How to install a virtual disk on a computer. How to make a virtual disk in five minutes. Adding a virtual hard disk

Sometimes PC users are faced with the acute question of how to create a virtual hard disk or CD-ROM. Let's learn how to perform these tasks in Windows 7.

The methods for creating a virtual disk, first of all, depend on which option you want to end up with: a hard drive image or a CD / DVD. Typically, hard drive files have a VHD extension, and ISO images are used to mount a CD or DVD. In order to carry out these operations, you can use the built-in tools of Windows or turn to the help of third-party programs.

Method 1: DAEMON Tools Ultra

First of all, consider the option of creating a virtual hard disk using a third-party program for working with drives - DAEMON Tools Ultra.

Run the application with administrator rights. Go to tab "Tools".

A window opens with a list of available program tools. Choose an item "Add VHD".

The window for adding a VHD opens, that is, creating a conditional hard drive. First of all, you need to specify the directory where this object will be placed. To do this, click on the button to the right of the field "Save as".

The save window opens. Enter it in the directory where you want to place the virtual drive. In field "File name" you can change the name of the object. The default is "New VHD". Next click "Save".

As you can see, the selected path is now displayed in the field "Save as" in the DAEMON Tools Ultra shell. Now you need to specify the size of the object. To do this, by toggling the radio button, set one of the two types:
- fixed size;
- Dynamic expansion.
In the first case, the volume of the disk will be exactly specified by you, and if you select the second item, the object will expand as it fills up. Its actual limit will be the size of the empty space in the HDD partition where the VHD file will be placed. But even when choosing this option, it is still in the field "The size" you need to set the initial volume. Just a number is entered, and the unit of measurement is selected to the right of the field in the drop-down list. The following units are available:
- megabytes(default);
- gigabytes;
- terabytes.
Be careful when choosing the right item, because in case of an error, the difference in size compared to the desired volume will be an order of magnitude larger or smaller. Then, if necessary, you can change the name of the disk in the field "Mark". But this is not a prerequisite. After performing the described actions, to start the formation of the VHD file, click "Start".

The process of generating the VHD file is in progress. Its dynamics is displayed using an indicator.

After the procedure is completed, the following inscription will be displayed in the DAEMON Tools Ultra shell: "VHD creation process completed successfully!". Click "Ready".

Thus, a virtual hard drive has been created using the DAEMON Tools Ultra program.

Method 2: Disk2vhd

If DAEMON Tools Ultra is a universal tool for working with media, then Disk2vhd is a highly specialized utility designed only for creating VHD and VHDX files, that is, virtual hard disks. Unlike the previous method, using this option, you cannot make an empty virtual media, but only create a snapshot of an existing disk.

Method 3: Windows Tools

A conditional hard drive can also be created using standard system tools.

Click "Start". Right click ( PKM) click on the name "A computer". A list opens where you can choose "Control".

The system management window appears. In its left menu in the block "Memory Devices" go by position "Disk Management".

The drive management tool shell starts. Click on a position "Action" and select an option "Create Virtual Hard Disk".

The creation window opens, where you should specify in which directory the disk will be located. Click "Review".

The object browser window opens. Move to the directory where you plan to place the drive file in VHD format. It is desirable that this directory is not located on the HDD partition on which the system is installed. A prerequisite is that the partition is not compressed, otherwise the operation will fail. In field "File name" be sure to indicate the name by which you will identify this element. Then press "Save".

You are returned to the virtual disk creation window. In field "Location" we see the path to the directory selected in the previous step. Next, you need to assign the size of the object. This is done in almost the same way as in the DAEMON Tools Ultra program. First of all, choose one of the formats:
- fixed size(set by default);
- Dynamic expansion.
The values of these formats correspond to the values of the types of disks that we previously considered in DAEMON Tools.
- megabytes(default);
- gigabytes;
- terabytes.
After performing the above manipulations, press OK.

