virtualbox.org

Microsoft just sent me a brand new copy of live Windows 10 PRO on USB (they do not provide DVD any longer)

However although the latest v5 of VB lets me create a new Win 10 vm it does not allow me to choose a USB drive as a bootable drive.

Any ideas how I can install?

What does "on USB" mean? If it's just an ISO file on any kind of drive then you can mount the ISO in the VM.

VirtualBo does not support USB booting so you would have to convert the USB installer to an .iso.

That wouldn't be easy. It would have to be a bootable ISO. You can't make a bootable CD by imaging a bootable hdd.

mpack wrote:What does "on USB" mean? If it's just an ISO file on any kind of drive then you can mount the ISO in the VM.

Microsoft sell only a downloadable file or a USB stick (starting with Win 10). My company choose USB stick thinking it would be easier to use. It's not an ISO it s a proper 'run the setup.exe file' !!

kirikrystal wrote:Microsoft sell only a downloadable file or a USB stick (starting with Win 10). My company choose USB stick thinking it would be easier to use. It's not an ISO it s a proper 'run the setup.exe file' !!

So you need an existing installed OS in order to run the setup.exe. Meaning that it's an upgrade and not a fresh install?

In which case - fine, you would need to install an older OS first in the VM.

Or perhaps it expects a PE type environment to run the exe?

mpack wrote:

kirikrystal wrote:Microsoft sell only a downloadable file or a USB stick (starting with Win 10). My company choose USB stick thinking it would be easier to use. It's not an ISO it s a proper 'run the setup.exe file' !!

So you need an existing installed OS in order to run the setup.exe. Meaning that it's an upgrade and not a fresh install? In which case - fine, you would need to install an older OS first in the VM.

Personally I'd have gone for the downloadable ISO. If you want maximum backwards compatibility, be as backwards as possible.

It is a full installer for Windows 10 Pro. So I can't install an older OS and use it to upgrade.

Maybe we have to return to Microsoft and try to get a refund - but just wondered if there was way to get the USB installer to install

mpack wrote:That wouldn't be easy. It would have to be a bootable ISO. You can't make a bootable CD by imaging a bootable hdd.

Don, there was a freeware program called USB Image Tool. It was created for among other reasons to back up install USBs. Are you saying the .iso that is created would not be bootable? Not very useful if true.

Thansk to all. Microsoft just gave me the 32 and 64 bit ISO downloads

So giving up trying to install from USB and will switch to ISO instead for an easier life

loukingjr wrote:

mpack wrote:That wouldn't be easy. It would have to be a bootable ISO. You can't make a bootable CD by imaging a bootable hdd.

Don, there was a freeware program called USB Image Tool. It was created for among other reasons to back up install USBs. Are you saying the .iso that is created would not be bootable? Not very useful if true.

I'd be surprised if it was easy to do, but I've been wrong before. I just had an argument with our IT guy here, and he swears that there are free tools that can handle it.

In fact I'm told that the current version of ImgBurn has an option to create a bootable ISO. Though how I would transfer an NTFS or FAT bootable partition image onto the CD/DVD... I don't know. If you just copy all the files onto a bootable CD, that won't work - the CD needs to include a mini boot to the stage where it can run whatever kind of executable that Setup.exe file is.

I would expect the USB stick to be bootable and contains required boot files. Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 ISO also contained the Setup.exe so you have the choice to upgrade or install from scratch.
So just copying all the files form the USB and create a bootable ISO with ImgBurn is enough.

noteirak wrote:I would expect the USB stick to be bootable and contains required boot files.

Well, that would be fine once you reach the stage where some filesystem is supported.

Try using this. From Microsoft. You can 'create' a bootable USB and an ISO file. Comes in 32bit and 64bit flavors.

hmmm. seems I can't post a weblink being such a 'noob'.

Search google for 'Media Creation Tool'