Vhd Boot

Hello Allan, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I have not tried this with using the Windows XP installation DVD, but it may still work using the method in the tutorial below.

Virtual Hard Drive VHD File - Create and Start with at Boot

You might also look at the related links to see if one of those options may work for you as well.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

hello Alan...

You could try to create a Virtual PC VHD , install Windows XP there, and after the first part of installation (the blue screens),upon the first restart, stop the Virtual PC and use this VHD to boot with. It should probably continue to load Windows XP and install them on the VHD...probably.

Only thing is that you should change some BCD entries to boot totally from the VHD:

Copy your VHD file you have created from a Virtual PC and have started installing XP, which you stopped before it got to the second part of the installation, to C:\winxp.vhd

open an elevated command prompt and type:

bcdedit /create {ntldr} /d "My winxp VHD"

bcdedit /set {ntldr} device vhd=[C:]\winxp.vhd

bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr

bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} /addlast

This could probably boot XP from VHD. Please post back results.

EDIT: I tried everything...It seems Windows 7 is using its own hardware abstraction layer to boot from VHD, so I believe you cannot boot XP...probably not even Vista...Win7 only..

limneos said:

hello Alan...

You could try to create a Virtual PC VHD , install Windows XP there, and after the first part of installation (the blue screens),upon the first restart, stop the Virtual PC and use this VHD to boot with. It should probably continue to load Windows XP and install them on the VHD...probably.

Only thing is that you should change some BCD entries to boot totally from the VHD:

Copy your VHD file you have created from a Virtual PC and have started installing XP, which you stopped before it got to the second part of the installation, to C:\winxp.vhd

open an elevated command prompt and type:

bcdedit /create {ntldr} /d "My winxp VHD"

bcdedit /set {ntldr} device vhd=[C:]\winxp.vhd

bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr

bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} /addlast

This could probably boot XP from VHD. Please post back results.

EDIT: I tried everything...It seems Windows 7 is using its own hardware abstraction layer to boot from VHD, so I believe you cannot boot XP...probably not even Vista...Win7 only..

actually the VPC is locked to P3 HAL and so that is why you can boot...
essetially if you have AMD-V or VT support you can withing reason make a vhd fire up Vmware and then install it from there (as the installer will use the same hal as yours..) of course like dmex said you need to attach it first and then use it as physical disk which should in theory work...:)
Boot from a VHD using Windows 7

Hi, thanks I will give it a try

Only win7 has support for this :-(

/Allan