Returning to the main partition management window, in its lower area you can see that an unallocated drive has now appeared. Click PKM by its name. Typical template for this item "Disk #". From the menu that appears, select an option "Initialize Disk".

The disk initialization window opens. Here you just need to click OK.

After that, the status of our element will be displayed in the list "Online". click PKM by empty space in the block "Unallocated". Choose "Create a simple volume...".

Welcome window launches "Volume Wizard". Click "Further".

The next box shows the size of the volume. It is automatically calculated from the data that we put in when creating the virtual disk. So you don't need to change anything here, just click "Further".

But in the next window, you need to select the letter of the volume name from the drop-down list. It is important that there is no volume with the same designation on the computer. Once the letter is selected, press "Further".

You don't have to make any changes in the next window. But in the field "Volume Label" you can replace the default name "New Volume" to any other, for example "Virtual Disk". After that in "Explorer" this element will be called "Virtual Disk K" or with another letter that you chose in the previous step. Click "Further".

Then a window will open with the total data that you entered in the fields "Masters". If you want to change something, then click "Back" and make changes. If everything suits you, then click "Ready".

After that, the created virtual drive will be displayed in the computer management window.

You can access it using "Explorer" In chapter "A computer", which lists all drives connected to the PC.

But on some computer devices, after rebooting, this virtual disk may not be displayed in the specified partition. Then run the tool "Computer Management" and go back to the department "Disk Management". Click on the menu "Action" and choose a position .

The drive attachment window will open. click "Review…".

The file browser tool appears. Change to the directory where you previously saved the VHD object. Select it and click "Open".

The path to the selected object will be displayed in the field "Location" window "attach virtual hard disk". click OK.

The selected drive will be available again. Unfortunately, on some computers, you have to do this operation after each restart.

Method 4: UltraISO

Sometimes you need to create not a virtual hard disk, but a virtual CD drive and run the ISO image file in it. Unlike the previous one, this task cannot be performed solely with the help of operating system tools. To solve it, you need to use third-party software, for example, UltraISO.

We figured out that virtual disks can be of two types: hard disks (VHD) and CD / DVD images (ISO). If the first category of objects can be created both with the help of third-party software and using the internal tools of Windows, then the task of mounting an ISO can only be handled by using third-party software products.

A disk image is a virtual file - a copy containing all the information from any physical medium. You can't do without a program for mounting disk images if your computer has content presented in the format of a virtual clone of a CD / DVD disk. Below, we will look at five ways to mount a disk image in Windows so that its contents are available in a virtual drive.

How to make a disk image using regular Windows tools

First, let's look at the regular functionality of mounting CD / DVD images in the version of Windows 8.1.

The creation of the version of Windows 8, from which the standard functionality for working with disk images migrated to all successor versions - Windows 8.1 and 10 - fell on the mass phenomenon of the refusal of manufacturers of computer devices from completing their drives. CD/DVD drives were becoming obsolete, and the lack of a drive reduced the cost of individual laptop models and PC builds. Microsoft, in fact, had no choice but to implement the standard ability to connect disk images, at least in the popular ISO format, so as not to take bread from third-party software developers at all. So, if in the Windows 7 version, mounting disk images is possible only through third-party software, then users can view the contents of the disk itself in ISO format using the system tools.

So how do you mount an ISO disk image in Windows 8.x and Windows 10? In Explorer, select the ISO file, call the context menu and select the "Connect" command.

That's it - the image is mounted and visible in the virtual drive. You can start viewing its contents in the system explorer.

Disk imaging programs

Mounting images in Deamon Tools

Deamon Tools is the market leader in disk imaging software. The first version of Deamon Tools appeared in 2000, and, despite the fact that its analogues were released to the software market earlier, it immediately quickly gained popularity due to its friendly user interface and free Lite edition, which was more than enough for home non-professional use. . Daemon Tools works with almost all disk image formats. The operation of the program is imperceptible even for low-power devices, since it uses a minimum of system resources. The free Lite version contains limitations - in particular, it is the ability to mount only 4 virtual drives at a time. Whereas in the paid version of Pro Advanced, 32 drives can be mounted on a computer.

