The application of the imaging VISAR to the pre-heating experiment of Au conical target for fast ignition is proposed. The pre-heating experiments using different kinds of Au cones which have the diverse thicknesses of 5 μm and 10 μm are studied. The experimental data show that the velocity of the two kinds of cone are 2.2 km/s and 0.6 km/s. Details of the pre-heating physical progress are described, which indicate that the Au cone having thickness of 10 μm is less affected by the pre-heating effect. The experimental results show that the imaging VISAR has the ability to measure the low velocity of free surface, and the whole facility is effective for further experiment.