>> Finally, real disk partitions don't disturb Apple's Time Machine >> (Apple's backup on OSX), and simulated disk partitions (which are >> simple OSX files) do, unless you explicitly exclude them in Time >> Machine's settings. > >Huh? Virtual Machine disk images don't "disturb" the operation of Time >Machine in the slightest. Time Machine is able to back up virtual disk >images just fine. The only drawback is that they are large files, so if >you have a 40 GB disk image, Time Machine backups can add up. But Time >Machine is designed to automatically trim old files from the backup when >it runs low on space on the backup volume.
That's the problem. Even if you only boot your Windows Virtual Machine that it uses a simulated disk partition (an OSX file), and "do nothing", Time Machine will detect your 40 GB as modified, and it will backup it again. That will take a lot of time, and even that Time Machine can automatically delete the old copies, you will spend a lot of GB in your backup hard disk with some outdated copies.
Another issue that I have not tested, is the *Windows* consistence of a backup of a simulated windows partition that it was backuped by Time Machine when the related Windows Virtual Machine was running. Do you have any experience regarding this issue? What happens with the backup that Time Machine did just when Windows was modifying the registry, for example?
Thanks Juan I. Cahis Santiago de Chile (South America) Note: Please forgive me for my bad English, I am trying to improve it!
