automatically revert to parent vhd at shutdown
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Monday, March 08, 2010 6:13 AMi've setup a differencing parent/child vhd that native boots windows 7. i am trying to figure out a way to automatically revert back to the parent vhd/initial child vhd at every shutdown so changes to the system are discarded. i've used steadystate before, but it's gone with windows 7 so i am going this route.
i saw a post online saying it was possible, but now i can't find it of course.
i don't think virtual pc in windows 7 will let me use undo changes with a native boot vhd so that's out, as well as the 127gb limit. i see that you can't run a x64 guest in vpc either. i will try to use my existing vhd file through vpc, but i doubt it will work with undo changes booted natively.
can anyone help me out?
All Replies
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Monday, March 08, 2010 5:12 PMi found this explanation to do what i want, but can someone explain the procedure a little more in depth?
"The other option is to use a Differencing Disk.
Create your base VM, then create a Differencing Disk and point it to the previous VHD.
Then modify your VM to point to the differencing disk.
This way you always, always have a base that isn't touched.
Great for test, when you want to guarantee a clean beginning state, and you get in a rush and don't want to make an accidential mistake." -
Tuesday, March 09, 2010 12:07 AMWhy not Undo Disks and set to"turn off and discard changes" and select "make it the default action and don't show this message again"?
Differencing disks:
1. make your parent disk the way you want
2. shut it down
3. write protect it
4. create a new child VM and a differencing disk (advanced disk options in the new VM wizard) to point at the parent in step 1
5. start the new child vm
6. done with the child vm? delete it
7. go to step 4. -
Tuesday, March 09, 2010 4:37 AMI don't think you can use undo disks with a native boot vhd and outside of vpc
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Tuesday, March 09, 2010 11:48 AMNor can you use a difference disk with a native boot vhd.
Bob Comer - Microsoft MVP Virtual Machine -
Thursday, March 11, 2010 6:19 PMNor can you use a difference disk with a native boot vhd.
Bob Comer - Microsoft MVP Virtual Machine
that's untrue, i am as we speak. i'm booted into a native boot vhd differencing disk right now. -
Thursday, March 11, 2010 6:33 PMCool, I stand corrected.
Though I'm a little confused, when you say native boot VHD, are you talking about running Windows 7 in a VM, or the bare hardware booted from a VHD? (The latter being what I would call native boot)
Bob Comer - Microsoft MVP Virtual Machine -
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 9:02 PM
Cool, I stand corrected.
Though I'm a little confused, when you say native boot VHD, are you talking about running Windows 7 in a VM, or the bare hardware booted from a VHD? (The latter being what I would call native boot)
Bob Comer - Microsoft MVP Virtual Machine
bare hardware booted from vhd (native boot). i am trying to automate the deletion and recreation of the child differencing disk upon each shutdown. i can do the diskpart commands but getting the system to boot into a recovery environment->diskpart->boot into the new child differencing disk is what i am having a problem figuring out how to automate. -
Thursday, April 01, 2010 1:14 PM
That's way beyond anything I've tried, though maybe booting into safe mode isn't the best, maybe having a second VHD boot option that you can boot into that will do the switchover via a script, set the boot parameters and then reboot.
Bob Comer - Microsoft MVP Virtual Machine
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