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With the release of Windows 10 Technical Preview, I think is a good shot to explain how to install an OS in a VHD (Virtual Hard Disk). Because this is a Preview, which means it's a beta version, installing this edition as Default and unique OS isn't a good choice at all. Crashes, may happen.
One option is install the Windows 10 TP in a virtual machine. In PC's with lack of memory and fast CPU .. you won't be able to enjoy the real Windows 10.
My suggestion, is to create a new partition and install it there, or even more easier and also secure, install it in a Virtual Hard Disk.

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What is a Virtual Hard Disk?

Virtual hard disk (VHD) is a disk image file format for storing the complete contents of a hard drive. The disk image, sometimes called a virtual machine, replicates an existing hard drive and includes all data and structural elements. It can be stored anywhere the physical host can access.

There are two main types of virtual hard disks: fixed-size and dynamically expanding. Both types have a maximum size value that specifies how large the disk will appear to virtual machines. However, fixed-size VHDs will automatically take up the specified amount of physical disk space on the host computer's file system, whereas dynamically expanding disks will allocate space only as needed.

Advantages of installing Windows in VHD

Significant benefits result from the ability to boot a physical computer from a virtual hard drive:

• Ease of deployment: IT organizations can deploy standardized, 'pre-built' configurations on a single VHD. As an example, software engineering organizations which need a specific set of tools for a particular project could simply 'pull' the appropriately-configured VHD from a network location.
• Backup-and-Restore: Changes to the contents of a VHD (such as infection by a virus, or accidental deletion of critical files) are easily undone.
• Multi-User Isolation: Many current operating systems support having multiple users, but offer varying degrees of protection between them (e.g., one user of the OS could become infected by a virus which infects other users, or make changes to the OS which affect other users). By giving each user their own version of the operating system—say, by creating for each of them a differencing VHD based on a base installation of the OS—changes to any particular child image would have no effect on any of the other child images.

To work with VHD files, I'll use the diskpart tool.

DiskPart.exe is a text-mode command interpreter that enables you to manage objects (disks, partitions, or volumes) by using scripts or direct input from a command prompt. Before you can use DiskPart.exe commands on a disk, partition, or volume, you must first list and then select the object to give it focus. When an object has focus, any DiskPart.exe commands that you type act on that object. [source]

• Once on Prompt, type diskpart to initialize diskpart tool. (require administrator rights )

A new window will show up (see more). Now type the following script [change the specifications as you wish like path, size, type ...]











Remember this is just an example
In the first line, the syntax is based on:

create vdisk file=<file path> [maximum=<size in Megabytes>] |{[type=<fixed|expandable>]

You can also modify the fourth line. There, you tell diskpart which drive letter you want to assign to the volume. In this case, M:
Be careful with the letter you chose. You can get an exception because that letter is already in use. Go to Windows Explorer followed by Computer and take a look for the letters in use. You can't use any of them.


VHD was successfully created and formatted.

WAIK Tools (Windows Automated Installation Kit)

The Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) is designed to help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), system builders, and corporate IT professionals deploy Windows onto new hardware. The Windows AIK is a set of deployment tools supporting the latest release of Windows. This guide describes the methods, tools, and requirements for deploying Windows. [source]

Because we just need imagex, is ridiculous download an ISO file with 2Gb or more when imagex actually is a 598kb size file.
There is an app  which allow you to download the main tools for Windows Vista/7/8.x including imagex.
Know more about imagex tool


 Download here

• Copy the folder path of imagex.exe [example: C:\Folder_name]
• In pictures above, the path is a bit extensive and complex to use in command prompt. To avoid any problems, please, copy the imagex.exe to directory C: .(or C:\Sources for example, something simple). The following scripts in this tutorial will present the path C:\imagex.exe (images may not match, I will update them)

Applying WIM to VHD

• Mount the download ISO file (Windows 10)

• Run cmd as administrator

• Type the location imagex.exe

Example: cd C:\
Example2: cd C:\Folder 
(ignore the considered path on image)

 

• Type

 

Example: imagex /apply f:\sources\install.wim 1 m:

The base structure is
imagex /apply image_file image_number image_name image_path

image_file : Specifies the name and the location of the volume image applied to the directory.
image_number : Specifies the number that references the specific volume within the .wim file.
image_path : Specifies the file path where the image will be applied.

Wait a few minutes for completation

• Run cmd as administrator

• Type

Como ver as informações do meu Sistema?



Para ver as informações do sistema, aperte as teclas  + 

Isto irá abrir o Executar. Digite msconfig e clique em OK.

If you are following what is happening around Windows and you are part of Windows Insiders program, you may be familiar with "esd files". Actually, the ESD files started showing up with Windows 8. I don't know for sure it's origin as there is no much information about it, however I bet it was created by Microsoft because of it's huge need of creating highly compressed files. That feature came with Windows 8 as new updates, like Windows 8.1, were delivered by Windows Store. Well, downloading files larger than 3GB would be a problem, specially for users with limited download speed. To improve this process and create an optimized update mechanism was need to create highly compressed files of media boots, which commonly come in image files like ISO or IMG extensions.
Amazingly, ESD is an encryption process that can reduce a 3GB size file to.. 1,7GB (this happened to me with some Windows 10 ESD files). This saves a lot download time and network data, but it's a con: so you can manage this encrypted files, you will need to convert it back to ISO, a process that may take several minutes - 10 to 15 minutes.

In this post I will explain step by step how to do it by using a simple tool - that for some users will be at least weird because is a cmd program, but keep calm it's very simple to deal with :)

What do you need?
First of all, and logically, you need an ESD file. Place it on a easy access path
Second, you need to download the tool I mentioned above. Download it here
For newer builds, since 10158 the RSA keys were changed, so use this new version. Download here
Ok, what's next?
After you extract the rar file you downloaded, you will find a decrypt.cmd. Right-click on it an Run as administrator

Now, you need to past the full path of the file, without quotes ""
You can deal with this many ways



Back to the console, on Windows 10 you can use your keys Control+V. On older Windows versions, you can click the icon on the top, Edit and Paste



Once you pasted the path, or written it manually, press Enter key
You will have a couple of options here. We want to convert a full media boot encrypted in ESD to ISO, you select the option 1

Next, prepare your coffee or tea, take a sit and relax while the tool works.
When you get the message Done on the console, you can close it.



Where is my ISO file?
By default, the program place it under the path where decrypt.cmd file is. In my case, it is located on C:\Users\Tsunami\Downloads\ESD_to_Iso and there it is my ISO file too.