Relatively recently, Daemon Tools has changed dramatically, and the classic interface has been replaced by dullness and wretchedness, but with an extremely clear description of functions and a clear internal organization of sections. The functionality of the program has been replenished, but not everything is available in the Lite version. Naked demonstration of individual functions without the ability to use them is a marketing ploy to encourage users to purchase a paid version.

Daemon Tools Lite 10 is available for free download on the developer's website.

An important point during installation is the choice of the free license option.

Among the innovations of the Daemon Tools version is the option to scan the computer for disk images and display them in the internal library. Well, let's take advantage of this opportunity.

After scanning, all possible virtual CD/DVD and hard drives will be visible in the program window. Select the required type, open the context menu and execute the "Mount" command.

As before, disk images can be added to the Daemon Tools interface one at a time using the quick mount button.

To unmount a virtual drive, call the context menu on its connection icon at the bottom of the program window and select the appropriate command.

How to mount an image in UltraISO

UltraISO is a mega program designed for professional use. Among its features are the creation of CD/DVD images, burning them to a disc and editing them without unpacking, optimizing the structure in order to save space, converting from one format to another, etc. This program is also a reliable and proven tool for creating bootable flash drives.

UltraISO is a paid software product. The free trial version is of little use when it comes to the full use of most of the features. So, the trial version has limitations, due to which it will not be possible to create or burn an ISO file that weighs more than 300 MB. In our case, when it comes to mounting a disk image into a virtual drive, this restriction does not apply. Therefore, you can safely download the trial version with a Russian-language interface from the UltraISO developer website.

After launching UltraISO, you will see a small window telling us about the limitations of the trial version and encouraging us to buy the paid version. Click the "Trial period" button.

In the program window, open the "File" menu and click the "Open" button.

Adding an image file.

Open the "Tools" menu and select "Mount to virtual drive" among the commands present.

A small window will appear where you need to select the mount button. The button next to it - "Unmount" - must be used, respectively, to extract the CD / DVD disk image from the virtual drive.

How to burn an image to disk in Alcohol 52%

Alcohol 52% Free Edition is a free stripped-down version of the well-known CD/DVD emulator Alcohol 120%. Unlike the latter, paid Alcohol 52% allows you to mount a limited number of virtual drives at the same time - up to 6 pieces. In the free version of Alcohol 52% Free Edition, this number is completely reduced to a minimum - only 2 parallel virtual drives. Also, the free version does not provide for burning discs to discs.

A free trial version of the utility can be downloaded from the link from the official website of the developer.

At the time of writing this article, it was not possible to download the program installer using the browser downloader, but the problem was successfully solved using the Download Master download manager.

There are no limits to the tricks of developers who want paid versions of software products to be purchased from them. In the case of the trial version of Alcohol 52%, we will not only look at the demo window with an offer to buy the full version of the program, but we will even have to wait a few seconds until the “OK” program launch button becomes active.

In the Alcohol 52% program window, expand the "File" menu and select "Open".

Add the necessary file to the program window, call the context menu on it and select the "Mount to device" command.

To extract the image from the virtual drive, open the context menu again and select the "Unmount..." command accordingly.

The fastest way to mount and unmount a virtual drive

The ways of working with virtual drives inside programs are discussed above. But there is also a more convenient, faster way to mount and unmount a virtual drive. If Daemon Tools Lite is installed with a program that opens ISO files by default during installation, you can mount the drive by opening the image as a regular file by double-clicking the mouse from the system explorer. In the case of the UltraISO program, the disk image will be instantly added to the program window for further actions. But Alcohol 52% will simply open, as with a normal start, however, it is also convenient.

If the default program was not assigned during installation, this can be done manually at any time. To assign a program that opens a particular type of ISO file by default, find any of them in Windows Explorer and select "Properties" in the context menu.

