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

I created the file using "repair / command prompt / diskpart" during win7-installation with maximum=100000 type=expandable as file parameters. Then I quit repair and installed Win7 x86 RC on that file.

Under Win7 that file seems to be FIXED (thats my problem): The Drive D: with Vista and that file on it is very low on free disk space when Win7 is running, and the vhd-file shows 100 Gig in size.
When I start Diskpart from inside Win7 it reports the file type as FIXED

When take a look from inside of Vista, the behaviour is EXPANDABLE just showing me the used space (about 20 Gig now)

Installing virtual pc beta on Win7 did not change anything how the expandable vhd file is handled: Still as fixed when Win7 is running

But there is a difference after installation of Virtual PC:

When I boot from Win7 installation media, switch to a repair command prompt and start diskpart, it was (correctly) displayed as type EXPANDABLE before I installed Virtual PC
After installation the same procedure of checking the VHD with Win7 on it now displays the type of the file as UNKNOWN

Strange, isn't it?

Oblomow

Hi, Brink, Thanks for your reply.
It seems to be a difference, how a VHD-file looks in diskpart, when the OS (Win7) is loaded from that file. Possible it is a kind of locking, the virtual drive is under control of the OS and should show the maximum size as disk size.

Did you know a tool to mount that vhd-file with Win7 installed as normal disk drive from inside of Win7 SP2?
Since there are different types of VHD so I do not want to shrink that file (before I have madee a backup) using VHDresize or VMWare Converter

Is it possible to move the whole installation from outside the installation in the vhd to a normal disk partition?

Let me make an remark: WIn7 installation is fast, but the installation of all those Thinkpad drivers, utilities and Office including Spell Checker language packs and Service Packs for Langugage Packs and Spelling Packs and multiple Runs of WIndows Update is very time consuming!

Cheers, Oblomow58

Oblomow58 said:

Did you know a tool to mount that vhd-file with Win7 installed as normal disk drive from inside of Win7 SP2?

What is "Win7 SP2" ???

You can mount a VHD file in Windows 7.
Go to disk management. In the left pane right mouse click to "Disk Management" and choose "Attach VHD"

Virtual Hard Disk - Create and Attach VHD

Brink said:

I do not know of anything that would allow a OS in a VHD to be transfered from the VHD to a normal partition or drive.

I don't know if this helps. But you can make an image backup with Windows 7 tools. The backup files are VHD files. Perhaps you can restore from this backup files to a separate partition ?

But notice: Windows 7 installed in a VHD file doesn't have a boot manager IN the VHD file.

Hi guys, I new here.

Good direct tutorial. This was my first way to install Win7 on VHD... I think this is the prefered way.

when creating the disks, the drive which is housing the VHD, Cannot contain "File Compression" probably because a vhd is also compressed files already...

Also im not sure, but, i dont beleive it works Creating VHD's onto Dynamic Paritions either. "IE: import foriegn disk" being the reason.

PS: Creating disk for use for win 7 "25GIG" should be your minimum - win7 uncompresses to ove 10gig. Also Create Dynamic disk, when possible as when creating fixed disk pre allocating disk space & Formatting takes a Period of Time! microsoft have not fixed this problem yet!

LEROY