New to Windows 8 and this forum...



Using my Server 2008 R2 host, created a Windows 8 VM/VHD and it boots, works fine. I followed instructiong using BCDEdit to add the VHD to my boot options. When i reboot and select the VHD it begins to load then fails. I end up in the recovery option tools. Looking through the advanced info I believe the root problem is "failed to find osloader" or something close to that.

Most of the tutorial's have the VHD added to the Win7 boot screen, but, thats' not my scenario.

Is there something I missed in getting this working? Has anyone used a VHD created in Win Server 2008 R2 to use as a native boot VHD?

Would love to get this working.

Machine is a Lenovo T510, 8 Gig memory.

Thanks.
Tim

Originally Posted by timhenn

New to Windows 8 and this forum...

Using my Server 2008 R2 host, created a Windows 8 VM/VHD and it boots, works fine. I followed instructiong using BCDEdit to add the VHD to my boot options. When i reboot and select the VHD it begins to load then fails. I end up in the recovery option tools. Looking through the advanced info I believe the root problem is "failed to find osloader" or something close to that.

Most of the tutorial's have the VHD added to the Win7 boot screen, but, thats' not my scenario.

Is there something I missed in getting this working? Has anyone used a VHD created in Win Server 2008 R2 to use as a native boot VHD?

Would love to get this working.

Machine is a Lenovo T510, 8 Gig memory.

Thanks.
Tim

The process of creating and using a VHD under Server 2008 R2 is no different to the same process under Windows 7. Admittedly, I haven't tried creating a VHD for Windows 8 under the server platform, but I've created several Windows 7 VHDs under Server in the past.

The method I always use involves WAIK Creating Bootable Virtual Hard Disks and when installed simply use:

bcdboot x:\Windows - where x: is the drive you declared for the VHD

To add the VHD to the boot options.

I'll try adding a VHD to Server 2008 a little later today...

Thanks. I already have a bootable VHD, so, I went through the steps to use diskpart, locate the volume, attach it and assign a disk letter v. When i try to run the bcdboot v:\windows command i get the error:

The progam can't start because api-ms-win-core-file-l1-1-1.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem.

What's that all about? Thoughts on next steps?

Tim

Originally Posted by timhenn

Thanks. I already have a bootable VHD, so, I went through the steps to use diskpart, locate the volume, attach it and assign a disk letter v. When i try to run the bcdboot v:\windows command i get the error:

The progam can't start because api-ms-win-core-file-l1-1-1.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem.

What's that all about? Thoughts on next steps?

Tim

That's the same error seen in this thread Error when Installing Windows 8 might be worth checking...

Is the o/s on the dvd a different bit-version from your installed o/s?

Calico, the article your referenced helped solve the issue...actually, it put me on a nightmarish roller coaster ride, but, I'm back now. Following those instructions the bootloader went immediately to the Windows 8 VHD (no options to select which OS to start on reboot) but there was an error indicating not enough disk space. I was able to fumble around with F10, F8 and a few other combinations to get my server OS to boot (finally!, whew!) so i could modify the Boot image settings with BCDEdit.

I'm cleaning up disk space now and will see if I can native boot the VHD once there's enough space.

SIW2, I'm not using a DVD. My primary OS is Server 08 R2, i have a physical boot image of Win 7 and I'm trying to add a native boot to VHD (created with Server 08 HYper-V)


Thanks.
Tim

LOL, mistype - I meant Is the o/s on the VHD a different bit-version from your installed o/s?

Spoke to soon. I've come full circle. After freeing up space and selecting the Windows 8 VHD for boot at startup I end up in the recovery tools just like i had in the beginning. I did delete the entry created by BCBboot because it had removed my ability to select the OS to boot. I'll return to those steps and see if I can't figure it out.

Thanks for the help!
Tim

Now i got it! I changed the bcdedit commands to use the drive letter assigned to the VHD instead of [locate] and, with the other changes discovered above, I'm able to native boot the VHD image. Thanks for the assistance.

Tim

Create the VHD in Win7/Win2k8, but leave it blank. Boot from the Windows 8 media, and press shift+F10 to get to a command prompt. Then mount the VHD and install. Shouldn't have any other issues from there.
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