Boot USB Inside Windows With Virtual Box or VMware

This is a good tutorial link.

* * * Honestly, Virtual Box will work on larger variety of PCs * * *

But don't kid yourself. It is painfully inconsistent from PC to PC and Drive to Drive.

If you are just checking the "boot" of the drive Sordum Qemu Simple Boot (Symenu)

The ISOs in the drive will sort of boot but not fully.

MobaliveCD previously worked but something is screwy now.

Virtual Box

This is for me but you can look

1. plug in usb drive

2. win + x the k (opens Drive Manager)

3. note the # of the drive

4. open cmd as admin

cd %programfiles%\oracle\virtualbox

5. In cmd type this:

VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk –filename C:\usb.vmdk -rawdisk \\.\PhysicalDrive1

-usb.vmdk is the name and location of the disk you are going to create.

Don't change name of .vmdk now. Use whatever name later when creating the VB machine.

-PhysicalDrive1 is the number of the disk you plugged in.

cmd will complain about createrawvmdk being deprecated but it will work fine

6. start Oracle VB as admin

7. create new machine

8. name usb boot (or whatever)

9. windows 64

10, adjust ram and cpus

11. hard drive choose "use existing > go to C:\ and click the created usb.vmdk

It will be added to your VB folder as a .vbox file

Do not move or delete the usb.vmdk before completing the above.

I don't think it's needed after you create the .vbox machine

Boots Ventoy fine and MX runs but I can't boot with persistence. No biggie but curious.

VMware

- start VM as admin

- create a Windows machine

- name it Boot USB or something

- choose install later

- HD size doesn't matter you are going to remove it

- go to settings

- adjust CPU quantity and RAM (default is probably fine)

- remove the HD

- add HD

- choose physical and pick the number of the drive

Boot that baby up !

* VMware does not work properly on all of my systems. Reasons vary.

* Unless you add a drive the USB number will not change over time.

If it does change just remove the drive and add another with the right number.

* Oh, and yes, MX persistence works fine with all the irritating prompts of course.