SOLVED: Windows VM not finding install disk

[bondoo0]

I'm converting from Xen to KVM and I have my Ubuntu VM working correctly, but whenever I try to add a Windows VM, I get a message that it can't find an install location (even after loading the virtIO drivers (I've tried XP and Windows 10).  I'm not passing through any devices (since my hardware doesn't support passing through PCI devices, perhaps this is the issue?)  Also one other thing to note, when I go to install the virtIO drivers, none show up unless I unchecked the "hide incompatible with my hardware check box, if I un-check the box I see 3 choices, and even after installing all 3, there are still no available disks to install Windows on).

 

Any suggestions, or is it just a hardware issue that is showing up in KVM, but didn't in Xen?

 

Hardware is a Supermicro H8DME-2 motherboard with dual Opteron 2431 CPU's (one of the TAMS 24 bay servers).

 

 

[jonp]

I'm converting from Xen to KVM and I have my Ubuntu VM working correctly, but whenever I try to add a Windows VM, I get a message that it can't find an install location (even after loading the virtIO drivers (I've tried XP and Windows 10).  I'm not passing through any devices (since my hardware doesn't support passing through PCI devices, perhaps this is the issue?)  Also one other thing to note, when I go to install the virtIO drivers, none show up unless I unchecked the "hide incompatible with my hardware check box, if I un-check the box I see 3 choices, and even after installing all 3, there are still no available disks to install Windows on).

 

Any suggestions, or is it just a hardware issue that is showing up in KVM, but didn't in Xen?

 

Hardware is a Supermicro H8DME-2 motherboard with dual Opteron 2431 CPU's (one of the TAMS 24 bay servers).

 

So when you're browsing the VirtIO drivers, which folder and subfolder are you selecting?

[bondoo0]

I downloaded this ISO

http://alt.fedoraproject.org/pub/alt/virtio-win/latest/images/virtio-win-0.1-100.iso

 

When I try to install, I tried to load all 3 drivers listed (after unchecking "hide drivers that aren't compatible with this computer's hardware":

1x QEMU PCI Serial Card

2x QUEMU PCI Serial Card

4x QEMU PCI Serial Card

 

 

[jonp]

I downloaded this ISO

http://alt.fedoraproject.org/pub/alt/virtio-win/latest/images/virtio-win-0.1-100.iso

 

When I try to install, I tried to load all 3 drivers listed (after unchecking "hide drivers that aren't compatible with this computer's hardware":

1x QEMU PCI Serial Card

2x QUEMU PCI Serial Card

4x QEMU PCI Serial Card

 

Again, what folder and sub-folder are you browsing for the driver media?  When you browse the ISO from within the Windows installer, what path are you browsing to?

[bondoo0]

For the driver I just used what came up when I hit load/ok on the E drive.  However after your comment I hit load/browse and see the directories for different versions.  I chose Windows 8.1\AMD64 (thinking that was the closest) and I was able to install the 3 red hat and 3 virtIO drivers and the drive is now showing up.

[jonp]

For the driver I just used what came up when I hit load/ok on the E drive.  However after your comment I hit load/browse and see the directories for different versions.  I chose Windows 8.1\AMD64 (thinking that was the closest) and I was able to install the 3 red hat and 3 virtIO drivers and the drive is now showing up.

There you go!!

[anthropoidape]

I think I have the same problem, but I am not sure I understand the solution. I am attempting to install Windows XP on a VM but there is no opportunity to install drivers; the system looks for a floppy disk. I have tried changing the virtio drivers iso to a floppy drive but it doesn't although the xml appears to validate.

 

I also tried adding the virtio drivers to the XP install using n-lite without any success.

 

Have you managed to install XP or just windows 10?

 

Edit: XP seems to be installing now. I had to amend the XML so that the hard disk was on bus='ide' rather than bus='virtio' and delete the reference to PCI below that item.

[bondoo0]

I hàd the same issue trying to install XP, and haven't had a chance to look into it again.  I did see XP listed under the virtio drivers so there must be a way to do it.

[anthropoidape]

See my edit.

 

I edited the xml and it seems to be installing now. I am not sure whether I'll be able to edit it back later after installing virtio drivers. I will let you know how that goes.

[jonp]

If you switch after installing on IDE, windows won't boot. What you will need to do is add a second vdisk and leave that as VirtIO, then boot windows off the IDE bus.  Then install the drivers for VirtIO, then you can remove the second vdisk and put the primary vdisk back to VirtIO. There is a bug in beta 15 when adding a second vdisk to an existing vm. This will be fixed soon.

[anthropoidape]

Thanks Jon. Is there any particular problem with leaving the disk running on the IDE bus for the time being?

[jonp]

Thanks Jon. Is there any particular problem with leaving the disk running on the IDE bus for the time being?

Nah, just performance would be best on VirtIO, but performance is in the eye of the beholder. If it don't bother you, it don't bother me!!

[anthropoidape]

If you switch after installing on IDE, windows won't boot. What you will need to do is add a second vdisk and leave that as VirtIO, then boot windows off the IDE bus.  Then install the drivers for VirtIO, then you can remove the second vdisk and put the primary vdisk back to VirtIO. There is a bug in beta 15 when adding a second vdisk to an existing vm. This will be fixed soon.

 

Thanks for this. I added a second vdisk via the command line, this prompted XP to want driver installation, and now I am back to one vdisk that runs on the virtio drivers.

