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#30
You are welcome.
There are a few things to consider when using Windows on native boot VHD. For instance, if you think that it is even remotely possible that you might occasionally need to add the VHD to Hyper-V VM for upgrade or any other purpose, you need to partition VHD correctly. For instance, if VHD will only ever be used as native boot VHD, it does not need System reserved partition (MBR partitioning) or EFI system partitions (GPT partitioning). Simply create VHD with just one single Windows partition and attach it to host, apply Windows image to it with DISM, use BCBOOT to add it to boot menu, done.
But: that VHD would not work in Hyper-V. To be able to use VHD both in native boot and in Hyper-V, it must be properly partitioned, which is why I recommend that you use Hyper-V to create your native boot VHDs. Create first a VM, install Windows normally which automatically creates correct partition structure, update Windows fully when done, shut down the VM, mount the VHD on host and only then add it to boot menu as native boot VHD. See tutorial: Hyper-V - Native Boot VHD Windows 10 Virtualization Tutorials
In doing this you will guarantee that it works without issues both in native boot and in Hyper-V.
A bit more about that WU issue, if VM using a native boot VHD is allowed to connect to network and possible WU issues caused by it. In screenshots below an example, I installed Windows 10 Pro today to a native boot VHD, then later on used the VHD in a new VM. I use PowerShell Windows Update which makes managing updates somewhat easier than WU in Settings app. Read more: Update and Upgrade Windows 10 using PowerShell Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials
OK, first boot to desktop after native boot VHD was attached to a Hyper-V VM. Listing available updates, I can see that all of them are for host hardware devices, all of them for devices completely missing from VM:
I needed a few Hide-WUUpdate cmdlets to hide all of them, for instance Hide-WUUpdate -Title "Intel*" -Confirm:$False hides all updates starting with string Intel:
After hiding the last unnecessary hardware device update and checking available updates again which returns nothing, I can stop worrying and upgrade using Update Assistant, Media Creation Tool, Windows Update or an ISO. No unnecessary update will now cause issues with upgrade.
After I have fully upgraded Windows on this VM, I shut down and can now boot the host to this upgraded VHD. When booted, I will then unhide all hidden updates.
Kari
Last edited by Kari; 20 Aug 2017 at 08:52. Reason: Multiple typos