How to get bootable VHD into BIOS boot menu?

I have a normal install of Win10 on C:. I have cloned it into a VHD on another internal disk. I ran "bcdboot F:\windows", where F is the mounted VHD drive, and the VHD was now available in the Windows boot menu. I can boot to either as of now.

I want to simulate a C: failure, and then boot into the VHD. I was told by another friend that if C: fails, the Windows boot selection menu will not appear. So how do I get my VHD to boot instead? Currently the VHD boot does not show in my BIOS boot menu and I'm wondering if I need to add it to accomplish booting the VHD?

Bios or efi firmware depending which descripton you prefer should find \EFI\MICROSOFT\BOOT\BOOTMGFW.EFI

bootmgfw will read the entries in the bcd store and display the windows boot menu

Usually it looks on fat32 partitions though some bios will also search ntfs partitions..

If the disk dies completely it wont be able to find it.

I've been reading more and I guess I called it the wrong name. It would be the black and white menu, the firmware menu is probably correct. I've seen screenshots of a .vhd menu item selectable. Are you saying I can't add it to the firmware menu?

The bcd store is on my C: yes? That currently shows C: and my VHD. If C: fails I want to bypass anything to do with C: using another internal drive without re-booting to a USB recovery stick.

Possible?

tyeeman said:

The bcd store is on my C: yes?

Possible?

It is on the system partition. Usually there is a small Efi System Partition (ESP which is typically 100mb ) separate from the os partition.

Yes, it's a vhdx file. It's identical to my C drive but in a vhdx file. I can see all 4 partitions in disk manager when mounted. If I remove C, hopefully it boots directly into this vhdx?

If the boot critical files are on an intact esp partition, you should still get the boot menu.

Good to hear, I will try it later today.

The boot menu entries will be the same as before allowing you to select the now non existent os, or the vhdx.

obviously selecting the os boot menu entry will take you nowhere useful, but selecting the vhdx should function exactly as it did previously.

Earlier you mentioned the bcd entries are on the system partition. If I remove C, aren't they then gone? Yes, but the vhdx also has them?