Certain embodiments described herein relate to an improved virtual machine restoration system. In one embodiment, an information management system receives a request to perform a restore of a virtual machine using virtual machine data stored on a secondary storage device. In response, the information management system boots up the virtual machine after restoring only a portion of the virtual machine data that is needed to boot up the virtual machine, thereby reducing latencies associated with virtual machine boot-up. The information management system continues to retrieve additional portions of the virtual machine data from the secondary storage device as such portions are requested by the virtual machine, thereby reducing or minimizing unnecessary data transfer from the secondary storage device.