Getting Started with Virtual Hard Disks

Updated: June 15, 2009

Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server® 2008 R2 and Windows® 7 is the first version of Windows to provide native support for virtual hard disks (VHDs). This guide describes the scenarios that guided the development of this feature, detailed steps about how to employ the functionality (including image creation, deployment, and maintenance), and the associated tools, scripts, and APIs.

noteNote
To download a .doc version of this guide, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=159058.

noteNote
In addition to this guide, see Windows Native VHD Boot Deployment Scenarios (see the attachment at the end of the blog post).

 

  • Introduction to Virtual Hard Disks

    • Introduction

    • Supported operating systems

    • Overview of tools

    • Common usage scenarios

  • How to Perform Common Tasks

    • Creating, attaching, and detaching VHDs by using Disk Management

    • Creating, attaching, and detaching VHDs by using DiskPart

    • Creating a bootable VHD

    • Creating VHDs by using Hyper-V

    • Preparing a VHD image for boot

    • Deploying VHDs by using Windows Deployment Services

    • Deploying a bootable VHD by using Xcopy

    • Migrating VHDs between physical and virtual environments

    • Servicing images

    • Backing up images

    • Performing advanced tasks by using DiskPart

  • Appendix: Tools, Scripts, and APIs

    • Tools used to maintain VHD images

    • Scripts

    • APIs

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