To use the VMs created or shared by Microsoft, we need to use Win2k8 Server, with Hyper-V enabled. Unfortunately, the processor on my laptop (Lenovo G450) in not virtualization enabled. Thus, I was looking for other alternatives, which would not keep me tied to the monolithic server in the office which hosts all the VMs.
Laptops which have Windows 7 OS, can be made to boot into a VHD, using few simple steps -
Step 1: Open a elevated command prompt.
Step 2: Type this command: bcdedit /copy {current} /d "<any name for the VHD file>"
If the command succeeds, BCDEdit displays a message similar to the following: The entry was successfully copied to {CLSID_Number}
Step 3: Then type this command bcdedit /set {CLSID_Number} osdevice vhd=[C:]\disk1.vhd
To confirm the settings simply type bcdedit.
If you want to delete the entry make note of the GUID listed in bcdedit and use the following command
bcdedit /delete {GUID} /cleanup
That's it. The next time you boot your laptop, you will find an option to either boot into your original OS (Win 7) or into the VHD.
The beauty of this approach is that you need not make your system dual bootable (in the real sense), and at the end of the day, all the changes you do to your VHD file are just changes made to a file. Thus, if you are archiving your VHD file at regular intervals (say after installing SQL Server, then after installing SP, and so on), you just need to replace your earlier file to roll back to an earlier step.
Thus, I now have seven versions of the VHD, and I can roll back to any step at any moment :)
Also, unlike the VMs using VPC etc, you are not restricted to only a certain percentage of the underlying hardware, as you will need some memory to run the virtualization software and the base OS, you can use the whole hardware resources at your disposal as it boots just like a dual bootable system.
So there you go, all set to delve into the various intricacies of SP 2010, having taken care of the VM/installation issues.
I shall be writing more on the various explorations that I shall do with SP 2010 in coming days, till then au'revoir....
