What is a VHD disc?
VHD stands for “Virtual Hard Disk” or “Virtual Hard Disk”. This is a drive that stores the same files and directories as on a physical hard drive. Commonly, a virtual hard disk is used in the virtual machines to contain disk partitions and the file system that simulates the current operating system.
What are the characteristics of a VHD hard drive?
A VHD hard drive is characterized by allowing the creation of backup and restore copies. Also, it facilitates the use of multiple operating systems on the same computer. This procedure is very useful for advanced users who want to test various programs without having to use another hard drive or create multiple partitions.
How to create VHD virtual hard drive in Windows 10 from physical one?
Just as you can create a scratch disk, you can also create a VHD virtual hard disk in Windows 10 from a physical hard disk. This task requires a procedure practical and very simple which we will explain below.
Log in to the disk manager
In Windows 10, press the "Win + X" keys and select the option "Disk Management". Immediately, you will see a new window that contains information about your physical hard drive, drives, their capacities and the file system.
Select the physical hard drive in Windows
It's time to select the physical hard drive that you will use to create the virtual hard disk. Next, click on the “Action” menu and choose the “Create VHD” option.
Prepare the new virtual hard drive from a physical one
After that, a new window will open in which you will need to choose the location where you will keep the VHD and the size it will have according to your needs. Similarly, you need to select the format and type of virtual disk. Next, press the “OK” button and wait a few seconds while the new disk is created.
Check and boot the VHD virtual hard drive
Go to the “Disk Management” interface. There, the VHD should appear with the other discs. Select the new virtual disk with the right mouse button and choose the option “Start disk”.
Virtual disk startup type and volume
Immediately, a new window will appear to select the boot type for the new disk. To do this, choose MBR and press the "OK" button. Go back to the disk management window, right click on the virtual disk and click “New Simple Volume”.
A wizard will run to complete the procedure after choosing the size of the new volume. Finally, choose the drive letter, label the volume, enable file compression and format the virtual disk. Press the "Next" button for each of the above actions and "End" to perform them.
Check out Windows Explorer
Go up "Explorer to Windows " to check if the VHD virtual hard disk is already available. There, you will be able to see the drive letter, name and size you previously assigned to it. You can then choose to convert this virtual disk to ISO easily if you want to get a drive image.
Eject the VHD virtual hard disk
If you want eject the VHD you just have to right click on it from "Windows Explorer" and click "Eject". You can also re-mount the virtual drive by right-clicking on it from the path where you saved the virtual drive during the creation process.
Delete the virtual hard disk in Windows from a physical one
If you no longer want to use the virtual hard drive, you can delete it without any inconvenience. To do this, go back to "Disk Management", right click on the VHD and click "Delete volume". If, on the other hand, you prefer to increase the size of the hard disk, you can use a virtual machine via Virtual Box. In this way, you can increase the storage space of your PC.