Click the change application button.

If the desired program is not in the list, select "Advanced", scroll down to the bottom of the list and click the option to search for another application.

Specify the program launch file in the installation folder.

Apply the changes.

Now, in the system explorer, the CD / DVD image file will be displayed as the default program icon and will open in this program at startup.

The easiest way to unmount a virtual drive is in the system explorer. Among the commands of the context menu called on the mounted drive, there is a function to eject the disk.

After that, the virtual drive will disappear.

Have a great day!

Users who made it to the early 2000s will surely remember the days when movies, computer games, programs and music were only delivered to our computers using CD/DVD discs common at the time. No one knew about the free download of data on the Internet, torrents and youtube. The situation was saved by optical drives, with the help of which information was transferred to the computer's hard drive.

The rapid development of Internet technologies has called into question the need to have such a component as a "disk drive". In current stationary systems and laptops, you rarely see the presence of a drive. All because of the virtual disks, which replaced the "blanks" and became commonplace. However, not everyone has had a comfortable transition to the new technology. In this article, we will try to correct this situation and explain in detail the essence of the creation process, the nuances of use and other questions that have repeatedly arisen for everyone who does not know how to use a virtual CD ROM.

When it might be needed

Many may doubt the idea of using the innovation that has taken root for some and simply continue to use the optical drive, overwriting images and information with it on physical media. However, the archaic version loses in some cases, the most common of which are:

Disk drive missing or defective. Any part does not have an eternal life. Sooner or later, a problem may arise, and it’s good if it doesn’t happen at the most necessary moment (which happens often according to the “law of meanness”). In addition, the “system unit” that receives a disk with information from you may simply not have an optical drive. But a virtual CD-ROM is on any modern PC (if you devote some time to creating it).
Multichannel. I rarely come across computers that have multiple drives at once. Users who often work with writing and reading discs had to constantly rearrange CD / DVD. There are no such problems with virtual disks, which means you can work with several at once.
Ease of data transfer. To exchange information recorded on a disc, you need to personally transfer the media to the receiving party. In the case of virtually recorded images, the transfer is carried out online, over the Internet.

Creating a virtual CD-ROM

To read virtual images (iso files; mdf, bwi, mds and others), you need to create a virtual CD-ROM, which, like an optical drive, plays (emulates) data from the drive. You can make a virtual disk using special software, such as Daemon Tools, Virtual Drive. Their principle of operation is identical, and the functionality is largely similar. For example, we took the last of those listed, since it is very easy to handle even a user far from such processes with its capabilities and tools.

First, download the installer for the Alcohol 120% program from the link from the Yandex disk, or on the official website of the developer. Install on your computer.
We start the program. First of all, we need to create a virtual CD drive. To do this, in the "Settings" section, select the option "Virtual Disk".

In the menu that opens, manually select the number of virtual disks to create. Confirm the result by pressing the OK button.

The drive has been successfully created, which we can observe in the "Device" panel or in the "My Computer" folder.

Now let's open the finished image. To do this, select the tab "File", and in the menu that opens, click on "Open ..." (or just use the key combination Ctrl + O).

We find the image file we need, select it with LMB and click on the button "Open".

The image has been added to the library for processing.

Now you need to read the file added earlier. To do this, select the RMB image, and in the drop-down menu, select the option "Mount to Device".

Work is done. We can observe the result in the folder "Computer", where among the reading devices there will be an installer located in a virtual drive.

After the performed operations with the image, it is necessary to extract it from the virtual drive. To do this, using the Alcohol 120% program, in the menu of available drives, select our BD-ROM with the right mouse button and select the function in the list "Dismantle Image". The disk will be empty again.

If you want to remove the virtual drive altogether, you need to repeat the same steps as when creating it:

In the available devices, click on the DVD / CD drive RMB. In the list that appears, click "Properties".

Set the value back to "0", in the section for selecting the number of virtual disks and click "OK".

