1. A computer program product for implementing a method for a computing system to run a virtual machine directly from a physical machine using snapshots of the physical machine, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, cause the computing system to perform the method, the method comprising: an act of a snapshot component taking a snapshot of the physical system volume while the physical system volume is in an operational state; and an act of the virtual machine initializing using the physical system volume snapshot thereby allowing the physical system volume snapshot to be a virtual system volume snapshot representing an initial state of a virtual system volume.