Science
Rather, I developed one golden image in VMware Workstation and produced 5 connected clones that share its virtual disk. Each clone can be spun up in seconds and just inhabits 8.0 MB of hard drive area when at first released.
After setting up and personalizing every one, the total setup, consisting of the initial VM, just utilized 32 GB. The cloning was the simple part, however making the moms and dad VM was anything.
I needed to make one Windows setup worth cloning
Every faster way later on depended upon getting the moms and dad right very first
I didn’t set up Windows once again simply to make this work. I currently had a certified Windows 11 laboratory VM that had actually been enhanced however was barely thought about “golden.” It had actually a couple of forgotten VMware photos that had actually made its size balloon to 86.93 GB, a 64 GB thin-provisioned disk, and a virtual TPM with partial file encryption.
Given that I ‘d long forgotten what the pictures were apparently conserving, I erased them both, which combined the folder to 39.13 GB. I then turned the existing setup into a standard I would in fact more than happy to clone:
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Windows 11 25H2 structure 26200.9457, approximately date with spots.
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The current VMware Tools variation 13.1.5.0.25544008
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Firefox, 7-Zip, and Notepad++
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Submit extensions allowed, start-up apps cut, and frustrating Windows Taskbar includes eliminated.
That indicates every future device will get a tidy web browser, archive energy, editor, and existing motorist combinations from the extremely first boot.
I likewise handicapped hibernation with powercfg /hibernate off and eliminated its hiberfil.sys file, and ran DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanupVMware’s Compact function then got the VM files below 39.17 GB to a more sensible 23.61 GB.
The bothersome part came when I went to evaluate cloning. VMware disables the capability to develop connected clones when a VM is secured. On my golden VM, the Windows virtual TPM was the factor there was partial file encryption.
Inspect manage-bde status C: before eliminating a virtual TPM. If BitLocker is active, getting rid of the TPM without protecting or disabling its protectors will leave Windows requiring a healing secret.
My volume was totally decrypted, so I securely got rid of the vTPM and VMware file encryption, recreated my Windows PIN, and verified the VM still booted. I shut it down, produced the golden photo, and made it possible for Template Mode to secure the moms and dad from me accidentally changing it.
5 brand-new Windows PCs appeared in seconds
Connected clones save my modifications without copying Windows 5 times
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A VMware connected clone isn’t simply another copy of the VM. It checks out the same blocks from the golden picture and composes just its own brand-new information to what’s called a “delta disk”. That reliance is how VMware developed my 5 cloned PCs, all with various tasks:
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SOFTWARE APPLICATION TEST PC for screening software application on a brand-new maker.
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Tidy Browser PC for screening websites on a web browser without any add-ons or cookies.
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Network Tools PC for package assessment in a regulated environment.
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Composing PC for screening world-building and mind-mapping software application in <source media="(max-width: 480px)" data-srcset="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/first-linked-clone-running-with-unique-name.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=2"> <source media="(max-width: 767px)" data-srcset="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/first-linked-clone-running-with-unique-name.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=800&dpr=2"> <source media="(max-width: 1023px)" data-srcset="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/first-linked-clone-running-with-unique-name.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2"> <img width="1650" height="792" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="science First Windows 11 linked clone running with the unique computer name SOFTWARE-TEST" src="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/first-linked-clone-running-with-unique-name.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" previous-src="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/first-linked-clone-running-with-unique-name.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2"> seclusion.
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Non Reusable Test PC for when I truly require to break Windows.
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VMware provided every clone a various virtual MAC address and UUID immediately. The Windows VM clones still acquired the moms and dad’s WIN11-GOLDEN computer system name. I relabelled each visitor after its very first boot with Rename-Computer -NewName “then duplicated the procedure for each connected clone.
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Putting the golden image in Template Mode keeps both VMware and me from mistakenly erasing the moms and dad VM. It does not make the clones momentary. Their applications, files
The only method to return the connected clones to their initial state is to erase them and spin up a brand-new connected clone.
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VMware Workstation Pro
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64-bit Windows and Linux
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64-bit Intel and AMD x86/x86 -64 PCs
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The storage distinction was larger than I anticipated
5 helpful devices taken in less area than 2 complete copies
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The clearest contrast of disk use came before I set up any role-specific software application on the clones:
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A brand-new connected clone before boot utilized just 0.008 GB.
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A representative connected clone after its very first boot utilized 0.579 GB.
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A complete clone made before boot inhabited the exact same quantity as the golden VM at 23.603 GB.
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That made the complete clone about 40 times bigger than a connected clone that had actually currently booted as soon as, rebooted, and got its brand-new hostname. The space narrowed as I began utilizing the makers, however not to the level of a complete clone.