Adding a virtual hard disk

The above opportunities have been available to many for a decade now. The popularity of using a virtual device for reading information has led to the emergence of a similar phenomenon called a virtual hard disk. This technology allows you to create a file (having the extension VHD), which in Explorer appears as a standard partition on your hard drive. The rationality of using a virtual drive is up to everyone to decide for themselves: some reorganize the free space on volumes in this way, others even install the OS. Do not forget about the possibility of creating a secure file container, thus limiting information from encroachment by other users.

We will create a virtual hard disk using standard Windows tools (this feature is available on Windows 7, 8.1, 10 systems). However, with the help of special software, you can achieve a similar result. Daemon Tools Ultra and Disk2vhd handle this task most efficiently. These programs have separate sections devoted to creating virtual disks (both drives and drives like HDDs).

Open the Run service by simultaneously pressing the Win + R keys. In an empty line, enter the command diskmgmt.msc and click "OK".

Service will open "Disk Management". In the control menu, activate the tab "Action", and in it select "Create Virtual Hard Disk".

In the window that appears, you need to specify the location of the created file, select the format ( VHD / VHDX), and also determine the possibility of the file extension.

The file has been created, but the disk has not yet been initialized. By clicking on the RMB disk, select the option "Initialize Disk".

In the next window, you need to specify the partition style (we recommend GUID if you intend to limit yourself to the standard options for working with allocated space).

Connecting a drive after restarting the PC

Unfortunately, working with a virtual hard disk requires re-attaching the VHD/VHDX file after each session ends. Fortunately, we do not have to create a new disk, initialize a partition, and create a volume. To return the virtual disk to work (emulate data), you must perform the following steps:

We hope that with the help of our article you learned how to create a virtual disk, and also determined the benefits of using it for yourself.

And also watch the video

Create a virtual disk

Creating a virtual disk is possible in all versions of the operating system. Let's take Windows 7 as an example.

Launch the Computer Management utility using the Start menu search bar.
Select the "Disk Management" subsection in the expanded window.
Expand "Action".
Select the "Create Virtual Hard Disk" option.
Specify the path to the folder where the file responsible for the virtual disk will be located. Please note that you need to place it on the partition where there is enough free space.
Write down the maximum size of the created disk.
Choose from two formats: dynamic or fixed. The first mode will increase the volume of the disk as new files arrive on it until its size approaches the figure indicated in the previous step. The second mode allows you to immediately form a disk of the previously selected size.
Save the file as a VHD and name it with your desired letter or word.
Wait for the creation process to finish.
Find the black block with unallocated virtual memory. It means that you have created a disk, but now you need to partition it into volumes in order to start using it.
A black block with unallocated memory means that the disk needs to be partitioned into volumes in order to start using it
Right-click on the disk and select "Initialize Disk".
In the opened window, select the disk to be created and its style. It is recommended to set the "Master Boot Record" option.
Partition the disk into volumes. Right-click on the unallocated memory and select "Create Simple Volume".
Specify how much unallocated memory will be given to the virtual disk partition. You can give all the memory at once, or you can split it into several volumes.
Assign a letter to the section.
Remember that you can always reduce or delete an already created virtual disk volume in the same program. If you are satisfied with the distribution of the virtual disk, then you can start using it.

Video: How to create a virtual disk in Windows 7

Removing a virtual disk

Please note that by deleting a virtual disk, you will erase all the information that is on it.

Third Party Programs

To expand the list of options for setting up a virtual disk and make them easier, you can use free third-party programs.

DAEMON Tools Lite

You can buy or download a trial version on the official website of the developer. The program has a simple and understandable interface in Russian. With its help, you can create virtual disks and drives, edit and delete them.

DAEMON Tools Lite is a free and powerful disk imaging application.

Video: how to use DAEMON Tools Lite

Alcohol 120%

The application supports the Russian interface, has a simple design and protects the created virtual disk from copying. You can download the trial version or buy the full version on the official website of the developer. It allows you to create and delete discs and virtual CD drives.

