Install and boot Windows 8 Developer Preview from a VHD

In a previous blog post, I explained how to install Windows 8 in a VirtualBox virtual machine. I gave it 1 GB of memory and two of my CPU cores, and it performed quite well. However, I had some mouse issues in the Metro interface, including scrolling problems and delays. So yesterday, I decided to install Windows 8 Developer Preview on a virtual hard disk (VHD) and boot directly from it. To do so, I followed Scott Hanselman's blog post.

Here's a shorter summary for you guys:

Step 0

Make sure you're running Windows 7 and have at least 40 GB of free disk space for your VHD.

Step 1

Download the Windows 8 Developer Preview.

Download the Windows 7 USB/DVD tool to create a bootable USB stick.

Use the tool to write the ISO to your USB stick. You can find screenshots in Scott's post if you need them.

Step 2

Now you're ready to reboot. Make sure the USB stick you created in the previous step is plugged into your computer, and boot from it! In the setup, click install and proceed until you're asked to choose a hard drive. At that point, immediately stop and read the following instructions very carefully.

First, we need to create a VHD. Press Shift+F10 to open the command prompt.

Enter the following commands. Feel free to choose another file location, but make sure there's enough space on your hard drive.

X:Sources> diskpart
DISKPART> create vdisk file="c:VHDWin8.vhd" type=expandable maximum=40000
DISKPART> select vdisk file="c:VHDWin8.vhd"
DISKPART> attach vdisk
DISKPART> create partition primary

TIP:

If you're not sure which drive letter to use, enter dir to list the files and folders on a drive and identify where you want to store your VHD. If you're already in DISKPART, type 'exit' first. Once you've found the location for your VHD, enter diskpart again and start over.

X:Sources> dir c:

Now you're ready to continue the installation. Press alt+tab and click Refresh. Your VHD should appear in the dialog. Select it and continue the installation. You might see a warning that your system doesn't support installation to the VHD. For this setup, ignore the warning, click Next, and finish the installation.

When your system reboots, you'll see a nice graphical boot loader with two options: Windows developer preview and your Windows 7 installation. Now you're ready to go. Enjoy, and share this guide if you found it useful!