Installing Windows 7 in a VHD inside Windows 8 Professional

[Mohitster]

Hey everyone, I am looking to install Windows 7 Home Premium inside a VHD on Windows 8. Can anyone point me to a definitive guide to do the same or tell me exactly the process by their own experience? Is a their a performance drop I can expect while running Windows 7?

 

I have already created a 80GB Fixed-size VHD on my primary partition in Windows 8 and now charting out the process I am going to follow to get Windows 7 installed within it and make it dual boot with Windows 8. I have tried looking on web and at most of the places I have got the process to install the reverse i.e. Windows 8 on VHD inside Windows 7.  

 

Thanks a lot. 

[Aergan]

What are your requirements for it?

 

Don't expect Direct X gaming or a good experience for video playback / image editing.

[Mohitster]

What are your requirements for it?

 

Don't expect Direct X gaming or a good experience for video playback / image editing.

Windows 8 has been a huge pain in *** for most of the last 4 months or so because my laptop doesn't have the appropriate video drivers for it and hence the software which are graphics-based are performing well under acceptable performance. You really think that graphics performance won't be that good in the VHD even if it has got sufficient enough space and fixed size rather than being a dynamic one? 

[Riggers]

This video is a pretty good guide on the steps needed. The windows assesment and deployment kit, what command to use, etc. Just use the windows 7 install.wim instead of the 8 one used in the video.

If your putting Home Premium on you want Index 2.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSk0CU5__5U

 

[Aergan]

Well, I would say you are virtualising for the wrong reasons - not to mention that your virtualised performance will be terrible even over RDP if your client can't use acceleration properly.

You're not going to see any improvement there - dynamic vs fixed VHD/AVHD isn't the issue.

 

What you should look into is dual booting - possibly from a VHD. You'll have native performance / driver acceleration.

 

http://www.bing.com/search?q=Windows+8+dual+boot+windows+7+from+VHD

[Mohitster]

I have been looking to dual boot only from VHD. And that's where I was coming from. I never intend to run the VHD in virtualised environment.

[LimeMaster]

I have been looking to dual boot only from VHD. And that's where I was coming from. I never intend to run the VHD in virtualised environment.

Unfortunately booting from a VHD is not supported in Windows 7 Home Premium and you will probably get a license error as soon as you reach the logon screen.

[shinji257]

If you intend to make this work it will have to be via a 3rd party driver.  I've never personally tried it but this might work for you...

 

http://www.vmlite.com/index.php?Itemid=148&id=51&option=com_content&view=article

[Mohitster]

Unfortunately booting from a VHD is not supported in Windows 7 Home Premium and you will probably get a license error as soon as you reach the logon screen.

This. Actually rests in peace my whole plan. Will see what I can do now. Probably wiping out the Windows 8 installation and then install Windows 7 in a few days time. Seems like the only workable solution now. 

[Mohitster]

If you intend to make this work it will have to be via a 3rd party driver.  I've never personally tried it but this might work for you...

 

http://www.vmlite.com/index.php?Itemid=148&id=51&option=com_content&view=article

The purpose I intend to install Windows 7 is too mission-critical to rely on NotSoTriedAndTested methods .. so I will pass .. but seems like a handy alternative and might come useful some other time, so thanks! :)

[LimeMaster]

This. Actually rests in peace my whole plan. Will see what I can do now. Probably wiping out the Windows 8 installation and then install Windows 7 in a few days time. Seems like the only workable solution now. 

Is there a reason why you can't just create another partition and do the usual dual boot method?

[Mohitster]

I tried shrinking volume and create a partition but for some reason it only offers to create a partition of about 10GB which is insufficient. I have like 165 GB free on C drive.

[shinji257]

It is doing that because you have non-moveable files near the end of the drive.  A boot time defrag might be needed to correct that.  Alternatively use a 3rd party partitioner to shrink the partition since they will relocate data to do so (eg do it at boot time).

[Mohitster]

It is doing that because you have non-moveable files near the end of the drive.  A boot time defrag might be needed to correct that.  Alternatively use a 3rd party partitioner to shrink the partition since they will relocate data to do so (eg do it at boot time).

Any dependable utility to do a boot-time defrag?! Thanks!

[shinji257]

Defraggler is a popular and free defrag application that has a boot time mode.  It is compatible with Windows 8 as per their website and I used it a few times myself.  I think there is an option in it to move large files to the end of the drive so make sure that option is not enabled before you start it.

 

Boot Time Defrag: http://www.piriform.com/docs/defraggler/defraggler-settings/boot-time-defrag

Move large files: http://www.piriform.com/docs/defraggler/defraggler-settings/defraggler-options-defrag-tab

[Mohitster]

Defraggler is a popular and free defrag application that has a boot time mode. It is compatible with Windows 8 as per their website and I used it a few times myself. I think there is an option in it to move large files to the end of the drive so make sure that option is not enabled before you start it.

Boot Time Defrag: http://www.piriform.com/docs/defraggler/defraggler-settings/boot-time-defrag

Move large files: http://www.piriform.com/docs/defraggler/defraggler-settings/defraggler-options-defrag-tab

I did in fact used Defraggler yesterday and scheduled the boot time defrag but while performing the boot time defrag it crashed and my laptop turned off. When I booted it again I tried defragging using the Windows' default utility and it did it in like 2 hours. After that, I tried shrinking the disk again in computer management, and it showed that around 67 GB can be shrinked which was most welcome to me. So, I started it but after some time it gave me an error that there is not enough free space available to perform this operation. I tried to shrink with even smaller numbers like 60GB or 55GB and even 50GB but to no avail. And that was the end of my adventures.