Hello,

It is possible from Windows 8 to easily test a windows without virtualization and without impacting your Windows by using the technique of multiboot on virtual hard disk (.VHDX).

This can be used to check the behaviour of a Windows image (a custom image, a new version of Windows…) on a physical machine.

The principle is to create a specific file (virtual hard disk) in which to install the test operating system.
This is then added to the list of systems at startup, so you can choose at startup which system you want to boot on.
Once the tests are complete you can graphically remove the test system from the list at startup and delete the virtual hard disk.

As a starting point you need a Windows WIM file available in a Windows ISO image for example.
You can generate a Windows ISO image with Microsoft’s MediaCreationTool at the following page:
https://www.microsoft.com/fr-fr/software-download/windows10

Creating the virtual hard disk in Powershell 

$vhdx = 'c:\test.vhdx'
@"
create vdisk file=$vhdx maximum=20000 type=expandable
select vdisk file=$vhdx
attach vdisk
clean
convert gpt
create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs label="Windows-test"
assign letter=v
"@ | diskpart

Deploy the Windows image

# Deploy the WIM image (D:\Sources\install.wim in the example) in the VHDX
DISM /Apply-Image /ImageFile:D:\Sources\install.wim /Index:1 /ApplyDir:V:\
# The index which version of Windows on an official image (Enterprise, Professional...)

# Display index information for your image :
DISM /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:D:\sources\install.wim

# Define multi-boot
BCDBoot V:\Windows

- The multiboot is in place, just reboot to test.
- The test system is defined by default in the system choice page at startup.
- If you have 2 lines of Windows 10 at startup, and you are in any doubt, the test Windows 10 has the highest volume identifier.
- Run the msconfig command to choose another default system, boot tab.

Video : How to test Windows without virtualisation