TRYING TO INSTALL WIN 7 64 BIT

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gww97
Posts: 1
Joined: 8. Mar 2022, 23:36

TRYING TO INSTALL WIN 7 64 BIT

Post by gww97 »

Please could someone help me as I am getting desperate.
I have installed and am running Windows XP inside Windows 10 as a virtual machine.
I am trying to also install Windows 7 Professional inside Windows 10 (Host System) as a virtual machine.
I have a Win7 Pro Installation disk , and am using a USB connected DVD Drive on my laptop.
I get to the part of the install where the Windows screen prompts for Language and Location no problem.
I click on Set up
It starts and then I get a message that a CD device driver is missing and prompting me to install it.
ScannerDev
Posts: 7
Joined: 9. Feb 2021, 23:38

Re: TRYING TO INSTALL WIN 7 64 BIT

Post by ScannerDev »

Do you have a USB stick which you can create a filter for, and on which you can place the Win7 installation files?

I did a quick search for this and found several how-tos.
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: TRYING TO INSTALL WIN 7 64 BIT

Post by scottgus1 »

ScannerDev wrote:Do you have a USB stick which you can create a filter for, and on which you can place the Win7 installation files?
Booting from a USB drive (*) requires EFI boot to be enabled, and Windows 7 is not compatible with Virtualbox's EFI implementation yet, if I remember correctly.

* However, a USB CD drive can be used on Windows-7-compatible Legacy non-EFI Virtualbox boot, if the device is used as the host CD drive, not as a USB device. Set the VM's CD drive to the host CD drive which is the USB CD drive, then the VM will boot. Don't use the Virtualbox USB filters for this.
gww97 wrote:I get a message that a CD device driver is missing and prompting me to install it.
This sounds like the DVD is not being read correctly. It's possible for the install DVD and the CD drive to be slightly out of tolerance with each other, or the DVD is scratched or dirty and the data can't be read properly.

It would be better for your install process if you ripped the install DVD to an ISO with a program that can verify that the ISO was read correctly. ImgBurn can do this, as well as some others, which a web-search can find. Then point the VM's CD drive at the ISO file.
Sheer-Gold
Posts: 4
Joined: 25. Apr 2022, 06:12

Re: TRYING TO INSTALL WIN 7 64 BIT

Post by Sheer-Gold »

Booting from a USB drive (*) requires EFI boot to be enabled, and Windows 7 is not compatible with Virtualbox's EFI implementation yet, if I remember correctly.

* However, a USB CD drive can be used on Windows-7-compatible Legacy non-EFI Virtualbox boot, if the device is used as the host CD drive, not as a USB device. Set the VM's CD drive to the host CD drive which is the USB CD drive, then the VM will boot. Don't use the Virtualbox USB filters for this.
What you say would also help me.

However, I am not understanding what you men by:
Set the VM's CD drive to the host CD drive which is the USB CD drive.

Please can you elaborate.
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: TRYING TO INSTALL WIN 7 64 BIT

Post by scottgus1 »

The VM has a virtual CD drive, which can either load an ISO image of a CD or DVD, or it can read from the host's physical CD/DVD drive.

In the VM's Storage settings, for the CD drive, you can click the little CD icon dropdown and choose an ISO or the host CD drive.
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