win 10 to ssd for virtual machine/box

I've watched a gazillion vids and tried 8(teen) ways to Sunday to create windows 10 on my new SSD to use on virtual machine/ box, whatever. I've downloaded and tried so many things I can't remember. After watching one vid telling me I needed to make my memory card a bootable iso of windows, I used some program to do something with the iso file. Then I used Rufus, as instructed, but all it did was change it back to the set up file windows sent me in the first place.

Every dang thing I try, I keep running into snags. I keep getting messages saying the operation cannot be done for some reason or another.

Then I used win to go. I set it so it would turn the iso into VHD (virtual hard disk files to be used in a virtual environment. It created files in RAR fashion. All over the internet, I see websites claiming that WinRAR will unzip them. I tried this but it told me to go pound sand. It did not recognize VHD files. Boy did I tell them to go &*(*&&^%%$ themselves when It asked me why I uninstalled.
I then tried 7 zip, but an hour later, I notice some message telling me that it could not access something or other.

Absolutely nothing I try works. Who the heck writes all the comments in these instructions claiming these methods worked for them. I've waisted about a week tryi8ng one thing after another. I've reformatted my Ext SSD about a dozen times after these programs change it, yet do nothing.
Has anyone actually created a windows 10 bootable SSD that can be used with oracle virtual machine, or is it a fairytale? I'm beginning to think it's a virtual concept. A fairytale

Are you simply trying to install Windows 10 onto a virtualbox virtual machine?

If so, download the Windows 10 ISO file using the Windows Media Creation tool. The, just start a vm with the ISO file attached, and it will boot from that ISO and install to the VM. You don't have to jump through any other hoops.

Unless I am misunderstanding what you are trying to do, this should be simple.

Hi there
even easier method
simply ensure Windows partition is smallish (only have the OS on it and a few apps e,g Ms Office if you use that) --have other data such as multimedia etc on another partition or drive.

Now use Macrium Free to Image your current W10 partition.

In your VM use the "Create Virtual Machine Wizard and use the I'll install the OS later -- This should create a virtual HDD for you. I haven't used VBOX for a number of years but I assume there's also a "Create Virtual Machine" wizard in there too. Don't actually install the OS yet - you need to simply create a Virtual Hard Disk.

Use the Macrium Free stand alone recovery to boot your VM and restore the image -- you do that by setting the Macrium iso to the boot device and attach the device where you have your image to the VM .

When that's done before rebooting the VM set the Macrium to "Fix boot problems" since the VM won't recognize a Windows physical bootloader.

Now boot your VM -- should work perfectly but you'll need from within the VM the ist time need to run install vmware tools if using VMware products or VBOX additions or it might be called these days guest additions if using Virtual box.

These will fix things like the video driver and give better mouse / keyboard etc etc.

This process is commonly known as a P2V conversion (Physical to Virtual) and is used quite extensively for creating VM's without the hassle of having to install a shedload of apps with all their updates etc over and over again.

(You can use other imaging software if you don't use Macrium -- however the Fix boot problems tool on the macrium stand alone recovery media is excellent and generally works where needed).

Note though for Activation purposes a Windows VM counts as a separate machine -- you can have zillions of W10 images (from the same Windows iso) but the EULA says you can only run 1 version at any one time unless you get a VL type of license.

If you have a separate key you can change the product key after you've installed the VM. Just enter your new one.

I generally create Windows VM's this way - I rarely want to go through the entire hassle of re-installing everything again from Scratch and I like to test the various "Insider" builds -- running them as VM's IMO is excellent since if the build is a bonkersly bad one or riddled with defects just chuck the VM -- it's mega annoying doing that on a main physical computer.

Beware also a trap for the unwary -- if you simply create a Virtual hard disk and then try and install Windows via the ISO the chances are Windows won't see the Disk because it's uninitialised. If you use the Macrium method I've outlined use the msdos commpand prompt if no HDD's are seen -- simply use DISKPART, select the disk and create partition and format it.

