VHD Native Boot: Part 2 – Windows 8.1 & 10
VHD Native Boot: Part 2 – Windows 8.1 & 10
In part one of this series we talked about booting a Windows 7 VHD and how to do it. In this part, we will talk about how to do it with Windows 8.1 and Windows 10. The real difference is that with Windows 7, we booted using legacy BIOS. In this part, we will boot a UEFI-based computer. The process is similar, but there are some differences that I wanted to talk about.
Part 1 can be found here: https://www.windowsmanagementexperts.com/vhd-native-boot-part-1-windows-7/vhd-native-boot-part-1-windows-7.htm
Requirements
The requirements are the same as they were in part one, expect for the fact we will be doing UEFI instead of BIOS. Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 can boot using BIOS, as long as your base image was created on that type of hardware.
Base Image
You will still create your base image using a VM or physical machine. If you are using VMware to create your base, make sure to select EFI on the firmware page. If you are using Hyper-V, make sure that it is a generation two virtual machine. If you are using a physical machine, be sure to set it to UEFI in the BIOS before installing Windows.
With UEFI-based machines, you can use the VHDX file format instead of VHD. This format allows for larger volumes (up to 64TB), as well as other performance-based improvements.
The rest of the process is the same as stated in part one. If you use Hyper-V, you can sysprep the VM and then copy the VHD to your other machines. If you take a checkpoint of your VM, you may have to merge the disks back together. Take a backup before doing this. To merge disks, open Hyper-V manager and select Edit Disk in the right column.
Continue reading here https://www.windowsmanagementexperts.com/vhd-native-boot-part-2/vhd-native-boot-part-2.htm