If you wish to access the contents of a VHD file without having to run Virtual PC or Virtual Server, you can do so by using PowerShell and running a couple of commands from the command line.
1. Open PowerShell.
2. Input and execute the following command:
$objVHDService = get-wmiobject -class "Msvm_ImageManagementService" -namespace "root\virtualization" -computername "."
To Mount a VHD file:
Input and execute the following command:
$objVHDService.Mount("e:\virtual\test\test.vhd")
Where e:\virtual\test\test.vhd is the path to the desired virtual hard disk.
To Unmount a VHD file:
Input and execute the following command:
$objVHDService.Unmount("e:\virtual\test\test.vhd")
Where e:\virtual\test\test.vhd is the path to the desired virtual hard disk.