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outlook_am
Dec 03, 2021Copper Contributor
How to install Windows 10 on NVMe SSD on old PC? Since old computers don't load NVMe SSD drives when
How to install Windows 10 on NVMe SSD on old PC? Since old computers don't load NVMe SSD drives when they start up, the way I think about it is to load them during BCDBoot? But I don't know how. ...
Mousefluff
Jan 17, 2022Iron Contributor
If you were to use VirtualBox with Windows 10/11 Home [and a Virtual Hard Disk v2 (VHDX) image,] it would look like this, given VirtualBox for some odd reason doesn't recognize VHDX v2 images yet (even though it's an open specification at this point.)
VirtualBox Example: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
C:
cd\VirtualBox
C:\Users\username\Desktop>wmic diskdrive list brief
Caption DeviceID Model Partitions Size
xxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE0 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx x xxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx x xxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE2 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx x xxxxxxxxxxxxx
VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -filename \VirtualBox\VMs\Win11_64_adk_imaging.vmdk -rawdisk \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE2
VBoxManage storageattach "Windows 11 (64-bit)" --storagectl "AHCI" --port 0 --device 0 --type hdd --medium \VirtualBox\VMs\Win11_64_adk_imaging.vmdk
VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -filename \VirtualBox\VMs\USB_DRIVE_WIN_64.vmdk -rawdisk \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE2
VBoxManage storageattach "Windows 10 (64-bit)" --storagectl "AHCI" --port 2 --device 0 --type hdd --medium \VirtualBox\VMs\USB_DRIVE_WIN_64.vmdk
"9.7.1. Using a Raw Host Hard Disk From a Guest" -> https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch09.html#rawdisk
"Chapter 8. VBoxManage" -> https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch08.html
"WMI Command-line Tools" -> https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/wmisdk/wmi-command-line-tools
The only caveat with this one, is if anything stops working you have to release the image from the VM in VirtualBox, and recreate it all over again via the console (given it's just a link when operating in RAW access mode.) It's better to dismount it in diskpart like this after you mount it, so the host operating system cannot see it (Windows,) but the guest operating system can still access it (the VM itself.)
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> diskpart
Microsoft DiskPart version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx
DISKPART> list volume
Volume ### Ltr Label Fs Type Size Status Info
---------- --- ----------- ----- ---------- ------- --------- --------
Volume 9 Removable xxxx MB Healthy Offline
DISKPART> select volume 9
Volume 9 is the selected volume.
DISKPART> assign
DiskPart successfully assigned the drive letter or mount point.
DISKPART> automount disable
Automatic mounting of new volumes disabled.
DISKPART> list volume
Volume ### Ltr Label Fs Type Size Status Info
---------- --- ----------- ----- ---------- ------- --------- --------
* Volume 9 F RAW Removable xxxx MB Healthy
DISKPART> remove letter=f dismount
DiskPart successfully removed the drive letter or mount point.
DiskPart successfully dismounted and offlined the volume.
DISKPART> exit
Leaving DiskPart...
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32>
Good Luck! Happy New Year as well! (Year of the Kitten.)