<p>Their last delta disks just showed what was in fact set up. Tidy Browser PC, for instance, reached 0.749 GB, and the Writing PC grew to 4.778 GB after Obsidian, LibreOffice, and my preferred writing tools were set up.</p>
<picture><source media="(max-width: 480px)" data-srcset='[<sourcemedia="(max-width:'> <source media="(max-width: 1023px)" data-srcset="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/writing-linked-clone-obsidian-libreoffice.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2"> <img width="1650" height="792" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="science WRITING-PC Windows linked clone running an independent Obsidian vault and LibreOffice Writer" src="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/writing-linked-clone-obsidian-libreoffice.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" previous-src="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/writing-linked-clone-obsidian-libreoffice.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2">"https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/five-customized-linked-clone-storage.png6ab0350894cf3.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=2"><img width="825" height="526" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="PowerShell showing one golden Windows image and five customized linked clones using about 32GB combined" src="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/five-customized-linked-clone-storage.png6ab0350894cf3.png?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1" previous-src="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/five-customized-linked-clone-storage.png6ab0350894cf3.png?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1">
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Connected clones will not remain small permanently. They do grow after each upgrade, application set up, and altered disk block that comes from that
However, the ~ 24 GB moms and dad and 5 customized PCs still inhabited just 32.327 GB integrated. If I had actually merely made complete clones, then the hard drive area needed for all of them would have gone beyond 118 GB. The connected clones for that reason conserved around 85 GB, or 73 %. Considering that the tailored complete clones would have grown too, the longer-term disk space-saving is possibly much greater than that.
Each clone ended up being a really various PC
The shared structure didn’t require them to remain similar
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In the beginning look, it does look as though each of the clones is simply the very same PC copied 5 times. That’s real, however just at the point of development. Each acquired upgraded Windows, VMware Tools, my chosen settings, and set up software application, however then diverged as quickly as I utilized it:
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Software application Test PC got Process Explorer and Autoruns.
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Tidy Browser PC got Brave and Opera internet browsers.
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Network Tools PC had Wireshark and Nmap set up.
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Composing PC got Obsidian, LibreOffice, Scrivener, and its one test vault.
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Whatever included after that stayed inside that clone’s delta disk. My Obsidian vault didn’t appear on Network Tools PC, and Wireshark never ever reached the Writing PC or the golden VM. The shared standard prevailed to all 5
There was, obviously, still an apparent hardware limitation. My laptop computer, with just 16 GB of RAM, might save all 5 VMs easily, however each VM had 6 GB of RAM designated. I might run them separately, however not concurrently. Even if connected clones conserve disk area does not indicate they share or increase memory or CPU.
Erasing a damaged PC was simpler than fixing it
The tidy replacement showed up before I might repair the old one
<picture><img width="1650" height="792" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Disposable Windows linked clone cluttered with test files and unwanted applications before deletion" src="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/disposable-linked-clone-deliberately-messed-up.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" previous-src="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/disposable-linked-clone-deliberately-messed-up.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2">
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The Disposable Test PC offered me among the very best factors to keep this setup. To check it, I intentionally ruined its beautiful desktop wallpaper with a strong red color, set up VLC and Power Toys, got rid of the web browsers and Notepad + +, and produced 20 scrap files on the desktop. After this, its delta file grew to approximately 3.5 GB.
<p>I might have uninstalled the brand-new applications, brought back the missing ones, erased the mess, and reversed the altered settings. Why? As it ends up, it's a lot easier to close down the destroyed VM, erase that connected clone, and spin up a brand-new one in under a 2nd.</p>
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After doing simply that, the replacement inhabited just 0.650 GB. The unsightly red wallpaper was gone, in addition to scrap files and VLC. Firefox and Notepad + + had actually likewise returned as they were set up on the golden moms and dad image.
Anything that’s kept inside the erased clone vanishes together with it, so it goes without stating that non reusable PCs should not hold irreplaceable work. The advantage, however, is having the flexibility to experiment. When I’ve damaged a connected clone VM beyond the climax, I can change it immediately without needing to either repair it or re-install Windows.
The golden image is likewise the single point of failure
Connected clones are outstanding laboratory devices, however bad independent backups
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<picture><source media="(max-width: 480px)" data-srcset="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/vmware-golden-image-template-mode-enabled.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=2"> <source media="(max-width: 767px)" data-srcset="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/vmware-golden-image-template-mode-enabled.png?q=70&fit=crop&w=800&dpr=1"> <source media="(max-width: 1023px)" data-srcset="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/vmware-golden-image-template-mode-enabled.png?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1"> <img width="825" height="549" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="VMware advanced settings using the Windows 11 virtual machine as a protected linked-clone template" src="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/vmware-golden-image-template-mode-enabled.png?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1" previous-src="https://pmnsports.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/localimages/vmware-golden-image-template-mode-enabled.png?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1">
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The weak point is that none of these connected clones is an independent PC. Each needs the moms and dad VM, its golden photo, and shared base disk to stay undamaged. Attempt to move it, erase it, or re-encrypt it, and all 5 connected clones will stop working.
<p>Upkeep is likewise an issue. Existing clones will not acquire updates or applications contributed to the moms and dad later on. I would require to upgrade the golden image, take a brand-new picture, and reconstruct the clones that required those modifications.</p> <p>File encryption was, for me, the most uneasy compromise. Because VMware declines to develop connected clones unless I get rid of the encrypted TPM, the Windows 11 laboratory image is left without among Microsoft's typical hardware requirements. The moms and dad likewise passes along any accounts, qualifications, or individual files.</p> <p>In theory, the connected clone VMs should not have actually gotten Windows licensing activation, however they did. In time, they will likely lose it, although after a number of weeks of utilizing this setup, it's yet to occur.</p> <p>I would pick complete clones for any irreversible, security-sensitive, or portable devices. For non reusable laboratories, web browser screening, and software application experiments, the reliance on the moms and dad VM is sensible enough.</p> <p>Even though my best Windows setup did take hours to prepare, every fresh PC took seconds to release. When integrated with the disk area conserved from utilizing the clones, the compromises are certainly worth it for my workflows.</p>
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