Technical Support Docs: Boot to VHD (Native Boot): Add a Virtual Hard Disk to the Boot Menu

Monday, September 1, 2014

Boot to VHD (Native Boot): Add a Virtual Hard Disk to the Boot Menu

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Updated: October 20, 2013

Applies To: Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

Here's how to add a a virtual hard disk (VHD) to the boot menus . This is known as native-boot. A native-boot VHD is a virtual hard disk that can be used as the running operating system on designated hardware without any other parent operating system. This differs from a scenario where a VHD is connected to a virtual machine on a computer that has a parent operating system.

VHDs can be applied to computers that have no other installations of Windows, for usage as a native-boot VHD, without a virtual machine or hypervisor. (A hypervisor is a layer of software under the operating system that runs virtual computers.) This enables greater flexibility in workload distribution because a single set of tools can be used to manage images for virtual machines and designated hardware.

Note
This walkthrough describes how to deploy the VHD to a computer that has no other installations of Windows. For more information about how to deploy multiple VHDs with native-boot on a single computer, or deploying VHDs on computers that have a parent operating system, see Download and install Windows PE (WinPE) so you can boot from a USB flash drive or an external USB hard drive.

Windows Setup Configuration Passes.

A Windows 8 Windows PE disk. For more information, see WinPE: Create USB Bootable drive.

A destination computer on which to install the VHD. This computer requires 30 gigabytes (GB) or more of free disk space. You can install the VHD to a computer already running other operating system installations, or as the only operating system on a computer.
For more information about how to use VHDs in an enterprise environment, see Understanding Virtual Hard Disks with Native Boot.

Understanding Virtual Hard Disks with Native Boot. For more information about the DiskPart tool, see this Microsoft Web site.

At a command prompt, type:

diskpart
create vdisk file=C:\windows.vhd maximum=25600 type=fixed
select vdisk file=C:\windows.vhdx
attach vdisk
create partition primary
assign letter=v
format quick label=vhd
exit

Step 2: Apply a Windows image

Use the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool to apply the .wim file to the primary partition of the VHD. At a command prompt, type:
```
Dism /apply-image /imagefile:install.wim /index:1 /ApplyDir:V:\
```
Use the DiskPart tool to detach the virtual disk after you apply the image. At a command prompt, type:
```
diskpart
select vdisk file=C:\windows.vhdx
detach vdisk
exit
```

Copy the VHD file to a network share or USB hard drive. For example,

net use n: \\server\share\
md N:\VHDs
copy C:\windows.vhdx n:\VHDs\

Download and install Windows PE (WinPE) so you can boot from a USB flash drive or an external USB hard drive for more information.At a command prompt, type:

diskpart
select disk 0
clean

Create a system partition. This example uses a 300 megabyte (MB) system partition. At a command prompt, type:

create partition primary size=300
format quick fs=ntfs
assign letter=s
active

Create a primary partition. In this example the primary partition is given the remaining disk space. At a command prompt, type:

create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs
assign letter=c
exit

Step 4: Deploy the VHD with native-boot capabilities

Copy the VHD file to the destination computer. At a command prompt, type:
```
copy N:\VHDs\Windows.vhdx C:
```
Use the DiskPart tool to attach the VHD on the destination computer. At a command prompt, type:
```
diskpart
select vdisk file=C:\windows.vhdx
attach vdisk
```
The VHD is assigned a volume letter when it is attached. Find the letter associated with the VHD in the volume list and then exit the DiskPart tool. At a command prompt, type:
```
list volume
select volume <volume_number_of_attached_VHD>
assign letter=v
exit
```
Use the BCDboot tool, located in the \System32 directory of the Windows 8 VHD or in a Windows 8 Windows PE media, to copy the boot-environment files from the \Windows directory in the VHD to the system partition. The BCDboot tool will create the BCD configuration to boot from the VHD. For more information about the BCDboot tool, see BCDboot Command-Line Options.

For example, at a command prompt, type:
```
cd v:\windows\system32
bcdboot v:\windows
```
Use the DiskPart tool to detach the virtual disk. At a command prompt, type:
```
diskpart
select vdisk file=C:\windows.vhdx
detach vdisk
exit
```
Restart the destination computer.

The Windows 8 Boot Manager will boot the Windows 8 operating system image that is contained in the .vhdx file.