
VHD file will work as a solution, but if you want to start over with a clean Windows XP mode or if you have accidentally trashed your existing XP mode.


That raised the question: “How do I relocate the VHD file?” A quick Google search turned up a nice and very helpful post on which provided the following instructions: So I asked myself this question: “Why not move the VHD?” Sure, it’ll run slower than on an SSD, but I don’t use Windows XP mode frequently enough to justify 5% of its available disk space going to a single VHD file.

On that same machine, I’ve got two internal conventional drives: a 1.0 TB Samsung SpinPoint and a 1.5 TB Samsung SpinPoint, both with over 800 GB of disk space available. On my i7 test machine that vhd consumes 6.8 GB of disk space on a 120 GB Corsair Vertex 2 SSD. It’s got Windows XP Mode installed, and by default Windows XP mode stores the file named Windows XP Mode.vhd in the C:Users AppDataLocalMicrosoftWindows Virtual PC directory.

Today, I came across a big one on my i7 test machine. On my continuing quest to save space on the C:/System/Boot drive on my Windows PCs - mostly so I can maximize the value and utility of my desire for SSD speed without forking over $500-600 for a sizable enough drive (256 GB or larger) so I don’t have to worry about saving space - I’ve kept on looking for small changes with big payoffs to keep drive space consumption down.
