1. A method for converting a first virtual image for a virtual machine formatted for a first virtual environment, the method comprising: creating a second virtual image, wherein the second virtual image is non-specific to any virtual environment; determining whether a portion of files in a set of files to be copied from the first virtual image to the second virtual image should be replaced using a compatibility matrix to produce a determination , wherein the compatibility matrix comprises a set of source and target hypervisor-specific entries and that identifies changes between the first virtual environment and a second virtual environment; responsive to a the determination that the portion of the files in the set of files should be replaced , taking an action that is one of: copying to the second virtual image a replacement for the portion of the files to the second image using the compatibility matrix when it is determined that the portion of files in the set of files to be copied should be replaced ; and responsive to an absence of a determination the each file in the set of files should be replaced , copying the to the second virtual image each file to the second image in the set of files to be copied that is not in the portion when it is determined that the portion of files in the set of files to be copied should not be replaced; wherein at least one of the determining and copying steps is carried out in software executing in a hardware element .