Using a VHD with Microsoft Hyper-V or Virtual PC

Microsoft Hyper-V is a hypervisor based virtualization system. It only runs on 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 and uses hardware assisted CPU features.

Microsoft's Virtual PC is a free virtualization program that allows alternate operating systems to be installed. Configuring Microsoft Virtual PC is a similar process to configuring Hyper-V again specifying the generated VHD file as an existing disk. However, Microsoft Virtual PC has a 127GB disk size limit.

To create a VM

  1. Select New Virtual Machine from the Hyper-V Manager.

  2. Use the new Virtual Machine wizard to choose a location, name, and the base memory size.

  3. On the Connect Virtual Hard Disk page of the wizard, select Use existing virtual hard disk and choose your previously converted VHD file.

  4. Complete the wizard and start the virtual machine.

    If the boot options, drivers, and hardware abstraction layer (HAL) are compatible, the virtual machine boots.

Unlike Virtual Box, for Microsoft Virtual PC and Microsoft Hyper-V you cannot change the virtual hardware options. If the virtual machine does not boot, you need to reconfigure the operating system boot options, drivers, and HAL.

Tip: If an incompatible sector size error appears for the VHD, the error refers to the physical disk and not the VHD file as indicated.