only snapshot a running VM. See https://kb.parallels.com/5691
I don't know whether you could run the VM without the Windows installation recognising that as its 'first launch' date or whether that would survive so long as you don't run through the entire setup procedure.

If you want to preserve the exact state before first run, I'd just duplicate the VM file itself, before first launch. That's going to take up disk space, of course, but is guaranteed 'safe'.

Of course, once you've duplicated the initial file, you then always have a spare you can experiment with, as regards Windows' 'first run' criteria & if you can get a snapshot early enough to not trigger it.

Related

Expressing $\sin(2x)$ as a polynomial of $\sin{x}$
The least prime greater than 2000
What does a probability of $1$ mean?
Why don't we include $\pm\infty$ in $\mathbb R$?
Proving that $\mathbb{F}^\infty$ is infinite-dimensional.
Why are compact sets called "compact" in topology?
Prove that the manifold $SO(n)$ is connected
Important examples of measures which are not $\sigma$-finite
How to evaluate $\lim_{n\to\infty}\sqrt[n]{\frac{1\cdot3\cdot5\cdot\ldots\cdot(2n-1)}{2\cdot4\cdot6\cdot\ldots\cdot2n}}$
What is the difference between necessary condition & sufficient condition?
Find sum of series $\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{n(4n^2-1)}$
Prove that there are infinitely many integers n such that $4n^2+1$ is divisible by both $13$ and $5$