How to implement VHD startup under Windows 7

The previous tutorial Xiaobian introduced in detail the specific method of starting a computer from a VHD file, but in fact the VHD file function is much more than that. The boot part of Windows 7 and the kernel driver have built-in support for reading and writing VHD files. So that we can boot directly from the operating system in the VHD file without starting the operating system on the hard disk.

Below, we will take a step-by-step look at the implementation method and configuration steps of VHD boot under Windows 7. First let's take a look:

Create Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) under Windows 7

Create and load VHD files using Diskpart tool

Load and unload VHD in system File

Creating Native Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) in Windows 7

In Windows 7, VHD files are no longer the exclusive domain of Virtual Machine Virtual PC. In the disk management tool, we can choose "Create VHD" to create a VHD file.

The VHD file creation steps in the disk management tool are basically similar to those in Virtual PC. Select the save path of the VHD file and specify the form of the VHD file (dynamic or fixed size). If it is in a production environment, it is recommended to set the VHD type to a fixed size for better performance.

After the VHD is created, the system will add a “virtual” hard disk. In the disk management tool, like the physical hard disk, it will be “initialized” and “formatted”. . In addition, we can also load and unload VHD files that have been created before in the disk management tool.

Through the above description, we can clearly understand that the read and write function of VHD files has been built into the Windows 7 disk and file I /O driver, we can treat the VHD as a normal but However, the physical virtual hard disk of "virtual" is treated.