Virtual hard drive usage or disk partition?
brucine Posted messages 24409 Registration date Status Membre Last intervention -
Hello,
I need to install another version of software that I already have. It's impossible to have two different versions coexist on the same hard drive. So, I created a virtual hard drive by going to disk management (Windows 10). This virtual hard drive exists now, but it's an empty shell. My software needs Windows to function. How can I install Windows on this virtual disk? I read some information about this, but it required a Windows installation CD, and I don't have one.
Looking back, I wonder if a better solution would be to partition my existing hard drive, without reinstalling Windows, which might require a lot of space. Is that possible? And would that solve my problem?
Thanks in advance for your information!
6 réponses
I'm open to all solutions! Creating a virtual hard drive seemed the simplest to me; it took me barely a few minutes, and I thought I would have something ready to use, but unfortunately that's not the case.
How do we create a virtual machine? Without advanced computer knowledge...
Hello,
For example, look here, it's quite simple.
https://www.informatiweb-pro.net/virtualisation/vmware/vmware-workstation-15-creer-une-machine-virtuelle--2.html
Remember that the virtual machine will virtualize a printer without any problem, but not most of the other devices physically connected to the host machine.
I don't understand: the link is about Workstation. Besides, it's ten times more complicated than creating a hard drive on Windows! In any case, it doesn't solve my problem since I need to install Windows;
To install a virtual machine in response to the question that was asked, you do need virtualization software (here VMWare); I know that some of the latest versions of Windows include a hypervisor, but that's not the easy way.
In any case, whether virtual machine or not, nothing happens abracadabra to install Windows by the operation of the Holy Spirit, you do need a USB flash drive or in this case an ISO (and a license).
The procedure described in the link in <3> is a bit long but, if followed to the letter, presents no difficulty; you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs.
Thank you for the response, but I already have Windows on my PC, with a license number. Is it necessary to reinstall it? Is it not possible to partition (I'm not sure if that's the correct term) my hard drive in order to install two different versions of the same software? I tried to install the second version with another user account, but unfortunately, it didn't work.
If you cannot install such software for just one user (the software needs to have that option and, of course, the initial installation must also be done for a single user; otherwise, it must be uninstalled and reinstalled to see if it works this time), there is no other solution than to install it on another version of Windows 10, which can only be done on a second hard drive or by partitioning the first for dual boot, or by creating a virtual machine; you need a Windows license for each installation (which is not the major hurdle, as you can find licenses online for less than €1).
Hello,
Fifteen years ago, for a problem like this, we would have used a dual-boot. You free up disk space, install a new version of Windows 10, and since it's the same hardware, your license should be valid.
Since then, we've moved on to virtualization software. On Windows, there is Hyper-V; Windows virtual disks are primarily designed to be used with Hyper-V virtual machines. I've used this hypervisor on Windows servers, but I've never encountered users on a Windows Client (Win10); there must be tutorials out there.
Then there's the virtualization software VmWare, the most widely used, on servers or PCs. Or VirtualBox for VMs on PCs.
Thank you for your responses. I eventually decided to go with HyperV. I found a tutorial and it wasn't too complicated to install it. It directly offered to install Windows 10, so no issues with licensing or ISO. I was able to install my software and it works!
However, it’s not as simple as that. For example, I thought I could just click on the letter of the virtual drive to access it, but apparently that doesn’t work. I need to go through HyperV (and therefore with an administrator account, while I usually work with a standard account). I still need to see if it doesn't cause too many problems, for example, to transfer documents, or if it doesn't take up too much memory.
Anyway, I find myself launched into something I don't really master, but I think that for the use I have (only for testing), it should be fine.
I don't know Hyper V.
Generally speaking, any virtualization software results in the client system and the host system being treated as distinct machines on a local network.
Data exchange occurs like on a network share that needs to be set up, except in special cases (for example, VMWare allows designating one and only one folder from the host machine for automatic sharing).
The memory allocated to the virtual machine is usually adjustable and subtracted from the total memory; what is allocated must be able to run the virtual machine smoothly enough, so it seems necessary, with Windows 10, to have at least 8 GB on each side.