How to Open VHD File in All Major Windows Versions – A DIY Approach

If you are also looking for a solution to how to open VHD file in all the major Windows versions then here we are going to provide the best-recommended methods for opening VHD file.

VHD is a short term used for Virtual Hard Disk Drive and it is a file format that contains the disk partitions and the file systems like a physical hard disk. It allows storing folders, files, and other items. A VHD drive allows users to install multiple operating systems on a single host machine.  In general, a VHD file is used for your system image backup in Windows Vista and another later version OS. Though, the NT Backup tool was used in Windows XP and earlier versions to backup the system data. However, now it has been taken over by the backup and restore utility in Windows Vista and the latest versions.

Now, let’s have a look at how to create a VHD file.

Methods to Create VHD Files

Here we will describe some reliable manual methods to create VHD file for Virtual machine. Follow the steps mentioned below and after that we will describe the recommended methods on “how to Open VHD File”.

Method 1: Create VHD File Using the Disk Management

1. Right-click on My Computer icon and choose the Manage option.
2. The Computer Management window will get open. Click on the Disk Management under the storage section.
3. In the right panel, click on more actions and select Create VHD option.
4. Now in Create and Attach Virtual Hard Disk Window, navigate to the location to save the VHD file.
5. Finally, your VHD file will get created and saved in the defined location.

Method 2: Create VHD File Using the Backup & Restore

1. Open the search bar and enter Backup and Restore.
2. Go to the control panel > All control Panel items > Backup & Restore.
3. Click on Create a System Image.
4. Now navigate to the path to save the resultant backup file.
5. Choose the drive to include in the backup. Then press the Next button.
6. Hit the Start Backup button to start the backing up process.

These are the methods to create VHD files. However sometimes the VHD files might become corrupted or damaged due to various possible reasons such as Virus attacks, software malfunctioning, storage media failure, improper system shutdown, etc. Once your VHD database gets corrupted, it becomes difficult to access the file or the user can even lose the data. So, below we will be describing the methods to open .vhd file easily.

How to Open VHD File in Windows 7 and Latest Versions?

Here we have mentioned several reliable methods for the query “how to open a VHD file”. Follow the complete steps without skipping.

Method 1: Users need to create a new virtual machine in this method and add the corrupt/ damaged virtual disk file to it. After that, make it compact.

1. Firstly, create a new virtual server and after that add a new hard disk.
2. Click on the settings option and select the hard disk created earlier. Then, navigate to the virtual disk file that will not load.
3. Press the virtual disk wizard and select the compact option. Enable the Convert it to a fixed size virtual hard disk option.
4. Finally, the user can save this new VHD file with a new name.

Once the compact process of the VHD file is completed, copy the file to the original server and then try to mount it.

Method 2: Using Windows File Explorer

• Open the Windows File Explorer.
• Select the VHD file, right-click on it and choose the Mount option.

• Wait until the new drive pops up.

How to Open VHD File Using DRS VHD Recovery Software

If after using the above manual methods for opening VHD file, the user is unable to open the corrupt or damaged VHD/VHDX file. So as an alternative, users can opt for advanced and trusted VHD recovery software. The automated methods provide a quick and safe process of recovery of the entire database. The DRS VHD Recovery Tool supports the recovery from both GPT and MBR formats of hard disk. There is no technical expertise required by the user to perform the recovery using the tool. The software offers two main recovery modes i.e, Standard and Advanced mode that helps users with easy recovery. The software is compatible highly with all major Windows OS.

Conclusion

Above we have discussed solutions for the user’s queries on how to open VHD file in Windows 7 and all the major Windows versions. We have described several manual methods as well as an automated DRS VHD recovery software that helps users to restore the entire corrupt or damaged VHD data. Users can opt for the methods at their convenience.