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HyperV Dualboot WinServer8DP/WinServer2008R2

Question
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Hi,
I have a lab server, on which i have running Windows Server 2008 R2, with HyperV. There are some VMs on it.
Is it possible to make this setup a dualboot (preferrably by vhd boot for the WS8 installation), and have some way to use the same VM's?
Regards,
Matthijs ter Woord
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 8:50 AM
Answers
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> Is it possible to make this setup a dualboot (preferrably by vhd boot> for the WS8 installation), and have some way to use the same VM's?Sure, no problem, but you probably want to export the VM's from W2008R2,and import (copy) them in W8. I wouldn't run the exact same VM's if Iwere you, too much chance of a problem.Here's my instructions for installing into a VHD, it's pretty easy.It's for Windows 7 originally, but it still works:First you have make sure you have a partition on your hard disk thathas enough free space to put the VHD.Then while you have your machine set to boot into Win7 or Win2008 R2(I think it will work with Vista but I haven't tried -- the bootloadergets updated in that case I would think.)Now boot from the Win8 DVD, select the language and click <nextThen press <Shift<F10 to bring up a command prompt.Do a DIR on whatever drive letter you suspect that has the room foryour VHD to verify the drive letter, note that it may be different andyou might have other drive letters to find it. (the boot loader ispretty dumb and assigns drive letters purely sequentially, so it mightnot be the same as your fully booted environment.)When you found the correct drive letter,Next, enter these commands:diskpartthen at the next promptcreate vdisk file=x:\Win7.vhd maximum 60000 type=expandableselect vdisk file=x:\Win7.vhdattach vdiskcreate partition primaryformat fs=ntfs label="Win7Boot"exit(Where x: is you partition where you want to put the VHD, and 60000being the size you want the disk to max out at in megabytes. (so60000 would be 60G.)then close the command line shell.then go on with the installation. When you get to the screen thatlists the partitions you can install to, select the one you justcreated above, it should be the last one listed and it'll have adifferent disk id.You'll get a one line thing that says your hardware can't boot to thathard drive but it's bogus, ignore it and continue on with the install.When the install is done you should have an entry on your boot menufor the new VHD based install.
Bob Comer - Microsoft MVP Virtual Machine- Marked as answer by Matthijs ter Woord Wednesday, November 16, 2011 2:39 PM
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 2:35 PM
All replies
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Try this method that is posted for Windows 7 in boot from VHD:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/how-to-boot-from-a-vhd.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/Video/ff710667
Try these for Windows 8 and post back your experiance and let us know.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 12:14 PM -
The "boot from vhd" part is very easy and works without any bcdedit calling.
The problem I'm having, is that I have some existing WinServer2008R2-based HyperV VMs, which i want to run on WinServer8. Probably i can do an export, but that takes a long time..
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 12:42 PM -
> Is it possible to make this setup a dualboot (preferrably by vhd boot> for the WS8 installation), and have some way to use the same VM's?Sure, no problem, but you probably want to export the VM's from W2008R2,and import (copy) them in W8. I wouldn't run the exact same VM's if Iwere you, too much chance of a problem.Here's my instructions for installing into a VHD, it's pretty easy.It's for Windows 7 originally, but it still works:First you have make sure you have a partition on your hard disk thathas enough free space to put the VHD.Then while you have your machine set to boot into Win7 or Win2008 R2(I think it will work with Vista but I haven't tried -- the bootloadergets updated in that case I would think.)Now boot from the Win8 DVD, select the language and click <nextThen press <Shift<F10 to bring up a command prompt.Do a DIR on whatever drive letter you suspect that has the room foryour VHD to verify the drive letter, note that it may be different andyou might have other drive letters to find it. (the boot loader ispretty dumb and assigns drive letters purely sequentially, so it mightnot be the same as your fully booted environment.)When you found the correct drive letter,Next, enter these commands:diskpartthen at the next promptcreate vdisk file=x:\Win7.vhd maximum 60000 type=expandableselect vdisk file=x:\Win7.vhdattach vdiskcreate partition primaryformat fs=ntfs label="Win7Boot"exit(Where x: is you partition where you want to put the VHD, and 60000being the size you want the disk to max out at in megabytes. (so60000 would be 60G.)then close the command line shell.then go on with the installation. When you get to the screen thatlists the partitions you can install to, select the one you justcreated above, it should be the last one listed and it'll have adifferent disk id.You'll get a one line thing that says your hardware can't boot to thathard drive but it's bogus, ignore it and continue on with the install.When the install is done you should have an entry on your boot menufor the new VHD based install.
Bob Comer - Microsoft MVP Virtual Machine- Marked as answer by Matthijs ter Woord Wednesday, November 16, 2011 2:39 PM
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 2:35 PM -
Hi Bob,
I hoped there was a way to run the same VM's, but probably you're right, and run the same VM's both under WS2008R2 and WS8 can give issues.. Guess I'll just to have to learn something: patience..
Thanks for answering!
Regards,
Matthijs ter Woord
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 2:39 PM -
No problem, patients is not one of my strengths either!I even put the new VM's inside the boot VHD, just so they go away when Iget rid of the test OS. It doesn't seem to make all that muchdifference performance-wise, and I always do an import / copy, so Idon't trash the originals.
Bob Comer - Microsoft MVP Virtual MachineWednesday, November 16, 2011 2:58 PM