 

In case it is not yet known, the kvm gui reverts the the vdisk to bus=virtio with each change to the VM (even, for example, when you change the VM to automatically start). So (a) this probably needs fixing and (b) it was a good reason for me to go to the effort of getting the virtio SATA drivers into the XP VM. It is nice to be prodded into doing some command line work anyway

 

I like this little XP VM. It's on a 10GB vdisk and even that is more than it really needs, and it covers off a few little things that I use a 24/7 windows box for.

 

I don't know what it says about me but even though I have been using VMs on unraid for a while now, I still find them amazing. It's like, "I can have as many computers as I want! For free!"

[jonp]

It's like, "I can have as many computers as I want! For free!"

 

Of course you mean after you have paid for the Windows OS for each and every copy you're running. Otherwise you're simply stealing from Microsoft.

 

Did you read MS licensing?  It depends on how many you are running at the same time. If you are only running one copy at a time, then technically you are only using your software on one device, and not in violation of MS licensing.

[jonp]

It's like, "I can have as many computers as I want! For free!"

 

Of course you mean after you have paid for the Windows OS for each and every copy you're running. Otherwise you're simply stealing from Microsoft.

 

Did you read MS licensing?  It depends on how many you are running at the same time. If you are only running one copy at a time, then technically you are only using your software on one device, and not in violation of MS licensing.

That's assuming you paid for your first license. So technically its not free as there is always the cost of 1 license.

Correct, that is unless you are a MCP and have a free MSDN subscription where you can download ISOs and get keys for free. But that's not the average person...

[jonp]

It's like, "I can have as many computers as I want! For free!"

 

Of course you mean after you have paid for the Windows OS for each and every copy you're running. Otherwise you're simply stealing from Microsoft.

 

Did you read MS licensing?  It depends on how many you are running at the same time. If you are only running one copy at a time, then technically you are only using your software on one device, and not in violation of MS licensing.

That's assuming you paid for your first license. So technically its not free as there is always the cost of 1 license.

Correct, that is unless you are a MCP and have a free MSDN subscription where you can download ISOs and get keys for free. But that's not the average person...

 

Yup. I'm covered via an enterprise MSDN subscription.

 

Though I hear rumblings now and then that MSDN is to cover development and not to cover running non-development systems like your run of the mill typical consumer OS, but I never had issues with MS audits / true-ups on that front. But the license that MS did do away with was the TechEd because it was meant for feasability and usability situatikns but folks were using it for development and running consumer OS instead.  Some saw it as a $99 to $299 license for every piece of MS software out there. Naturally that wasnt the purpose.

 

When I uses to work at a VAR, we dealt with Microsoft licensing confusion all the time (MSDN or otherwise).  The running joke was that if you didn't like an answer you got on licensing from Microsoft, just call someone else and get a different answer 

 

They certainly don't make their EULAs easy to interpret.

[anthropoidape]

It's like, "I can have as many computers as I want! For free!"

 

Of course you mean after you have paid for the Windows OS for each and every copy you're running. Otherwise you're simply stealing from Microsoft.

 

I'd hate to get into the debate about what really constitutes stealing, but I don't need to on this occasion anyway... I am just running one XP Pro VM. I paid for XP long ago, and today XP is probably not much use for anything except a VM. I am now setting up a second VM running Ubuntu and that will probably be it.

 

I was talking about the idea of having unlimited amounts of (virtual) hardware to play around with.

 

 

[leeknight1981]

Hi Guys 

 

Any one know why I can't browse folders etc when trying to add install ISO I can only see the 3 ISO's that are in there I click in the box but I can not browse to add a new ISO, Im trying to create a Ubuntu VM but I have no where to copy the ISO to and I can't browse to any folders :\

 

Many thanks 

6.3.2 is what I'm running 

[JorgeB]

8 minutes ago, leeknight1981 said:

Im trying to create a Ubuntu VM but I have no where to copy the ISO to and I can't browse to any folders :\

 

You can't browse to the ISO location, it will list all the ISOs on your ISO share, share location is set in Settings -> VM Manager - > Default ISO storage path:

Edited March 16, 2017 by johnnie.black

[leeknight1981]

3 minutes ago, johnnie.black said:

 

You can't browse to the ISO location, it will list all the ISOs on your ISO share, share location is set in Settings -> VM Manager - > Default ISO storage path:

Doh you legend my ISO Share went when I upgraded UnRaid and it broke my share's and Docker  
Iv now created a ISO Folder on my Array 

 

Many Thanks 

[Overlandr]

I had the same issue with the drive/CDROM not showing up, but it was a configuration error on UnRaid. It turned out to be the Lubuntu ISO from their torrent downloader, still need to work out how to transfer it to a proper ISO file, but Ubuntu works fine for now, I just wanted something lighter.

Edited August 28, 2020 by Matt Dumbrill
Accidentally copy/pasted my message twice after I logged in.

[rojarrolla]

On 4/27/2015 at 9:41 PM, anthropoidape said:

I think I have the same problem, but I am not sure I understand the solution. I am attempting to install Windows XP on a VM but there is no opportunity to install drivers; the system looks for a floppy disk. I have tried changing the virtio drivers iso to a floppy drive but it doesn't although the xml appears to validate.

 

I also tried adding the virtio drivers to the XP install using n-lite without any success.

 

Have you managed to install XP or just windows 10?

 

Edit: XP seems to be installing now. I had to amend the XML so that the hard disk was on bus='ide' rather than bus='virtio' and delete the reference to PCI below that item.

This helped me to install Windows 7 machine.

Thanks