Windows 10: Virtual to Physical -- easy way (good also for insider builds etc)

Hi folks
For those having trouble installing insider builds / updating them etc due to miscellaneous errors (mobo, drivers etc etc) here's a suggestion I've found that invariably works.

(Backup existing system first of course !!!).

1) Create the relevant iso for the build you want from UUPDUMP-- depending on whether there's a zillion updates being slipstreamed this could take a while --usually it's pretty quick though.

2) Install the CLEAN OS in a VM -- and if using VMWare or VBOX Do NOT install VMWare tools or VBOX additions.

3) DO NOT ACTIVATE the VM -- you only need it once for creating the physical machine.

4) Download Macrium Free and also create the bootable stand alone version.

5) image the VM to external HDD (you can always attach external device to VM.

6) reboot the machine from the macrium stand alone recovery

7) restore the VM image to your physical machine --yes it will work in 99.9999% of cases

8) re-boot physical machine -- if it does fail then re-boot the macrium stand alone restore and choose "fix windows boot problems"

9) Now re-boot again.

Now you can search for missing drivers etc etc --these days Windows is pretty good at finding most of them. The main issue might be the initial video driver on first boot but that should be easily and automaticcallyy fixed

The activation should be OK if you have already activated Windows on this machine with a digital license.

Have fun !!!! -- if you decide to return to your previous build just image this one in case you want to use it again and restore the original (not the VM) image.

Cheers
jimbo

:)

 

IP Interface Priority (physical and virtual)

Is it possible to change the ifIndex number (set it lower for the physical adapter than the ifIndex numbers assigned to virtual, VMNet, adapters) using the Set-NetIPInterface command (or some other powershell command)?

This would be on a Windows 10 operating system. I have an application that gets a list of local IP address and on the PC it runs on VMware is installed and has multiple virtual adapters. My application always returns the IP address of one of the virtual
adapters but I need it to get the IP address of my physical adapter so I need its IP address to be first in the list.

Any suggestions? (A registry edit maybe?)

 

Easy way to update to W10 using existing W8.1 system


Hi there

If you want to test W10 builds using all your existing programs then this IMO is the esiest way to do it. This way preserves your REAL W8 / W8.1 / W7 machine.

1) Install VMware player (FREE)

2) install VMWARE stand alone converter -- also FREE

3) Run the VMware converter tool to convert your existing running REAL machine into a Virtual machine (P2V this process is called - Physical to Virtual)

4) Power on the newly created Virtual machine

5) run the W10 update from inside the VM --- job done !!!

Here's a screenshot of the initial Physical ==> Virtual machine conversion using the VMware conversion tool.





Cheers
jimbo

 

Clean install of W10 not possible in Virtual Machine.


Please get a cup of coffee, lean back and think an answer for these two questions. Take your time, then check the answers below the questions:

Questions:

1. If you do a clean install of let's say Windows 10 Insider Build 10525 on a totally new computer which has never had an activated Windows 10 on it, does it activate?
2. If you do a clean install of Windows 10 Insider Build on a computer where the underlying Windows 10, upgraded from a qualifying old operating system has already been activated, does it activate?

Answers:

1. No, of course not.
2. Yes, of course.

Why do you think that a virtual machine would make any difference? You have tried to install Windows 10 on a totally new machine which has never had an activated Windows 10 installed, therefore the Microsoft activation servers block the activation due invalid machine ID. In the highlighted part in below quote you admit your mistake yourself, plain and simple, yet you when doing this wrong draw conclusion that even if done correctly it would not work:

What you have tried is essentially the same as if you took a brand new real physical PC without any operating system, which has never had any operating system, and then installed Windows 10 Insider Preview wondering why it does not activate! Virtual Machines behave exactly the same way; if you want to clean install Windows 10 Insider Preview and get it activated you must do it on an existing virtual machine, one which has already had an upgraded Windows 10 activated. This "computer", the virtual machine, its machine ID is marked on activation servers as valid and activated and it will of course activate.

Be it a virtual machine or a physical computer, you cannot activate a clean installed Windows 10 Insider Preview on a totally new machine. How difficult can this be to understand?

When clean installing Windows 10 Insider Preview on a computer which has already had a previous Windows 10 Insider activated, you do not use the product key! It will be asked twice, once before the installation starts and once after the last reboot to OOBE phase. In both cases you skip the product key and your Windows will be automatically activated.