WIN10 Home - Installing as virtual machine on PC running WIN7 Pro

Matthew Wai said:

You do not need an HDD/SSD.
How to Run Windows 10 From a USB Drive | PCMag

Just an extra partition on the existing HDD is all that is required to set up dual booting WIN7 and WIN10.

Golden said:

That is more than adequate.


Correct - the VM is simply a file - it is backed up the same as any other file, be it via a manual copy or imaging routine.

Hi there

Provided your computer can run 64 Bit CPU and have the VT function enabled in the BIOS you can even run Win 10 X-64 on a Windows 32 bit Host !!! -- limitation with that one though is the GUEST AND the HOST together can only use a Max of 4GB RAM however much RAM is in the machine and the VM software must run as a 32 bit application on the Host which means if using VMWare you have to go back to Rel 12 or earlier as later releases run on 64 bit OS'es / HOSTS only.

Using Virtual machines in general means the OS being virtualised (The GUEST OS) runs a "Virtual Bios" with "Virtual Hardware" -- or "paravirtualised" as it's referred to in the literature. This enables really old legacy OS'es to run on modern hardware usually without any problems.

Of course if you have specific hardware for the Virtual machine -- e.g Sony Mini-Discs, Old scanners, printers etc or other things like that those will run fine as well as this hardware can also be attached to a VM.

You CAN run "Standard backup" programs too within a VM e.g Macrium. This is often useful for creating a V2P (Virtual to Physical) conversion where you can restore the VM image to a physical disc on a Real machine. Usually this will boot and update necessary drivers -- with Macrium Free you can restore to different hardware but you might have to use the "Fix boot problems" with the stand alone rescue media. The paid for version will usually restore to different hardware without issue -- note though you will have to comply with Windows activation and licensing issues though if you create new images on a physical machine.

Cheers
jimbo

antioch said:

I was thinking of allocating 250GB to 300GB for the virtual

When Linux was my main OS, I allocated 50 GB to Windows 10 in VirtualBox.

Matthew Wai said:

You do not need an HDD/SSD.
How to Run Windows 10 From a USB Drive | PCMag

According to the supplier of WIN10 it cannot be run on a USB Drive nor an external HDD/SSD - but I will double check and give them the link to PCMag.

Thanks - Antioch

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Matthew Wai said:

When Linux was my main OS, I allocated 50 GB to Windows 10 in VirtualBox.

Thank you again for that Matthew.

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NavyLCDR said:

Just an extra partition on the existing HDD is all that is required to set up dual booting WIN7 and WIN10.

Hi NavyLCDR - Thanks for confirming that - I have more than enough room on my HHD for a dual boot.

antioch said:

According to the supplier of WIN10 it cannot be run on a USB Drive nor an external HDD/SSD - but I will double check and give them the link to PCMag.

Thanks - Antioch

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Thank you again for that Matthew.

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Hi NavyLCDR - Thanks for confirming that - I have more than enough room on my HHD for a dual boot.

@antioch

Hi there
you CAN run any version of Windows from a USB (or better an external SSD attached to computer via USB3/USB3.1-->sata adapter) using a 3rd party piece of Software.

depending on your Windows edition you might need the PAID version but as you are running HOME the FREE version might work.

Best Free Windows To Go Creator Wizard Helps Create Portable Windows 10/8/7!

It does work --- don't waste your time with RUFUS or AEOMEI - I couldn't get those to work. Rufus is fine for creating bootable usb's from install iso's etc. AOMEI was just JUNK -- even copying partitions there was some nag to "Go PRO" i.e PAY. I just find GPARTED more than good enough for partitioning and if I need to copy entire disks or just partitions --nothing wrong with the standard DD command in Linux !!!

Mind you I've done it another way -- Running LINUX from a bootable SSD drive attached to machine via SATA-->USB3 connector and then running a full blown Windows 10 PRO Virtual machine using the KVM/QEMU system on Linux.

With USB3.1 / USB3 -->SATA connector and decent SSD it's perfectly fast enough -- The VM runs almost as good as the Native Windows on my laptop !!!!!! -- the Linux OS (arch kernel 5.5.7) no contest -- it blows Windows away -- but remember it's not Windows fault -- on things like arch you only install what you need so you can make it a real mean and lean OS. I'm not blaming Windows at it has to include things for the zillions of world wide users -- with some Linux distros they can be individually constructed -- I wouldn't expect Windows to go down that route as there's quite a bit of difficult knowlege and tools one has to use.

I've allocated 80GB for the windows VM - used about half.




windows edition being run :




Cheers
jimbo

Golden said:

@jimbo - do you ever reply to anything without mentioning Linux? Do you have some fixation with it?

Hi there
@Golden

The OP wanted a way to run Windows from a USB device -- doing it this way was EASY !!! so why not.

If you were an Engineer would you recommend to people that you can only use paper tools to fix or disassemble hot steel parts running at 300 deg C. I think not somehow !!! or use Audi parts to attempt to fit on to a Ford Focus.

I also did offer a pure Windows solution as well -- but if FREE software works just as good there's nothing wrong in my book in savinf people a little bit of money.

I'm not Anti-Windows --far from it --Windows has bought countless benefits all over the planet to people who originally wouldn't have had the slightest use or knowlege about computers

BUT USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB.

Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

The OP wanted a way to run Windows from a USB device

If I have understood correctly, the OP never sought a way to do so, but I advised the OP to do so.