Windows 7 SteadyState Equivalent via Differencing VHDs and Boot from VHD

Customers relying on SteadyState with operating systems such as Windows XP and Windows Vista undoubtedly already know that the tool is no longer available for Windows 7.

In 2010 I told you that Microsoft produced an alternative to Windows SteadyState, designed to answer the needs of Windows 7 users.

Essentially, the Redmond company revealed that IT professionals could turn to the native capabilities of Windows 7, along with Group Policy and in combination with free tools from the company to replicate some of the functionality of SteadyState.

And “some” is rightly used in this context, since the software giant’s solution is in no way designed to be a SteadyState replacement.

Now, Panos Macheras Infrastructure Consultant, has put together a step-by-step guide on how customers can implement a Windows 7 SteadyState by leveraging differencing VHDs files and the “Boot from VHD” feature.

“What is interesting about this feature is that it can work with a differencing VHD file. What is a differencing VHD file?” Macheras asked.

“A differencing VHD file is linked on a regular VHD file (called parent VHD) and only stores modified blocks of data in relation to its parent VHD. The result is that we can easily roll back changes by simply resetting this differencing VHD to its initial (empty) condition.

“This is a technique that is commonly used in Lab deployments where several virtual machines use differencing VHDs in order to test scenarios and then rollback changes. We can also use differencing disks to achieve the same result in a physical Windows 7 installation.”

The promise from Macheras is that another guide will be provided, this time around on how to take advantage of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2010 in order to automate the installation of the SteadyState alternative so that it can be used in corporate environments.

Make sure to check Macheras’ blog for the entire step-by-step guide.