News How to Install Windows 11 in a Virtual Machine

[Admin]

Want to try Windows 11 without messing up your primary PC? You can run it in a VM window on top of Windows 10.

How to Install Windows 11 in a Virtual Machine : Read more

 

[ezst036]

Why didn't VirtualBox work?

 

[Makaveli]

I also had to enable this or I wasn't able to install it.

Been playing around with the OS over the weekend I do like it some stuff was abit harder to find.

 

[octavecode]

VirtualBox works fine too, just make sure to enable the EFI option

 

[4freedomssake]

I know nothing about virtual machines, so this may seem like a trivial question: But is there an exe file for you to run in Windows 10 to try Win 11? Or do I need to choose an OS when booting?

 

[pixelpusher220]

You'd think TPM would rate at least a mention here. Can you install 11 in a VM on a machine without TPM?

 

[Math Geek]

You'd think TPM would rate at least a mention here. Can you install 11 in a VM on a machine without TPM?

the answer is no. you still need it as windows 11 will look for it before it allows the install. i'm tinkering with it now to see if i can fake it. i have a tpm slot but do not have a module installed. gonna see if i can make a vm work anyway

i am working in virtual box at the moment but may try vmware pro as i also have that i can try.

 

[pixelpusher220]

the answer is no. you still need it as windows 11 will look for it before it allows the install. i'm tinkering with it now to see if i can fake it. i have a tpm slot but do not have a module installed. gonna see if i can make a vm work anyway

i am working in virtual box at the moment but may try vmware pro as i also have that i can try.

Thanks, figured as much.

My point being the article is ridiculously not mentioning that tidbit. Given the hubbub over TPM recently, not mentioning it is a serious defect in the reporting

 

[Math Geek]

i turned on that AMD fTPM in my bios and it seems to work fine. installing the newest preview build now. got no missing tpm errors like i did the first time.

so seems like that is good enough. i forget what intel calls theirs but i guessing turning that on will also be good enough though i don't have an intel system to confirm.

edit: no issues at all installing it once i turned on that fTPM in BIOS. installed straight away in a virtualbox vm

 

[ClapTrapper]

Big shout out to the great Forum Commentors!
I just glanced at the article and made a mental note to give Win11 a spin. Naturally I was going to use my favorite program-VirtualBox.
I didn't realize the author of the article couldn't get it to work under VBox.
Forum to the rescue!
The author should read the forum and update his article.

 

[sawfish]

I also had to enable this or I wasn't able to install it.

Been playing around with the OS over the weekend I do like it some stuff was abit harder to find.

What version of VMware Player is that? I don't have those options, and from what I can tell from their web site, they're part of the paid Workstation Pro.

 

[Makaveli]

What version of VMware Player is that? I don't have those options, and from what I can tell from their web site, they're part of the paid Workstation Pro.

Its Workstation Pro 16.

 

[sawfish]

Its Workstation Pro 16.

Thanks, that's what I figured. The article is definitely talking about the free version I have, so I wonder how he got it to work.

 

[pbug56]

I have a VirtualBox installation I hadn't touched in a while, with Win 10 2004. Updated VB, went into Win Up and right now it's downloading Win 11 Insider Preview corelease .132 - even though I'm not on the right Insider Program channel. That's got me baffled. Though I suspect that it won't install because this PC does not have TPM. What I actually want Win Up to do is just bring me up to 21H1. Oh, turning off Insider Program doesn't stop the download either even after I reboot the VM.

First thing that comes to mind - if WU is this buggy for Win 11 previews, I wonder just how buggy 11 is, and will be.

At any rate, suggestions to fix this would be appreciated.

 

[pbug56]

I have a VirtualBox installation I hadn't touched in a while, with Win 10 2004. Updated VB, went into Win Up and right now it's downloading Win 11 Insider Preview corelease .132 - even though I'm not on the right Insider Program channel. That's got me baffled. Though I suspect that it won't install because this PC does not have TPM. What I actually want Win Up to do is just bring me up to 21H1. Oh, turning off Insider Program doesn't stop the download either even after I reboot the VM.

First thing that comes to mind - if WU is this buggy for Win 11 previews, I wonder just how buggy 11 is, and will be.

At any rate, suggestions to fix this would be appreciated.

After 24 hours or so it finally switched back to trying to update Win 10.

 

[Silvers11]

Why didn't VirtualBox work?

I don't know why Tom's hardware couldn't get Virtual Box to work either - but assuming it was the same as me, it wouldn't work because The secure boot option wasn't available - so I was told that the Virtual machine didn't have the minimum requirements to run Windows 11. But I know my laptop DOES. Clicking the 'EIF option' simply meant Windows wouldn't load at all. I have had no problem using the free version of VM Workstation Pro 16. It just works following the instructions. No problem at all.....

