Am 28.08.2012 18:03, schrieb Orchid Win7 v1:
>>> If you put the disks from one VM into another VM, then the other VM
>>> *becomes* the first VM. All VMs are essentially identical; the disks are
>>> the only thing that makes them different. Either you want to delete a
>>> VM, or you don't. So deleting the settings file and then still using the
>>> existing disks is a nonsensical thing to do.
>>
>> Not if the disk is a data disk, or is used as something other than the
>> boot disk.
>
> Wouldn't you just clone the disk for something like that? (Otherwise
> only one VM can access it at a time.)
>
>> Or if it's a base for multiple linked clones where you started from a
>> common base, but the clones are different.
>
> Then wouldn't each clone have its own local cloned disk image?

Virtual Box is pretty smart when it comes to saving disk space: When you 
clone a disk image, it "freezes" the original disk's state into a save 
point, and the clone will actually be a reference to that save point 
plus a delta tracking any changes.

Likewise, the original disk will further on be managed as that "frozen" 
state plus another delta tracking any changes made by /that/ VM.

(Note that a "frozen" state itself may already be a reference to an 
earlier save point plus a delta.)

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