Booting from VHD

MultiBoot with VHD
So this guide explains how to install and boot an OS in a VHD file from your own HW (Windows 7).

Why this ?
In my case I have a laptop (Intel-VT , 64bits ready) running Windows 7 x64 with Virtual PC, and I
would prefer to boot different configuration (Windows 7, Windows 2008 R2 etc … ) directly on my
hardware in keeping clean my based OS.

Also using Virtual PC Virtual PC isn’t enough for me because I cannot run 64 bits Guest OS.

Also useful to test hardware or if you don’t have Intel-VT

Material needed :
 Recommended Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2
 The Windows® Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows® 7

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=696DD665-9F76-4177-A811-
39C26D3B3B34&displaylang=en

 The Windows 2008 R2 Enterprise (here the link to a trial)

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/trial-software.aspx

Part 1 : Creating an (empty) VHD

 Launch Computer Manager
 Goes into Storage
 Click Disk Management
 Right click disk managment and createVHD

André Debilloez , www.debilloez.net , free to copy but let me know if it was useful for you.

 Create by examples as follow

 Right click on your new disk to initialize it :


 Initialize as follow:

 Right click on the new “unallocated” partition to format it


 Follow the wizard BUT change Drive letter to X (or remember the letter) and assign a Volume
name ie :


 When you have done, you should have this :

You are ready for Part 2 : Installing WAIK & Preparing the VHD
 Get your Windows 2008 DVD (or Windows 7 if you target to obtain Windows 7)
 Copy from the DVD (in directory: sources ) the file called install.wim
 Install Windows Automated Installation Toolkit (WAIK) on you PC (see download link at the
beginning of this doc.)
 Launch the command prompt and goes into the appropriate folder of the WIAK, in my case
because an Intelx64 : “C:Program FilesWindows AIKToolsamd64>”
!!! Don’t forget to lunch the prompt with ADMINISTRATIVE privilege even if you are logged
with admin privilege (right click on the shortcut and “run as administrator” )

From now you need to adapt directory and the x: drive if you didn’t follow the same as me.

 Run the Following command : “imagex /info c:preparationinstall.wim”
This command will list all edition of the product available in the install.wim
 You will see a “section” called “<image>” (<Image index= x> and <image>)


In my case I’m interested by the enterprise edition and I noted that the index value for this is “3”

I will execute the following command to “upload” my dta in the VHD:

 imagex /apply c:preparationinstall.wim 3 x:

Notice that I have parameters “3” that correspond to the Edition that I want.


At this point you have a VHD ready to boot (ie in Hyper-V). In our case we do not want to run-it by
Hyper-V but directly from my laptop, that mean that we have a next step to finalize the job:
modifying the “bootmenu”.

Part 3 : Customizing the boot menu
First have a look at your actual boot configuration by using the command : “bcdedit ”

 Run bcedit .exe

Here’s mine

To facilitate the job, we will “clone” one entry (the actual) :

 bcdedit /copy {current} /d "Windows 2008 Enterprise"

As result you will get a {Guid} that will have need for command that will follow (note the guid)


We have now to set appropriate properties to the new entry by using these 3 commands with the
Guid you get previously (note the correct syntax in the print screen below):

 bcdedit /set <guid> device vhd=”path to you VHD”

 bcdedit /set <guid> osdevice vhd=” path to you VHD”

 bcdedit /set <guid> detecthal on

Now you can look again the Boot config by using : bcdedit /v

And if you are lucky reboot your PC and you will have a prompt asking wich OS to boot : your
previous by default with 30sec delay, or the new one from the VHD.


Booting from VHD

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