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


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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 Click/tap on the Previous Version of Setup link. (see screenshot below)

Previous_Version_of_Setup.webp

9 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

10 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

11 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


Related Tutorials

 
Last edited:
Click to expand...
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 My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ16 GB solderedIntegrated Intel Iris XE
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)
cereberus said:
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.
Click to expand...

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

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System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro for WorkstationsIntel i7-8700K 5 GHz64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600...ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GD...
    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,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Amazon Basics Wired Full Keyboard MD005
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Internet Speed
    2 Gbps Download and 100 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProSnapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    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
    Microsoft 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 My Computer

At a glance

Windows 10
OS
Windows 10
Anibor_11 said:
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.
Click to expand...
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 My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 7, XP, 2K, Debian, Mint,...Xeon, Intel, AMD, Risc32gb --> 256gb : varies with systemATI, Nvidia
OS
Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 7, XP, 2K, Debian, Mint, Arch, SuSE, PuppEX, Cent
Computer type
PC/Desktop
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Asus, GigaByte, SuperMicro, PowerEdge
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Xeon, Intel, AMD, Risc
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itx, atx, u1, u2, card, virtual
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32gb --> 256gb : varies with system
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Samsung, Dell, Sony, Google
Screen Resolution
1024 SD --> 8K UHD varies with system
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Hitachi, WD, Samsung, Seagate, PNY, Intel, Fujitsu, Sandisk
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Corsair, Thermaltake, IDT Systems, HP, Dell
Case
Lian, Thermaltake, Dell, RackMount
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Water, Fan, Air
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Standard BT, Wireless, and PS2.
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PS2, BT, Wireless
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Fibre Channel, GigE, Cable, 5G Ultra,
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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 My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 22631.3810/Windows 11 RP 24H2 VMIntel Celeron N4000 @ 1.10GHz Gemini Lake 14nm8GB RamIntel UHD Graphics 600 (Lenovo)
    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

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 RP 24H2 VMIntel Celeron N4000 @ 1.10GHz Gemini Lake 14nm8GB RamIntel UHD Graphics 600 (Lenovo)
    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
    Keyboard
    Laptop Keyboard
    Mouse
    G5 Gaming Mouse
    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 My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Brink said:
You should be able to update via Windows Update as usual for the Native Boot VHDX.
Click to expand...
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 My Computer

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MS Windows 11 25H2XEON 2680 V416GBGTX1650 Super
OS
MS Windows 11 25H2
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
sfernley said:
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.
Click to expand...

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 My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ16 GB solderedIntegrated Intel Iris XE
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)
emailx45 said:
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
Click to expand...
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 My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ16 GB solderedIntegrated Intel Iris XE
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)
cereberus said:
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.
Click to expand...
thanks
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

MS Windows 11 25H2XEON 2680 V416GBGTX1650 Super
OS
MS Windows 11 25H2
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
sfernley said:
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.
Click to expand...
It appears to be a bug in the new Setup for 24H2. It works if you switch to using the previous version of Setup.

Bree said:
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.
Click to expand...
Installing Windows 11 - 24H2 to a VHD or VHDX no longer works - post #25
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    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 (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
    Internet Speed
    150 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, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to mechanical deterioration this PC has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

    I've now clean installed 25H2 and used Garlin's scripts to update Secure Boot to CA 2023 and revoke the PCA 2011 certificates. It's new role is to test secure boot issues.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    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.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Dev, and Canary builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    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, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine.
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 My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11
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 My Computer

At a glance

windows 11
OS
windows 11
Computer type
Laptop
jonny said:
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 🍼
Click to expand...
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 My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ16 GB solderedIntegrated Intel Iris XE
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 My Computer

At a glance

windows 11
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 My Computer

At a glance

windows 11
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 My Computer

At a glance

Windows 1113th Gen Intel Core i7-13620H (10C/16T, up to...64GB DDR5 SDRAMIntel Raptor Lake-P -UHD Integrated Graphics
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
GMKtec Mini PC, NucBox K7 Plus
CPU
13th Gen Intel Core i7-13620H (10C/16T, up to 4.9GHz)
Motherboard
GMKtec GMKtec
Memory
64GB DDR5 SDRAM
Graphics Card(s)
Intel Raptor Lake-P -UHD Integrated Graphics
Sound Card
Intel Raptor Lake-P/U/H PCH
Monitor(s) Displays
Lenovo
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
WD Blue NVMe 2TB
AirDisk 1TB
Cooling
2 fans, upper and lower
Keyboard
Logitech combo
Mouse
Logitech combo
Internet Speed
500 Mbps
Browser
Chrome
Antivirus
Windows Securty
DavidMCO said:
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?
Click to expand...

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 My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro for WorkstationsIntel i7-8700K 5 GHz64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600...ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GD...
    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,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Amazon Basics Wired Full Keyboard MD005
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Internet Speed
    2 Gbps Download and 100 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProSnapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    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
    Microsoft Defender
Brink said:
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.
Click to expand...
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 My Computer

At a glance

Windows 1113th Gen Intel Core i7-13620H (10C/16T, up to...64GB DDR5 SDRAMIntel Raptor Lake-P -UHD Integrated Graphics
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
GMKtec Mini PC, NucBox K7 Plus
CPU
13th Gen Intel Core i7-13620H (10C/16T, up to 4.9GHz)
Motherboard
GMKtec GMKtec
Memory
64GB DDR5 SDRAM
Graphics Card(s)
Intel Raptor Lake-P -UHD Integrated Graphics
Sound Card
Intel Raptor Lake-P/U/H PCH
Monitor(s) Displays
Lenovo
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
WD Blue NVMe 2TB
AirDisk 1TB
Cooling
2 fans, upper and lower
Keyboard
Logitech combo
Mouse
Logitech combo
Internet Speed
500 Mbps
Browser
Chrome
Antivirus
Windows Securty
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