How to install Windows 7 to a virtual hard disk

Problems creating a Virtual Drive

Dave, I and another forum user are unable to use Diskpart to create a Virtual Drive. Please navigate to the help forum using the following link and help solve our problems: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=33586
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By jocu01 on 11 Aug 2009

Resize the drive?

So having created a 20Gb virtual drive for Windows 7 I now wish I'd used 30Gb.

Is it possible to resize the drive or must I wipe it and start again?

As to Windows 7... Brilliant!

By Jaydax on 12 Aug 2009

Diskpart not working?

I posted this 17th July in the forums. Now I'm trying to get an answer here, as suggested by a forum reader.

"I've spent many hours trying to follow David Fearon's walk through from page 170/171 in the August issue of PC Pro(issue178). I've come to the conclusion that for some reason diskpart is not accepting the commands I give it, as it never responds with 'successfully created.....' or whatever.
I've searched through the forums here for an answer and researched on MS website and still can't create the virtual drive ready to take the Win 7 install.
I am logged on as admin and have full control in 'permissions' on this PC.
I'm on XP Pro SP3 with diskpart version 5.1, but using the win 7 install DVD to access diskpart in a newer version of diskpart makes no difference.
Has any one been successful in installing win 7 to an XP PC via this article's instructions?
Any help would be much appreciated.

As it is now 8 days since I posted this request for help and got NO replies at all, then I guess no one has been able to follow David Fearon's instructions? Or is there some other problem with 'diskpart' maybe?
Any one got any ideas?
Hello David?"

By realafrica on 12 Aug 2009

realafrica
I had no problems setting up Windows 7 on a VHD following the instructions here but, when I decided I'd played enough and wanted to remove it, I couldn't. I followed DF's instructions to the letter but had no joy. Then I found the following site:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2953-virtual-
hard-drive-vhd-file-create-start-boot.html
and, in 15 seconds, had achieved what I'd wasted hours on up until then.
Don't know if this site will prove useful to you but it was a great help to me.
Paul

By paulcroft on 13 Aug 2009

Dear David

wakey wakey!

By realafrica on 17 Aug 2009

License does not support booting from vhd

Succesfully followed all the instructions and installed Windows 7. After entering the license key Windows 7 then said that this license did not support booting from a vhd!! Over 1.5 hrs wasted!! Unless anyone knows a work around?

By wobblyo on 25 Aug 2009

VHD booting requires Ultimate edition

I went the same route - installed W7 Basic only to find it wouldn't run in VHD due to license. Repeated procedure using W7 Ultimate image from same DVD and it worked.

By yarwell on 22 Sep 2009