Install Fresh Version Windows 10 via VM Software . . . Possible?

Wasn't sure where to put this question, but here goes. What I'd like to do is install the latest current version of Windows 10 (I'm on 1909), but rather than installing it all at once to my internal SSD, I'd like to leave my SSD in tact, and over the course of a few days or maybe a week, install the latest version of Windows on the VM, and then transfer/clone/image (not sure what is possible) the new Windows install on the VM to my SSD.

I make regular image backups via Macrium Reflect so if something goes wrong I've got a safety net. Also, as for the specific VM software, I'm looking for suggestions, but I'm assuming it'll be either VMware or VirtualBox.

Thanks, Homer712

you can use Macrium Reflect to take an image and then restore it to different hardware. I think you normally need the non-free version of Macrium reflect to do this, but I see in a post here that others have gotten it working on the free version.
Macrium Free --Restore to totally different hardware --Working !!!

pparks1 said:

you can use Macrium Reflect to take an image and then restore it to different hardware. I think you normally need the non-free version of Macrium reflect to do this, but I see in a post here that others have gotten it working on the free version.
Macrium Free --Restore to totally different hardware --Working !!!

I have the paid version of MR installed.

Homer712 said:

Wasn't sure where to put this question, but here goes. What I'd like to do is install the latest current version of Windows 10 (I'm on 1909), but rather than installing it all at once to my internal SSD, I'd like to leave my SSD in tact, and over the course of a few days or maybe a week, install the latest version of Windows on the VM, and then transfer/clone/image (not sure what is possible) the new Windows install on the VM to my SSD.

I make regular image backups via Macrium Reflect so if something goes wrong I've got a safety net. Also, as for the specific VM software, I'm looking for suggestions, but I'm assuming it'll be either VMware or VirtualBox.

If you have W10 Pro then Hyper-V is a possibility. There are several ways to make a Hyper-V VM from a Macrium image, perhaps the easiest is to boot the image as a VM using viBoot.

Macrium viBoot - Create Virtual Machine using Macrium Image

In Macrium v7 viBoot requires Hyper-V, but when v8 is released (expected shortly) viBoot will add support for VirtualBox.


Another way that works with any VM software is to create the Macrium rescue media as an ISO, boot the VM from that and use it to restore your image to the VM. I've done that myself for the last two major updates.

Bree said:

Starting with 1903, and again for 2004, I routinely restore a Macrium Reflect image of my main machine to a Hyper-V VM and test upgrading it to the Release Preview version of the new Windows 10 (with an ISO from UUPDump). This give me about a month to use the VM 'clone' and decide if it's safe to upgrade the actual physical machine on the day the feature update is released.

A VM does need its own digital licence though otherwise it won't activate. I have licenced my VM, so when done with testing I never delete the VM. I remove its .vhdx and export the empty VM so next time I can import it and continue using its existing digital licence.

Can you use the installed win10 as a vm of its hard drive in anotherOS - post #8

pparks1 said:

you can use Macrium Reflect to take an image and then restore it to different hardware. I think you normally need the non-free version of Macrium reflect to do this, but I see in a post here that others have gotten it working on the free version....

Homer712 said:

I have the paid version of MR installed.

I've never found a need for Macrium's ReDeploy. Windows 10 is quite capable of sorting out it's own drivers when restored to dissimilar hardware (including restoring to a VM).

it sounds like he is trying to go the other way.

He's not trying to restore his Windows machine to a VM....he seems to want to leave his windows machine alone, but instead install windows and everything he wants on a VM, then once satisfied with the setup, he wants to image the VM and put it back on his physical hardware.

At least that is how I am understanding him.

Well, building a clean install in a VM, making a Macrium image of it, then restoring that image to a physical machine should work just as well - and is unlikely to need the assistance of Macrium ReDeploy.

The only real challenge would be to make sure the VM uses the same type of install as the target physical machine, Legacy/MBR or UEFI/GPT. It's possible to convert from one to the other, but it would make life a lot easier if the VM install type matches that of the target machine.

Homer712 said:

Started reading in the Virtualization section and boy, is there a lot of good information there. So, I started to play with VirtualBox and it was a quick install. Seems to work perfectly on my Dell laptop. Even started to create a Windows 10, 20H2 VM, but I'll probably end up deleting that one when my additional memory arrives. I currently have only 6GB total. Have an 8GB stick coming, so I'll replace the existing 2GB with the 8GB and things should move along a bit faster.

You don't have to delete the VM. Just stop it, right click on it, go to Settings and put the RAM where ever you want it. Then start it back up. You can easily change the RAM, CPU, Networking and Hard Drive layouts after you setup the VM.

pparks1 said:

You don't have to delete the VM. Just stop it, right click on it, go to Settings and put the RAM where ever you want it. Then start it back up. You can easily change the RAM, CPU, Networking and Hard Drive layouts after you setup the VM.

Thanks! New memory installed and so far everything is working perfectly. I've done more reading in the Virtualization forum section (your posts are always very detailed and informative) but have yet to stumble upon an answer to this question. Once I finish the Windows install to the VM, do I then need to install Macrium Reflect to that VM and perform an image backup as I currently do, or can I perform an image backup of Windows on the VM via the Macrium Reflect already installed on my current SSD build?