 

[Deleted member 1353997]

I know nothing about virtual machines, so this may seem like a trivial question: But is there an exe file for you to run in Windows 10 to try Win 11? Or do I need to choose an OS when booting?

Neither. First you create a new VM and install an OS to it, then you select which VM you want to start. VMs don't typically support multiboot, because you can just create a new VM and install the other OS on that one instead.
You can also launch multiple VMs at the same time, if your PC can handle it.

 

[CleveFan]

the answer is no. you still need it as windows 11 will look for it before it allows the install. i'm tinkering with it now to see if i can fake it. i have a tpm slot but do not have a module installed. gonna see if i can make a vm work anyway

i am working in virtual box at the moment but may try vmware pro as i also have that i can try.

Actually the answer is yes you can and very easy to do.
I just installed it in ESXI 6.5 without a hitch. You must first create an ISO that bypasses the prompt for TPM. It was super easy to create by using the script detailed in these two articles:
How to install Windows 11 fresh
How to install Windows 11 in a VM

 

[Yaliyada]

I installed Windows 11 without any TPM and secure boot issues. Check out

View: https://youtu.be/1u2j6idxsv4

 

[faco]

You'd think TPM would rate at least a mention here. Can you install 11 in a VM on a machine without TPM?

You can make the install process bypass this check. Tried in released version. Disabling TPM is not recommended.

When install fails press Shift + F10
Run regedit (you are modifying just the installer's registry on memory)
Navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup "
Create a key named "LabConfig "
Inside the "LabConfig" key add a DWORD (32-bit) named "ByPassTPMCheck" with the value '1'.
Close regedit, cmd and installer which starts again and install.

 

[USAFRet]

You can make the install process bypass this check.

When install fails press Shift + F10
Run regedit
Navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup "
Create a key named "LabConfig "
Inside the "LabConfig" key add a DWORD (32-bit) named "ByPassTPMCheck" with the value '1'.
Close regedit, cmd and installer which starts again and install.

Any set of instructions that leads into editing the Registry, and does NOT start with "Back up your Registry"...should be discounted and ignored.

In addition, whatever was applicable in July is probably not applicable today, after Win 11 has actually been released.

 

[faco]

Any set of instructions that leads into editing the Registry, and does NOT start with "Back up your Registry"...should be discounted and ignored.

In addition, whatever was applicable in July is probably not applicable today, after Win 11 has actually been released.

The registry you touch is the installer one running on memory.
Tested with the officially released Windows 11 ISO downloaded from MS.

 

[MattTheTech]

Any set of instructions that leads into editing the Registry, and does NOT start with "Back up your Registry"...should be discounted and ignored.

While normally your advise would be 100% correct, the fact that you posted that here shows that you either did not read or fully comprehend @faco 's post.

There is no "Registry" to backup when you are doing a fresh install. He is not advocating that the User changes anything on an active build of Windows11, this is before you are even able to install an OS, your Hard Drive is Blank at this point. The only Registry you are editing is the Registry running in Memory, you can mess that up all you want at this point, as when you rebooted it would go right back to how it was when it loads from the install medium. Please read and comprehend a post before telling other people to dismiss it, its rude and serves no purpose.

EDIT: I just noticed you are a moderator, I probably should have been a little less rude with my post so I apologize for that. But there was no reason to tell people to disregard his post, at most just let people know that they should back up their registry whenever there is a registry to backup. There is not one in this case.

You can make the install process bypass this check. Tried in released version. Disabling TPM is not recommended.

When install fails press Shift + F10
Run regedit (you are modifying just the installer's registry on memory)
Navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup "
Create a key named "LabConfig "
Inside the "LabConfig" key add a DWORD (32-bit) named "ByPassTPMCheck" with the value '1'.
Close regedit, cmd and installer which starts again and install.

Thank You SO MUCH for this Message. The fact that you can do this makes creating a custom ISO Pointless. I just tested this with the newest Insider Build and the Officially Released Windows 11 Build, and it works perfectly in both. I haven't updated my version of VMWare Workstation 16 since I first installed it days after release, and I have a feeling that is contributing to the Newest Windows 11 Build not passing that Check when trying to install. (The Previous build passed the check just fine, the newest one doesn't though.)

I was about to create a custom ISO with those Checks removed, when I saw your comment and tried it, and it worked perfectly. Windows 11 is now installed and running in my virtual environment. Appreciate you spreading your knowledge!