Cheers
jimbo

Would you explain this macrium tool a bit? I did download it, but I havent tried to use it yet.

I tried, again, to just use the iso and set up windows in the oracle vm. I know for sure I followed the instructions for setting and all exactly as the guy in the vid did.
I hit start and immediately, I got some error. I clicked ignore. It shows the windows logo, but it's been a while and nothing is happening.

I'd kinda prefer to install windows on the ext ssd and then either use it on VM if possible or duel boot. I've tried it with oracle at least 6 times with no luck. ( I wonder if I got the error message because I disconnected my wifi.

I have not done it using Oracle VirtualBox, but I have done it in Hyper-V. I made the USB connected SSD offline using diskpart. Once the disk is offline, then it becomes available as a physical disk that can be assigned to a virtual disk controller in the VM. Boot the VM from the standard Windows 10 installation ISO file and setup Windows 10 to the USB connected SSD using normal install procedures.

Then if you want to, you can even boot the computer directly from the USB connected SSD or use it inside the VM.

I'm pretty sure I successfully installed win10 on my external.
I used the WinToUsb software. When I rebooted, it started to set up, but I did a hard shutdown. I got nervous it might be trying to install on my hard drive instead. Anyone know if it might do that? Does it give options of where to install?

I still need to figure out how to do the virtual machine. I dont have pro, so I can't use their version of virtual machine. I think my only choice is the version from Oracle. I keep trying, but it won't fire up. I do the set up and click run. It shows the Oracle logo, then what looks like command prompt, then the windows logo for a few seconds before a critical error shows.

What really burns my bacon is that I had it once, but it wasn't giving me the option to create an offline account. It actually asked for my birthday. There is no way I'm giving it the info it was asking for. Especially for an account I dont want. I want what they call the 'limited experience".

If anyone has experience with Oracles virtual machine and can give me advice on the set-up procedure, I'd really appreciate it. I must be missing something or the guy isn't showing something. I could find only the one vid showing the procedure with windows.

- - - Updated - - -

"simply ensure Windows partition is smallish (only have the OS on it and a few apps e,g Ms Office if you use that) --have other data such as multimedia etc on another partition or drive."

I was hoping to put visual studio code editor and all it's extensions on it. That program throws a ton of files all over the OS. I was hoping to avoid that, plus the security factor. I lost a ton of work to some kind of corruption. It's my understanding that this sort of thing doesn't happen so easily when using a virtual environment.

BuddyBoy said:

I still need to figure out how to do the virtual machine. I dont have pro, so I can't use their version of virtual machine. I think my only choice is the version from Oracle. I keep trying, but it won't fire up. I do the set up and click run. It shows the Oracle logo, then what looks like command prompt, then the windows logo for a few seconds before a critical error shows.

I use Oracle VirtualBox quite a bit on my work computer.

Here I will create a Windows 10 VM as an example


I'll give it 4GB of RAM


I'll create a virtual hard disk


I'll select a VDI



I'll do dynamically allocated


I'll set it to 500GB


Now I click on Properties of my VM, go down to Storage, click on the CD icon, hit the drop down arrow and choose "Choose Optical Virtual DIsk File"


I pick my Windows 10 ISO file, as shown here



I right click on TenForumsTest, and choose Start > Normal Start



I will get the Windows that pops up, says Oracle Virtual Box, and then it switches to the install of Windows 10


From there, it's next, next, next, finish.

It sounds like @BuddyBoy does not want to use a virtual hard disk file for the VM. It sounds like he wants to use a physical disk. I found this:
Using a Physical Hard Drive with a VirtualBox VM | ServerWatch.

I'm currently working on a VirtualBox new install now, but have to get into a Zoom meeting soon, so will get interrupted.

This is the command I got to work in C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox:
VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -filename "C:\John\VirtualBox VMs\Windows 10 USB\Windows10USB.vmdk" -rawdisk \\.\PhysicalDrive2

Obviously, you will have to change all the variable parameters, but there you go.

It will be this evening before I can finish the install.