Native Boot To VHD (Boot2VHD) – Everything You Need To Know Part 4…
In this multi-part video series we will dive deep into a the new virtualization feature built into Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7. It is called Native Boot To VHD (AKA: Boot2VHD). This is the one virtualization platform that allows virtualization inside of the virtualized machine. Yes, you can run Hyper-V or Virtual PC from inside a Boot to VHD machine. There are lots of use cases for this technology; we will cover many of them. Just dual boot your machine to a drive that is a VHD file. It is very clean, as the entire OS is in a VHD file. Having the OS fully encapsulated in a VHD means no changes are needed to partitions, and there is no confusion as to what files are for what OS. We will look at how to deploy it in different scenarios and we will take a deep dive into the boot technology (BCDEdit) that makes this new feature possible. Upon finishing this video series you will know how to setup a system with Boot To VHD. You will be able to deploy Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 in a VHD on a machine that is already running a new OS, or on a machine with nothing on it yet (bare metal). We even go through the process of having to add the raid drivers for the disk while setting up the boot to VHD.
Part 4 – BCDEdit is the Magic – Deep Dive Boot Configuration Manager
100% Demo deep dive into BCDEdit. We will look at all the commands available and will use many of them. In this part we will look at why you might want to get familiar with this great, new technology.
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Transcript: Coverage Details Of This Video
· Start | type cmd | CTRL-SHIFT-ENTER | Accept UAC prompt
o Or Right-Click Command – Run as Administrator
· Review Boot configuration
· Review most BCDedit switches
o BCDEDIT – Boot Configuration Data Store Editor
§ The Bcdedit.exe command-line tool modifies the boot configuration data store. The boot configuration data store contains boot configuration parameters and controls how the operating system is booted. These parameters were previously in the Boot.ini file (in BIOS-based operating systems) or in the nonvolatile
§ Commands that operate on a store
· /createstore Creates a new and empty boot configuration data store.
· /export Exports the contents of the system store to a file. This file can be used later to restore the state of the system store.
· /import Restores the state of the system store using a backup file created with the /export command.
· /sysstore Sets the system store device (only affects EFI systems, does not persist across reboots, and is only used in cases where the system store device is ambiguous).
§ Commands that operate on entries in a store
· /copy Makes copies of entries in the store.
· /create Creates new entries in the store.
· /delete Deletes entries from the store.
· /mirror Creates mirror of entries in the store.
· Run bcdedit /? ID for information about identifiers used by these commands.
§ Commands that operate on entry options
· /deletevalue Deletes entry options from the store.
· /set Sets entry option values in the store.
· Run bcdedit /? TYPES for a list of datatypes used by these commands.
· Run bcdedit /? FORMATS for a list of valid data formats.
§ Commands that control output
§ /enum Lists entries in the store.
§ /v Command-line option that displays entry identifiers in full, rather than using names for well-known identifiers. Use /v by itself as a command to display entry identifiers in full for the ACTIVE type.
§ Commands that control the boot manager
· /bootsequence Sets the one-time boot sequence for the boot manager.
· /default Sets the default entry that the boot manager will use.
· /displayorder Sets the order in which the boot manager displays the multiboot menu.
· /timeout Sets the boot manager time-out value.
· /toolsdisplayorder Sets the order in which the boot manager displays the tools menu.
· Walk through examples of using many switches
o Copy Boot Configuration Data
o Change Item Name
o Change location and name/description of VHD
o Create new boot menu (from copy) using a sysprep image
· Review creating and attaching a VHD using Disk Manager GUI
o Attach, Create and Detach VHD
· If you make a mistake while “playing” with BCDEdit seeServer 2008 R2 or Windows 7 System Will NOT Boot After Making Changes To Boot Manager Using BCDEdit
Links to All Parts of This 4 Part video Series Coming This Week
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(Part 1) Overview of Native Boot To VHD
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(Part 2) Load OS to VHD On Bare Metal
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(Part 3) Load OS on VHD with OS already Installed on Metal
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(Part 4) BCDEdit is the Magic – Deep Dive Boot Configuration Manager
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Other posts that may be of interest:
· How To Automatically Create BCDEdit Data For A Boot2VHD File On Your Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 Machine
· Blue Screen Booting to VHD–You May Be Out Of Space On The Underlying Drive
· If you make a mistake while “playing” with BCDEdit seeServer 2008 R2 or Windows 7 System Will NOT Boot After Making Changes To Boot Manager Using BCDEdit.