Convert from VMWare to Hyper-V

I have used VMWare for a long, long time. I have development environments going back to the dark ages of .NET, long before there was a Hyper-V and long after Microsoft killed off Virtual PC. So, I have a LOT of virtual hard drives (VHDK) files in VMWare format.

Recently, I got a new Surface Pro 4 and decided now was the time I am going to make the switch to Hyper-V. But like hell was I going to rebuild all my machines. I looked on the web and found a ton of references on converting from VHDK to VHD, but not to VHDX. So, I came up with a two step process that I will discuss here.

To start, you need to have VirtualBox: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Next, you need to convert from VMWare VHDK format to VHD format. You can do this with the following command which I placed in a BAT file to make the process easier:

“C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe” clonehd –format vhd “%1” “%2”

NOTE: Above, %1 is the full path and filename to the VHDK file, and %2 is the full path and filename of the VDH.

Finally, you need to convert the file from VHD to VDHX and luckily, Hyper-V Manager will do this for you. You just perform these steps:

  1. Open Hyper-V Manager
  2. Select Edit Disk on the right hand task pane.
  3. Select Next, then browse/enter the path to the VHD and click Next.
  4. Click Convert and click Next.
  5. Select VHDX and click Next
  6. Select the type of disk you want and click Next.
  7. Then specify the output file name and click Finish.

NOTE: Once you have performed a conversion like this you CANNOT create a 2nd Generation Hyper-V VM. You can only use this disk in a 1st Generation Hyper-V VM. The only way to use in Gen2 is to migrate it – not an easy task.

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