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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