Video: how to use Alcohol 120%

Virtual drives

A virtual drive or virtual drive performs the same functions as a physical drive, but reads not physical CD / DVD discs, but virtual ones. For example, a virtual disk can be downloaded from the Internet or from another computer if it has already been created there. And on it you can record everything the same as on the real one.

Creating a virtual drive

To create a virtual drive, you will need one of the third-party programs designed to work with virtual disks and drives:

In the "Number of devices" line, select the number of drives to be created.
Click the OK button.
Make sure that in the main menu of "Explorer" in the "Devices and drives" block there are new drives named with unique letters.

Removing a virtual drive

Deleting a drive is almost the same as creating it:

Download and install the UltraISO program from the official website of the developer.
Click on the "Options" button in the top bar of the program.
Select the Virtual Drive tab.
In the "Number of devices" line, set the parameter to "No" and click the "OK" button. Done, drive removed.

Virtual disks and disk drives can come in handy if you have to install suspicious programs, additional operating systems, or transfer parts of your hard drive to other users. Remember that a virtual disk takes up space on a physical hard drive, so it is not additional memory to your computer, but only uses part of the existing one.

A lot of users of personal computers on the Windows platform often ask themselves questions - what are virtual disks and how to create virtual disk. In order to increase our readers' awareness of these issues, in this article we will try to fully cover the topic with specific examples.

Also in our article we will consider what is virtual hard drives and where they are used. After reading the material, our readers will be able to easily create virtual hard disks and image disk in ISO format, as well as mount them on a virtual device and burn them to DVD without any problems.

Virtual optical drive and its applications

The main purpose of a virtual drive is mounting images optical discs. To understand in detail why it is needed, we will look at an example where an image disk in ISO format will be mounted on a virtual DVD-ROM. For this example, we will use the Windows 10 operating system.

A pleasant moment for owners of computers with the Windows 10 operating system will be that a virtual DVD-ROM is already installed in it. Therefore, owners of Windows 10 will not have to use third-party programs to mount images.

To mount an optical disc image into a virtual DVD-ROM, we need the image itself. For example, we will use image with Linux operating system ubuntu. You can download an image of this operating system on its official website http://www.ubuntu.com. In our example, we will use the image 64-bit Ubuntu version 15.10, which has a size of 1.1 GB.

After loading the image, you can proceed to its direct mounting. To do this, right-click on the image file to open the context menu.

Mounted "virtual disk" can be opened and copied all its contents.

As you can see from the example, we mounted the Ubuntu OS image on a virtual DVD drive. In fact, we were able to do almost what we do with a regular and optical disc, when we insert it into a DVD drive and open it, only in our version all the components are virtual.

Creating a LaserDisc Image

In the previous example, we looked at how to open an image disk in a virtual DVD drive. Now let's deal with the situation when you need to create an image of an optical disc. To create an image, we need the DAEMON Tools Lite program, which must be downloaded and installed. It is also worth noting that in addition to creating various image formats, DAEMON Tools Lite it can also mount a huge number of formats into its own virtual DVD drive. After installing the program DAEMON Tools Lite in Explorer you can see a new drive named ""

This "" is just the drive of the program in question DAEMON Tools Lite. In this example, we will create an image of the original installation DVD with the Windows 10 operating system. To make an image from the installation DVD with ten, insert it into the DVD drive. Now run the utility and go to the section " New look».

In the utility window we find the button " Create image from disk” and press it. These actions will take us to the image creation window.

In this window, you can select the DVD drive from which the ISO image will be created, as well as select the location to save it.

We will also select the image ISO format and confirm the creation by clicking the Start button, which will start creating the Windows 10 DVD image.

After creation, we will receive an ISO image file called "J_CCSA_X86FRE_RU-RU_DV5.iso", which can be mounted or burned to a regular disc and installed with it a new Windows.

