I am trying to set up a vhd native boot with a Windows 8.1 x86. I have Windows 8.1 x64 installed on the computer. Is this configuration possible?
I have tried two ways which both didn't work. One way is widely described on blogs the other is from a TechNet article.
In the BIOS I disabled Secure Boot and enabled the CSM so I could boot the x86 Windows 8.1 DVD (actually a USB flash drive)
1) I create an empty vhdx file in the x64 Windows installation and reboot with the Windows 8.1 install DVD. Before the installation starts, I interrupt, go to command prompt and use diskpart to attach the vhdx. I resume Windows setup from command prompt and the vhdx shows up in the list of hard disks. I install on the vhdx and end up with a multiboot/native vhd boot system with two entries in the boot loader.
This method worked only with Windows 8.1 x64 in the vhdx. Installing Windows 8.1 x86 would not proceed at the partition choice during installation. There is a warning that says that Windows cannot be installed on the vhdx "HDD" However in Windows x64 it would install despite the warning. Using Windows 8.1 x86 didn't proceed at that point.
It didn't matter if the vhdx was mbr or gpt formatted or raw.
2) The second way is based on using the dism tool from the Windows ADK, putting the install.wim into the vhdx and manually create a boot entry for the vhdx file. In that case the vhdx would not boot at all.
Now I am wondering if I have tried something impossible (having x86 in native vhd boot on a x64 Windows computer)?