Virtualization Create Windows 11 Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) at Boot to Native Boot


Drive_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to create a Windows 11 Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) file at boot and natively boot it to dual boot with Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Native Boot allows you to create a virtual hard disk (VHDX), install Windows to it, and then boot it up, either on your PC side-by-side with your existing installation, or on a new device.

A native-boot VHDX can be used as the running operating system on designated hardware without any other parent operating system. This differs from a scenario where a VHDX is connected to a virtual machine on a computer that has a parent operating system.

Native boot for Windows 11 requires the .vhdx format, not the .vhd format.

VHDXs can be applied to PCs or devices that have no other installations of Windows, 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.

Windows 11 minimum system requirements:

If you’d like to see if your current PC meets the minimum requirements, download and run the PC Health Check app.

You must be signed in as an administrator create a Windows 11 VHDX file, and to setup and Native Boot the Windows 11 VHDX file.


After you have created the Windows 11 VHDX file in this tutorial, you will also be able to Native Boot the VHDX using the method in the tutorial below.

Native Boot Windows 11 Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX)



EXAMPLE: Dual boot Windows 10 with a Native Boot Windows 11 VHDX

Native_boot_Windows11_VHDX.png



Here's How:

1 Boot from a Windows 11 installation USB flash drive on your computer.

2 When you see Windows Setup, press the Shift + F10 keys to open a command prompt at boot. (see screenshot below)

Native_boot_Windows11_at_boot-1.png

3 Type diskpart into the command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below step 4)

4 Make note of the drive letter (ex: "D") you want to create and save the VHDX file at. (see screenshot below)

Native_boot_Windows11_at_boot-2.png

5 Type the command below into the command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

create vdisk file="<drive letter>:\<file name>.vhdx" maximum=<size> type=fixed

Substitute <drive letter> in the command above with the actual drive letter (ex: "D") from step 4.

Substitute <file name> in the command above with the name (ex: "Windows11") you want for the VHDX file.

Substitute <size> in the command above with how many MB (1GB = 1024MB) you want the VHDX size to be. Windows 11 requires 64 GB (65536 MB) or larger.

For example: create vdisk file="D:\Windows11.vhdx" maximum=65536 type=fixed


Native_boot_Windows11_at_boot-3.png

6 When creating the VHDX is completed, type attach vdisk into the command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

Native_boot_Windows11_at_boot-4.png

7 When attaching the VHDX is completed, type Exit into the command prompt, press Enter, and close the command prompt. (see screenshot below)

Native_boot_Windows11_at_boot-5.png

8 Continue at step 5 in this tutorial (click on link) to clean install Windows 11 to the attached VHDX file. (see screenshot below)

Native_boot_Windows11_at_boot-6.png

9 When you get to step 10 in the clean install tutorial (click on link), select the Unallocated Space that is for the attached VHDX created from step 5.

Native_boot_Windows11_at_boot-7.png

10 When you have finished with the clean install of Windows 11 to the attached VHDX, Windows 11 will be the default OS in your dual boot with the attached Windows 11 VHDX and installed Windows 10 or Windows 11 OS on PC.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 
Last edited:
I use vhds a lot but they have one weakness - you cannot do build upgrades (actually not true if the build upgrade is via a cumulative update) when booting from them natively.

The workaround is to load the vhdx in Hyper-V or similar and update in vm. I always install in Hyper-V first so you have the boot files in vhd.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14
    CPU
    I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB soldered
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop OLED screen
    Screen Resolution
    2880x1800 touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
    PSU
    Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
    Keyboard
    Built in UK keybd
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
    Internet Speed
    900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

    Macrium Reflect Home V8
    Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
    Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
I use vhds a lot but they have one weakness - you cannot do build upgrades (actually not true if the build upgrade is via a cumulative update) when booting from them natively.

The workaround is to load the vhdx in Hyper-V or similar and update in vm. I always install in Hyper-V first so you have the boot files in vhd.

