Install Windows 11

[wrkbear]

Hdwr: HP Envy 17" laptop
OS: Unbuntu 22.04
VB version: 6.1.50

Attempting to install Windows 11 on VB. "New" button sets up virtual hardware but doesn't install software.
Start button opens dialog window requesting location of DVD drive or other location with .iso image file, but my HP has no DVD drive and I am attempting to install Windows from a flash drive (purchased from Microsoft) and cannot access USB port in dialog window.

I attempted to create an .iso file from the flash drive onto my hard drive and when I tried that, VB crashed.

At this point, I have no idea how to install Windows 11 on virtualbox on my laptop.

[scottgus1]

You could get the Microsoft Media Creation Tool on a friend's Windows PC and make an ISO. (The PC needs to be booted to an administrator account to use the Media Creation Tool. Run As Admin on a standard user account won't work.)

Or you can use the USB Filters to insert the USB stick into the VM. The VM must boot from EFI (which I think Windows 11 requires). See USB basics and troubleshooting to get the USB stick into the VM. You can experiment getting the stick into a working VM so you can get the process down.

[wrkbear]

After setting up the hardware and pressing the start menu, VB opens a window with an uefi command prompt. I have no idea what to do with these commands, so I type in exit and a new window opens up with a menu listing device manager, boot manager and boot maintenance manager.

Pressing boot manager opens another menu with 4 options: UEFI VBOX CD-ROM (doesn't exist), VBOX HARD DRIVE, EFI internal shell and PxEv4. None of these options work.

So I have no way to get to the usb flash drive where the installation software is.

[scottgus1]

Did you see my post above your last?

[wrkbear]

I really don't want to risk messing up a friends Windows PC.

The USB filter in the VM recognizes the flash drive, but the VM doesn't boot from it. It wants a CD ROM and there isn't one. The EFI boot option doesn't list the USB stick.

[scottgus1]

I really don't want to risk messing up a friends Windows PC.

The Media Creation Tool won't mess up your friend's Windows PC. I've used it plenty of times, and as long as you have 20-ish GB free on the drive, the tool will work.

It wants a CD ROM and there isn't one. The EFI boot option doesn't list the USB stick.

I have successfully installed Windows 10 from a USB stick in an EFI VM with a valid USB filter.

You must use EFI to boot from the USB stick. The USB filter may not be working correctly to put the USB device into the VM.

Please see and provide the information in step 8 of the USB Basics tutorial above. Please provide this information twice: once for the test VM I recommended above where "The USB filter in the VM recognizes the flash drive", and once for the EFI-BIOS VM you're trying to install the OS into.

[wrkbear]

Problem solved. I installed it on a different computer that already had Windows XP and Windows 10 installed on virtualbox where the usb stick was accepted. The boot manager recognized it as soon as I activated the USB stick in the settings for the Win 11. VB took it from there and installed the Win 11.

(and reminded me how much I hate Windows).