HyperV 2012 - Import vhdx without XML

[garethEds]

Hi All,

 

I've just taken a P2V conversion of a Windows 2003R2 32 bit server using the free tool I found from SysInternals and downloaded from the MS site. I have created a .vhd of the server and converted it to .vhdx using the 2012 console.

 

However when I try and import it, the file cannot be seen. I believe it's due to a missing .xml file. Does anyone know how I can go about creating the .xml file? Is there anything out there that will help me?

 

Should the P2V software have created the .xml file?

 

I feel I'm missing something,

 

Regards

 

Gareth

[linkazoid]

I'm sure when I did this, I did the following.

 

Complete P2V and transferred to the new host.

Import into Hyper-V

Click on Edit Disk

Follow prompts until convert

Select VHDX

Choose your required options.

 

Mike

[garethEds]

I've done this, but the import option into HyperV doesn't see it in the file viewer.

 

Gareth

[SYNACK]

As it was never virtual you just need to make a new blank vm with the required virtual hardware and attach the vhd to it.

[garethEds]

As it was never virtual you just need to make a new blank vm with the required virtual hardware and attach the vhd to it.

- Thank you. I've now done this but weirdly the image is telling me there is no boot loader. So back to the research.

[SYNACK]

If you mount the vhd image can you check if the partition is set to system/bootable.

[garethEds]

If you mount the vhd image can you check if the partition is set to system/bootable.

 

Ohhh right - I just assumed that because I had captured it, that the C drive would automatically boot.

 

Thanks pal.

 

Gareth

[garethEds]

Oh how annoying - have mounted the .vhd in WIndows 7 and it tells me two of the volumes need formatting. Yet they are fine on the host PC. Seems the P2V software isn't that good.

 

Gutted.

 

Gareth

[BHMS]

.vhdx isn't supported as a boot volume, only as a second drive. You need to use a plain .vhd. VHDX uses a GPT partition which isn't supported by the Hyper-V bios system. Really stupid MS release a new image format you can't boot from because they can't wait for a BIOS update.

[SYNACK]

.vhdx isn't supported as a boot volume, only as a second drive. You need to use a plain .vhd. VHDX uses a GPT partition which isn't supported by the Hyper-V bios system. Really stupid MS release a new image format you can't boot from because they can't wait for a BIOS update.

 

You can probably boot 8/2012 though.

[garethEds]

.vhdx isn't supported as a boot volume, only as a second drive. You need to use a plain .vhd. VHDX uses a GPT partition which isn't supported by the Hyper-V bios system. Really stupid MS release a new image format you can't boot from because they can't wait for a BIOS update.

 

Oh crap. No wonder it didn't work. Okay - still have the .vhd image. I'm only virtualising it whilst I get rid of the old server and re-create it as 2008R2.

 

Then it can go. Thanks everyone.

 

Gareth

[BHMS]

You can probably boot 8/2012 though.

 

Nope. Straight out of the MCSA 2012 upgrade book I'm preparing for. Totally unsupported as a boot volume, no matter what.

[linkazoid]

I have a P2V Windows 2003 box imported and converted into my Server 2012 as a vhdx volume. It boots from this fine as an MBR volume. GPT is only required on disks over 2TB.

 

I used this for the P2V capture - Disk2vhd

[BHMS]

Ahh I didn't know you could partition it with MBR still. The MS book seems to miss that out. The main advantage of the new format is making it bigger than 2TB though. MS aimed it at large databases.