You should be able to update via Windows Update as usual for the Native Boot VHDX.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I tried this and it worked well. But the boot menu didn´t appear, Windows 11 became the default, and the system always booted directly from it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
I tried this and it worked well. But the boot menu didn´t appear, Windows 11 became the default, and the system always booted directly from it.
Boot into Windows 11. Open System Properties. Advanced. Then go to Startup & Recovery. Tick Show System Menu at bootup. Choose 10 seconds. Use drop down and select default OS / VM. Then Apply and click okay. Menu should now appear at boot time. Hope this helps.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 7, XP, 2K, Debian, Mint, Arch, SuSE, PuppEX, Cent
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus, GigaByte, SuperMicro, PowerEdge
    CPU
    Xeon, Intel, AMD, Risc
    Motherboard
    itx, atx, u1, u2, card, virtual
    Memory
    32gb --> 256gb : varies with system
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI, Nvidia
    Sound Card
    Realtek, SB, Alessis
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung, Dell, Sony, Google
    Screen Resolution
    1024 SD --> 8K UHD varies with system
    Hard Drives
    Hitachi, WD, Samsung, Seagate, PNY, Intel, Fujitsu, Sandisk
    PSU
    Corsair, Thermaltake, IDT Systems, HP, Dell
    Case
    Lian, Thermaltake, Dell, RackMount
    Cooling
    Water, Fan, Air
    Keyboard
    Standard BT, Wireless, and PS2.
    Mouse
    PS2, BT, Wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fibre Channel, GigE, Cable, 5G Ultra,
    Browser
    Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, Brave, Edge
    Antivirus
    Eset, McAfee, Defender, Symantec, Kaspersky
    Other Info
    Home Lan: GigE 2 24 port Smart Switches, Cisco Fibre Channel switch, 2 Nighthawk 5g Ultra Wideband Wireless AP's
Holy smokes this actually still works!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22631.3810/Windows 11 RP 24H2 VM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo
    CPU
    Intel Celeron N4000 @ 1.10GHz Gemini Lake 14nm
    Motherboard
    LENOVO LNVNB161216 (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB Ram
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 600 (Lenovo)
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio Intel Display Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1080@60Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    512GB Western Digital WDC PC SN530 SDBPMPZ-512G-1101 (Unknown (SSD))
    Keyboard
    Laptop Keyboard
    Mouse
    G5 Gaming Mouse
    Internet Speed
    50mbps/50mbps
    Browser
    Chrome/Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 RP 24H2 VM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo
    CPU
    Intel Celeron N4000 @ 1.10GHz Gemini Lake 14nm
    Motherboard
    LENOVO LNVNB161216 (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB Ram
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 600 (Lenovo)
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio Intel Display Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1080@60Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Mouse
    G5 Gaming Mouse
    Keyboard
    Laptop Keyboard
    Internet Speed
    50mbps/50mbps
    Browser
    Chrome/Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
Windows 11 version 24H2 fails to install to a VHD file. It gets all the way to the end of the install then fails with error "Installation failed" or something similar.

Any version prior to 24H2 is fine. I wonder if this is a bug in 24H2 or if Microsoft have intentionally blocked this.

I suspect it's not the latter as if Microsoft were going to block it, I sure it we blocked much earlier in the installation, like before it starts to install.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
You should be able to update via Windows Update as usual for the Native Boot VHDX.
Is it safe to create the vhdx disk on the same ssd as the operating system, or do I run the risk of deleting the partition during the installation process of the "new" virtual Win11 23h2 hd?

Note: I don't have another ssd to test, understand?
Cheers
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Pirate
    CPU
    XEON 2680 V4
    Motherboard
    Machinist X99
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX1650 Super
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24''
    Screen Resolution
    FULLHD
    Hard Drives
    120GB, 1TB
    PSU
    CoolerMaster 700W
    Case
    Tower
    Cooling
    Default
    Keyboard
    Default
    Mouse
    Default
    Internet Speed
    1MB
    Browser
    Many
    Antivirus
    Many
    Other Info
    nothing
Windows 11 version 24H2 fails to install to a VHD file. It gets all the way to the end of the install then fails with error "Installation failed" or something similar.

