If you need a permanent environment without the 90-day expiration limit, creating your own custom VHD using an official Windows 10 ISO is the best approach. Method A: Convert an ISO to VHD via PowerShell
The use cases are compelling:
(click "More Options"): Set virtual machine name, memory allocation, network switch, and virtual hard disk size Windows 10 Vhd Image Download
You can boot a physical computer directly into a VHD file (Native VHD Boot). This gives the virtualized OS full access to your hardware components (like the GPU) with near-zero performance loss.
Hyper‑V Quick Create is ideal for temporary virtual machines, while the traditional "New Virtual Machine" wizard offers more granular control for production environments. If you need a permanent environment without the
A VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) or its successor VHDX is a file that acts as a fully functional virtual hard disk. The most compelling feature of these formats is —the ability to boot a Windows operating system directly from a VHD/VHDX file without needing a hypervisor or a virtual machine. This technology, available since Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, offers a safe, partition‑free way to run additional Windows installations for testing, development, or dual‑booting scenarios. VHDX is the preferred format for Windows 10 and later, offering larger storage capacity and better resilience against corruption.
Move your Windows 10 VHD file to the root of a physical drive (e.g., C:\vhd\win10.vhd ). Open as an Administrator. Hyper‑V Quick Create is ideal for temporary virtual
Do NOT download Windows VHD/VHDX files from unverified sources. These files:
Click . The quick creation process completes the remaining steps automatically
Ready to get started? Visit developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/virtual-machines for the official Windows 10 Enterprise VHDX evaluation images.