Creating and Mounting a VHD on Windows 7

Now we can create a system image with the help of Windows 7 backup tool that also allows VHD format.
For those who don’t know what a VHD is. Let me tell you about VHD. Virtual Hard Disk, what we call as VHD, is a disk image file format that stores the complete content of hard drive irrespective of how many OS installed and that too strictly isolated from each other. This image is also called as virtual machine that can be stored anywhere.
Disk Management Applet takes care of mounting the VHD in Windows 7.

Steps to Mounting the VHD:

1)      Start->My Computer-> Right Click->Manage

2)      Computer Management Window opens up. Click on Action Menu.

3)      There are various option, “Attach VHD” and “Create VHD”

The above step can be shortened by: Start-> Run.  Type diskmgmt.msc

You can attach VHD image to it that will be mounted to a drive after sometime or you can create a VHD image of your own.

Creating a VHD on Windows 7

1)      Start->My Computer-> Right Click->Manage

2)      Computer Management Window opens up. Click on Action Menu.

3)      Click on Create VHD

4)      Create and Attach Virtual Hard Disk Window will come up

5)      Choose the location where you want to create

6)      Specify the Virtual Hard Disk Size in MB GB or TB as in the dropdown menu of Size.

7)      Click on VHD Format: Dynamic Expanding or Fixed Size

8)      Click on OK

9)      Microsoft VHD HBA driver is loaded(if you are creating it for the first time)

10)  In the Computer Management window right click on the new unallocated VHD Disk

11)  Click on “Initialize Disk”

12)  Initialize Disk Window will open. Check the Disk#

13)  Chose the Partition Style MBR(Master Boot Record)

14)  Click on OK.

15)  Right Click on the disk again and click “New Simple Volume”

16)  In “New Simple Volume” Wizard you have to select the volume size, drive letter, format, and disk block size.

17)  Click Finish

18)  A new disk volume will come up similar to other disk volumes.

19)  This is a new VHD file which looks like a disk.

20)  Right Click on it you will see the Detach VHD option. 

Attaching the VHD is quite easier. You just have to specify the path.

I hope this article is helpful for mounting a VHD on Windows 7.

Cheers!!!

Ethan