Native VHD boot runs a complete Windows from a file on your existing disk. It isolates a test install without partitioning, and deleting one file removes it completely.
Create a **VHDX**, apply an **install.wim** with **DISM**, then add a boot entry whose **device** and **osdevice** point at **vhd=[D:]\path**. Remove it by deleting the entry and the file.
A dynamically expanding **VHDX** starts small and grows with use. Create it on a **data disk**, not on the system partition you are testing against.
New-Item -ItemType Directory D:\TestVHD -Force | Out-Null
New-VHD -Path D:\TestVHD\test.vhdx -SizeBytes 60GB -Dynamic
Mount-VHD -Path D:\TestVHD\test.vhdx
Get-Disk | Where-Object Location -like '*test.vhdx*' | Select-Object Number,Size,PartitionStyleThe new disk is uninitialised. One NTFS partition is enough, and the drive letter matters because the boot entry refers to it.
diskpart
select vdisk file="D:\TestVHD\test.vhdx"
select partition 1
format fs=ntfs quick label=TESTVHD
assign letter=V
exit**DISM /Apply-Image** writes the install image into the mounted volume. Take index 1 for the standard edition, and confirm the index list first.
Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath E:\ISO\Win11_24H2.iso
Get-WindowsImage -ImagePath F:\sources\install.wim | Select-Object ImageIndex,ImageName
DISM /Apply-Image /ImageFile:F:\sources\install.wim /Index:1 /ApplyDir:V:\The system partition needs a boot manager entry that points at the VHD, not at the physical disk. **bcdedit /copy** clones the current entry, then two values repoint it.
bcdboot V:\Windows /s S: /f UEFI
bcdedit /copy {current} /d "Test VHD"
:: use the GUID printed above
bcdedit /set {GUID} device vhd=[D:]\TestVHD\test.vhdx
bcdedit /set {GUID} osdevice vhd=[D:]\TestVHD\test.vhdx
bcdedit /set {GUID} detecthal onAfter the first boot, inside the VHD, the system disk is the VHD itself. Checking that proves the test install cannot damage the host installation.
bcdedit /enum | Select-String -Pattern 'description|device'
Get-Disk | Where-Object IsBoot -eq $true | Select-Object Number,FriendlyName,Location
Get-Volume C | Select-Object FileSystemLabel,DriveLetterDelete the boot entry first, then dismount and delete the file. Removing the file with the entry still present leaves a boot menu item that fails.
bcdedit /delete {GUID} /cleanup
Dismount-VHD -Path D:\TestVHD\test.vhdx
Remove-Item D:\TestVHD\test.vhdx -Force
bcdedit /enum | Select-String -Pattern 'description'The device path in bcdedit does not match the file. Compare the two values with the real path, and remember the bracket form without a colon.
Expected on a spinning disk or a nearly full host disk. Keep the VHDX on an SSD and reserve free space for its growth.
Native VHD boot uses the host's digital licence when the edition matches. A different edition needs its own key or stays unactivated.
Feature updates rewrite the boot configuration. Recreate the entry with bcdedit afterwards, or keep the test install on a generic image without feature updates.
No. The VHD install runs on real hardware with full performance; Hyper-V runs in a virtual machine. VHD boot is for testing an install, not for isolation from hardware.
Only for the New-VHD cmdlet. Diskpart can create the same file with no optional feature at all.
Delete the boot entry with bcdedit /delete {GUID} /cleanup, dismount the VHD and delete the file. The host installation was never modified.
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