Any version prior to 24H2 is fine. I wonder if this is a bug in 24H2 or if Microsoft have intentionally blocked this.

I suspect it's not the latter as if Microsoft were going to block it, I sure it we blocked much earlier in the installation, like before it starts to install.

It is possible if you install 24H2 to a vhdx in Hyper-V, then create a boot entry to native boot it - see your other post for more details.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14
    CPU
    I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB soldered
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop OLED screen
    Screen Resolution
    2880x1800 touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
    PSU
    Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
    Keyboard
    Built in UK keybd
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
    Internet Speed
    900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

    Macrium Reflect Home V8
    Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
    Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
Is it safe to create the vhdx disk on the same ssd as the operating system, or do I run the risk of deleting the partition during the installation process of the "new" virtual Win11 23h2 hd?

Note: I don't have another ssd to test, understand?
Cheers
It is safe but really better to partition ssd and put vhdx in a separate partition.

The vhdx needs to be at least 64GB (better 80+GB) max size and it is advisable partition has at least an extra 20GB spare to allow for temporary files.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14
    CPU
    I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB soldered
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop OLED screen
    Screen Resolution
    2880x1800 touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
    PSU
    Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
    Keyboard
    Built in UK keybd
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
    Internet Speed
    900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

    Macrium Reflect Home V8
    Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
    Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
It is safe but really better to partition ssd and put vhdx in a separate partition.

The vhdx needs to be at least 64GB (better 80+GB) max size and it is advisable partition has at least an extra 20GB spare to allow for temporary files.
thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Pirate
    CPU
    XEON 2680 V4
    Motherboard
    Machinist X99
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX1650 Super
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24''
    Screen Resolution
    FULLHD
    Hard Drives
    120GB, 1TB
    PSU
    CoolerMaster 700W
    Case
    Tower
    Cooling
    Default
    Keyboard
    Default
    Mouse
    Default
    Internet Speed
    1MB
    Browser
    Many
    Antivirus
    Many
    Other Info
    nothing
Windows 11 version 24H2 fails to install to a VHD file. It gets all the way to the end of the install then fails with error "Installation failed" or something similar.

Any version prior to 24H2 is fine. I wonder if this is a bug in 24H2 or if Microsoft have intentionally blocked this.
It appears to be a bug in the new Setup for 24H2. It works if you switch to using the previous version of Setup.

I've finally got 24H2 to successfully install to a vhdx. The trick was to switch to the previous version of Setup. So it seems more likely that there's a bug in the new Setup, not a deliberate block on using a vhdx.
Installing Windows 11 - 24H2 to a VHD or VHDX no longer works - post #25
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, and 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, Canary, and Release Preview builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package. In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media. Also running Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, Canary, and Release Preview builds as a native boot .vhdx.
Thanks @Bree, yes that worked. Just to be clear for other viewers of this thread, Windows 11 24H2 contains an updated Setup application, however it also has the option to the use "Previous Setup" which is what was used in Windows versions prior to 24H2. Using the previous version does indeed successfully install to a VHDX which confirms there is a bug in the new version of the setup application.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Hi brink and all, hoping you can help me unnuke my boot manager. I stupidly ran some bcdboot commands to try fix a different volume, and in doing so I've broken my (efi?) boot manager that let me boot to my vhds.

I've tried to readd the entry using bcdboot from cmd via windows install media once the vhd and it's system partition are mounted and allocated letters (using/f UEFI) but still I get an error about missing or corrupt winload.efi in windows\system32.

When I run bcdedit after bcdboot the default store only shows the entry to the (still broken other) windows 10 HDD volume.

