Native Boot Windows 11 from a VHDX File

Native booting Windows 11 from a VHDX file enables you to run a full Windows installation directly from a virtual hard disk without virtualization overhead. This approach is particularly useful when adding Windows to an existing Linux system while maintaining separation between operating systems.

Prerequisites

• Windows 11 ISO file
• Existing Linux PC
• One logical or physical drive with 50GB+ free NTFS-formatted space
• WinPE USB boot key or Ventoy with WinPE ISO
• Basic familiarity with command line operations

Step 1: Boot into WinPE and Prepare the VHDX File

1. Boot from your WinPE media:
   • Insert your WinPE USB or boot from Ventoy with WinPE ISO
   • Restart your computer and boot from the media
2. Open Command Prompt in WinPE:
   • Press Shift+F10 or find Command Prompt in WinPE interface
3. Identify your NTFS drive:

    diskpart
    list disk
    list volume
   

   Note the drive letter of your NTFS-formatted volume (e.g., D:)

4. Create a VHDX file using diskpart:

    diskpart
    create vdisk file="D:\VirtualDisks\Win11.vhdx" maximum=50000 type=fixed
    select vdisk file="D:\VirtualDisks\Win11.vhdx"
    attach vdisk
    create partition primary
    format quick fs=ntfs label="Win11Boot"
    assign letter=V
    exit
   

   (Adjust path and size as needed; V: will be the letter assigned to your VHDX)

Step 2: Deploy Windows 11 to the VHDX

1. Mount your Windows 11 ISO in WinPE:

    dism /mount-image /imagefile:D:\path\to\Windows11.iso /mountdir:E:\ /index:1
   

   (If this doesn’t work, manually copy ISO to NTFS drive and right-click → Mount)

2. Apply the Windows image:

    dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:"E:\sources\install.wim" /Index:1 /ApplyDir:"V:\"
   

   Replace:

   • E: with your mounted ISO drive letter
   • V: with your VHDX drive letter
   • Use “/Get-ImageInfo” flag first to view available editions if needed
3. Configure boot files:

    bcdboot V:\Windows /s V: /f UEFI
   

   Replace V: with your VHDX drive letter

Step 3: Configure Boot Entry

1. Create boot entry:

    bcdedit /store V:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD /copy {default} /d "Windows 11 VHDX"
   

   Note the returned GUID (e.g., {01234567-89ab-cdef-0123-456789abcdef})

2. Configure the boot entry:

    bcdedit /store V:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD /set {GUID} device vhd=[D:]\VirtualDisks\Win11.vhdx
    bcdedit /store V:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD /set {GUID} osdevice vhd=[D:]\VirtualDisks\Win11.vhdx
    bcdedit /store V:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD /set {GUID} detecthal on
   

   Replace:

   • {GUID} with the GUID from the previous step
   • [D:] with the actual drive letter where your VHDX is stored
3. Add Windows boot manager to your system’s EFI partition:

    mountvol S: /s
    bcdedit /store S:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD /create /d "Windows 11 VHDX Boot" /application bootsector
    bcdedit /store S:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD /set {bootmgr} default {GUID}
    bcdedit /store S:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD /set {bootmgr} path \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi
   

Step 4: First Boot and Configuration

1. Detach VHDX and restart:

    diskpart
    select vdisk file="D:\VirtualDisks\Win11.vhdx"
    detach vdisk
    exit
       
    wpeutil reboot
   

2. Boot to Windows 11:
   • Select “Windows 11 VHDX” from the boot menu
   • Complete the Windows 11 OOBE setup