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Virtualise Key Windows 7 laptop with disk2VHD challenge!

Ian Buckley 1 Reputation point
2020-09-11T10:18:12.487+00:00

Using Disk2vhd 2.01 I have created a vhdx - no shadow copy so it runs and doesn't error. This is the disk structure of the Win 7 HP Laptop I will try to run on Hyper-V 10.0.19041.1

24096-diskmgmt.png

This is the Machine details I scrapped from VM Standalone converter which didn't run because of the VSS snapshots cannot be stored

24116-winforecast-details.png

I mounted the EFI partition as drive I: so Disk2VHD could see it and copy it ... should I have done that?

24142-disk2vhd-set.png

I chose all 4. This ran successfully and produced only 1 VDHX file 146 Gigs on my USB Drive. However I am concerned it should have produced 4 VHDX's? Is that right?

I then configured the machine gen 1 machine as follows but when the machine "runs" it tries to connect to the boot disk the preview screen goes to a black and has a flashing cursor.

24151-gen1.png

Then eventually after multiple attempts

24161-boot-manager.png

With Gen 2 - I get further...

24124-gen2.png

24143-windows-error-recovery-gen-2.png

Finally I hit start normally and I get "starting windows" then logo then nothing.

24144-starting-windows.png

What am I doing wrong? I didn't think it should be that hard! Many thanks Kind regards Ian

Ian

Hyper-V
Hyper-V
A Windows technology providing a hypervisor-based virtualization solution enabling customers to consolidate workloads onto a single server.
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  1. TimCerling(ret) 1,156 Reputation points
    2020-09-13T12:01:31.167+00:00

    Another reason that physical to virtual is not recommended. Recommended method is to create a new VM and configure as needed. Oftentimes, that is the much faster and less troublesome method.

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  2. Eric Siron 1,251 Reputation points MVP
    2020-09-12T20:13:24.073+00:00

    Windows 7 never could run in a Hyper-V Generation 2 VM because it does not virtualize a component that Windows 7 requires. I have since forgotten which that is because it doesn't matter. No Win7 in Gen2.
    But, your source looks like it was deployed in EFI, which can't boot in a Gen 1 VM.
    So your challenge is to extract the Win7 image so that it can be deployed from scratch. Once you have that, then you can deploy it in BIOS mode to a Gen 1 VM. I have only ever succeeded at this by running it through Windows Deployment Services. I think it's possible using DISM, but I have never personally tried it. The capture part is easy, it's the deployment bit that I'm not sure about.

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