I thought I may need to add the bcdedit entry to the correct store and point to the .vhdx file, but although I've done this umpteen times before I can't recall how exactly, or whether this will just add to the growing issues!

___
Update: I recalled the syntax for adding reference to a vhd device, but even after this, and even after running bcdboot/fixboot and using /scanos to find and add an entry to the attached vhd, I'm still getting the same issue at boot-time

I tried to use bcdedit to inspect the efi store on the system partition of the vhd but the only file I see with dir /a in the efi\boot folder isn't accepted as the store.
🆘 In a 🍼
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
Hi brink and all, hoping you can help me unnuke my boot manager. I stupidly ran some bcdboot commands to try fix a different volume, and in doing so I've broken my (efi?) boot manager that let me boot to my vhds.

I've tried to readd the entry using bcdboot from cmd via windows install media once the vhd and it's system partition are mounted and allocated letters (using/f UEFI) but still I get an error about missing or corrupt winload.efi in windows\system32.

When I run bcdedit after bcdboot the default store only shows the entry to the (still broken other) windows 10 HDD volume.

I thought I may need to add the bcdedit entry to the correct store and point to the .vhdx file, but although I've done this umpteen times before I can't recall how exactly, or whether this will just add to the growing issues!

🆘 In a 🍼
Run msconfig, select boot tab and delete all boot entries except host default OS (make host OS default if necessary).

Mount vhdx as a drive and note its drive letter e.g. E (change as appropriate)

Run this from admin command prompt

bcdboot E:\windows /p /d

Eject vhdx

Repeat for each vhdx.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14
    CPU
    I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB soldered
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop OLED screen
    Screen Resolution
    2880x1800 touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
    PSU
    Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
    Keyboard
    Built in UK keybd
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
    Internet Speed
    900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

    Macrium Reflect Home V8
    Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
    Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
"Run msconfig"

Booting from windows install media, F10 to cmd prompt X:\sources

Msconfig not found

I have no recovery partition or safe mode or anything so can't get to msconfig ?

Using bcdedit I deleted the entries, then after your bcdboot I set that as the new default, then removed the exist default, then rebooted...

You.are.my.hero.

Back online. No(more)sweat.
Where's the buy.dude.beer button?!


q.dos 👏 👏 👏 👏
Thanks!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
If you're on a roll... Any suggestions on how to fix the original culprit and volume?

I've been recreating it's system partition trying to make it bootable again. This is the original non vhd HDD volume, and it's not gpt.

After every effort to add that volume as bootable it fails with blue screen mentioning tcpip.sys errors.

Thanks again!!!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
I have never gotten a virtualized OS to boot using the bcdboot command. It appears in the boot menu, but always get the blue screen with the options to select another OS, etc. Does it only work with OS's created in this manner or can't you virtualize your own Win 10 PC, then upgrade to Win 11 and still be able to boot in this way tot your Win 10 machine? What could i be doing wrong?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ThinkPad T470
I have never gotten a virtualized OS to boot using the bcdboot command. It appears in the boot menu, but always get the blue screen with the options to select another OS, etc. Does it only work with OS's created in this manner or can't you virtualize your own Win 10 PC, then upgrade to Win 11 and still be able to boot in this way tot your Win 10 machine? What could i be doing wrong?

Hello David, and welcome to the forum. :alien:

Just to confirm. do you have the Pro edition of Windows 11 installed on the PC. The Home edition will not support native boot from a VHDX.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Hello David, and welcome to the forum. :alien:

Just to confirm. do you have the Pro edition of Windows 11 installed on the PC. The Home edition will not support native boot from a VHDX.
I have my previous Windows 10 Pro pre-upgrade (in Macrium backup form and virtualized in Hyper-v) and running Windows 11 Pro. I've tried varying scenarios such as a clean install of Windows on a virtual disk, but always get errors when trying to natively boot from them.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ThinkPad T470

Latest Support Threads

Latest Tutorials

Back
Top Bottom