Installing Windows Vista on a .vhd virtual hard disk

[Sergiaws]

I read that you can install Windows 7/8/10 on a .vhd virtual hard disk and boot it with your pc. Could that be done with Windows Vista? And the second question: has Windows Vista deffaultly Realtec drivers for my sound card Realtec ALC 269? I ask that because I wanted to install Windows XP/Vista/2000 on my PC and I have a lot of problems trying to install XP. Thanks for replying!

[jaclaz]

2 hours ago, Sergiaws said:

I read that you can install Windows 7/8/10 on a .vhd virtual hard disk and boot it with your pc. Could that be done with Windows Vista? 

Yes and no.

Windows 7 (some versions, and later OS's) have "native" VHD drivers.

Vista has them not, but you can use a fixed VHD (which is nothing but a RAW image with a single "Conectix" sector appended) mapping it in grub4dos, and using *any* of the available drivers (Firadisk, WinvBlock or - lately - SVbus).

See:

http://reboot.pro/topic/21787-svbus-virtual-scsi-host-adapter-for-grub4dos/

http://reboot.pro/topic/9715-firadisk-and-vhd-img-images/

http://reboot.pro/topic/15407-booting-from-vhd-in-grub4dos/

Vista being very little used, I don't think there is a specific set of instructions for it, surely not for the new kid on the block (actually recommended) which is SVbus, but since it needs not any value passed from grub4dos, it should be easier than Firadisk or WinvBlock.

jaclaz