Is it possible to run Windows 11 in VBox on a PC w/o UEFI??

Discussions about using Windows guests in VirtualBox.
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operation420.net
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Is it possible to run Windows 11 in VBox on a PC w/o UEFI??

Post by operation420.net »

I have some older PCs that don't have UEFI AFAIK (I tried a BIOS update which claimed to enable UEFI on one of them but it didn't seem to work).

The minimum system requirements of Windows 11 require UEFI to run so installing Windows 11 on these PCs doesn't seem to be an option, at least not as a host.

I was able to install Windows 11 on another machine in VBox and was thinking if it could emulate UEFI on that machine I was wondering if it could on the other ones...
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scottgus1
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Re: Is it possible to run Windows 11 in VBox on a PC w/o UEFI??

Post by scottgus1 »

The 'hardware' and BIOS in the VM does not have to be the same as the host's hardware or BIOS.

You can run EFI in the VM even if the host does not have EFI.
towo2099
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Re: Is it possible to run Windows 11 in VBox on a PC w/o UEFI??

Post by towo2099 »

But such old PC without UEFI will not meet the minimum requirements for Win 11.
BillG
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Re: Is it possible to run Windows 11 in VBox on a PC w/o UEFI??

Post by BillG »

towo2099 wrote:But such old PC without UEFI will not meet the minimum requirements for Win 11.
That is true, but the hardware restrictions are not all being applied to the pre-release versions. Microsoft is using the Insider program to see how things go on hardware which does not meet the specs. Insiders are being offered Windows 11 on PCs which do not meet the specs (even if they are not interested).

I have just re-installed Windows 10 v21H1 on my test machine because I could not get rid of the Windows 11 update. I already have Windows 11 running on another PC which does meet the specs.
Bill
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