The example shows how easy it is to burn an image to a virtual DVD-ROM using DAEMON Tools Lite. In the same way, you can burn images for all licensed Windows discs, be it XP or Vista. In addition, you can burn images of games or software that do not start without a disc. Apart from the program DAEMON Tools Lite I would like to advise other popular utilities that can create and allow you to open images of optical discs:

Alcohol 120%;
GizmoDrive;
WinCDEmu.

It is especially important to use these utilities on an OS where there are no built-in virtual DVD drives, for example, in OS Windows XP. In addition to supporting XP, each of these programs, including DAEMON Tools Lite, will be able to burn ISO images to DVD disk. In addition to supporting the ISO format, these utilities can mount other formats, including their own, they can be written to regular discs.

Virtual hard disk

A virtual hard disk is quite often used by IT specialists, as it allows you to solve many problems with backup, virtual machines and testing various operating systems. Virtual hard disk is a container file that mimics the file structure of a hard drive.

Since such a disk is a file, therefore it is usually stored on a physical HDD or SSD. Starting with Windows 7, users have the ability to create and mount a hard disk directly in the operating system.

Consider an example of creating a virtual hard disk using Windows 10. First, let's go to the utility " Run"Using the key combination Win + R and type in it the following command: diskmgmt.msc

This command will take us to the Disk Control Panel.

To create a new virtual HDD, you need to go to the menu " Action / Create virtual hard disk", which will open a window to create such a disk.

Starting with Windows 10, it became possible to create a disk with the format " VHDX". Unlike the "VHD" format, the " VHDX» can create containers up to 64 terabytes. Let's make our virtual hard disk 100 GB in the new format " VHDX”, and also put the switch in dynamic creation mode, in which our disk will increase as it fills up.

After setting the parameters of our hard disk, press the OK button, which will allow you to write it to the specified folder on the screw. After creating the output, we will get a virtual hard disk named "virtual disk.vhdx". The image below shows that our disk is automatically mounted, but it is still not visible in the system.

In order for the system to see our VHDX disk, it must be initialized. You can do this by right-clicking on the VHDX disk and selecting " Initialize disk».

In the window that appears, do not change anything and press the OK button.

Now the simplest thing left is to choose a file system and a letter for our disk. To do this, go to it and select the item " Create a simple volume».

After that, a wizard will start in which you need to assign a drive letter and select a file system. After the wizard completes, the virtual hard disk will appear in Explorer.

The example shows that creating a virtual HDD using the OS is very simple, so we hope that you will no longer have a question - how to create a virtual hard disk. I would also like to note that with the created VHDX disk you can do the following operations:

Encrypt it with BitLocker;
Install an additional OS on it;
Move and open it on another computer;
Connect it to a virtual machine.

Computers based on the Windows XP operating system, which is still quite popular, do not support VHD disks. But do not be upset, because in the utility we reviewed earlier DAEMON Tools Lite there is support for VHD disks and it fully compatible with Windows XP.

Using a VHD Disk in a Virtual Machine

Let's create a virtual machine based on the Windows XP operating system using the VirtualBox program. At the step of creating a virtual machine for XP, you will be prompted to create or attach a virtual hard disk that will be used to install Windows XP on it.

At this point, we can attach the VHD disk that we will create using Windows 10. So we will try to attach our 30 GB VHD container that we made in ten. After creating a virtual machine, you can view the attached VHD disk in its settings.

If there is not enough space in the virtual machine on XP, then you can always attach new VHD virtual hard disk. Besides, you can connect containers with various file data to a virtual machine for XP. In the same way, you can use the virtual machine from other software products. For example, VHD containers can be installed on VMware Workstation products.

Outcome

From the material considered, it can be seen that the use of virtual drives and hard drives helps to solve many problems much better, especially since even a novice PC user will figure out how to create them. We hope that our material will help our readers to better understand the question - how to create a virtual disk and how to use it for work.