Upgrading a Win10 VM with Seabios to Win11 and OVMF + TPM need to start fresh

[Crawling5]

Hello, I would like to explain my current setup and the steps I have taken so far.

Currently, I am using a Windows 10 virtual machine (VM) for work, accessed through RDP because I require some Windows-only software. The VM is configured with Seabios and the i440 machine type. I opted for Seabios due to previous booting issues with UEFI. Additionally, I am using a Vdisk located on my cache drive, specifically an NVME disk.

I am attempting to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, but this requires TPM (Trusted Platform Module). I discovered that Unraid now offers the "OVMF TPM" vBIOS option, so I created a new XML configuration for the VM, mirroring the settings of the existing Windows 10 VM (including memory, CPU pinning, disk, ISO, and UUID to maintain the Windows license). It is important to note that in this new XML configuration, I am pointing the primary disk to the old Windows 10 Vdisk.

Upon booting, I encountered the old UEFI issue and had to pass the Startup.nsh command by following suggestions from various forum posts (typing "exit," then "FS0:", "cd..," etc.). However, instead of booting from the Vdisk, I found myself presented with the Windows 10 ISO installation wizard.

I have verified that the ISO has a priority of 2 and the Vdisk has a priority of 1.

In conclusion, does changing the vBios for a VM require reinstallation of the operating system? I am eager to test Windows 11 while maintaining my current programs and configurations. Any recommendations or experiences with this situation would be greatly appreciated.

[Kilrah]

1 hour ago, Crawling5 said:

However, instead of booting from the Vdisk, I found myself presented with the Windows 10 ISO installation wizard.

I have verified that the ISO has a priority of 2 and the Vdisk has a priority of 1.

Don't populate the iso field at all if you're not going to install from it..

 

1 hour ago, Crawling5 said:

In conclusion, does changing the vBios for a VM require reinstallation of the operating system?

Going from legacy to UEFI requires a GPT-formatted disk with an EFI partition. There are ways to convert it, look up MBR to GPT conversion guides, should be plenty of them since it's the same on a real machine. 

Edited May 22, 2023 by Kilrah