How to get Windows 11 Insider Preview running as a VMware ESXi 7 VM
On Oct 5th, Windows 11 became now Generally Available! I've added a new video to the library below using an alternative technique Install Windows 11 as VM on VMware vSphere / Workstation without TPM 2.0 chipset by Ivo Beerens. Step-by-step upgrade instructions and video below! If you already have a Windows 11 ISO you trust, then a cleaner fresh-install approach is already well documented by Al Rasheed at Creating a Windows 11 Virtual Machine with vSphere7.
Windows 11 has had quite a bit of attention since it's release as a Windows Insider Preview, and much of the controversy has surrounded the ability to run it under systems without TPM 2.0 or with CPUs as little as 3 years old. All that aside, what about running it as a VM? Specifically, does it work fine under VMware vSphere, using the latest ESXi 7.0 Update 2a? Let's find out!
Prerequisites
During this beta test phase, it seems Microsoft is pretty liberal about what is required when installing this in a VM. Thankfully, unlike when you try to install this on physical hardware like my Xeon D-1541 system, you don't even need to have TPM 2.0 and/or Secure Boot enabled for it to work in a VM. This may change once Windows 11 goes GA (Generally Avaialable).
This procedure has only been TinkerTry'd with VMware vSphere 7 VM, using this configuration:
- VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 2 hypervisor
- VM Hardware Version 19
- VM Windows 10 20H2 Build 19042.1083
- VMXNET 3 network type
- VMware Tools version:11333
Step-by-step Upgrade
Until a legitimate way to download the Windows 11 Insider Preview ISO comes along, this is the way I got my home lab to have a Windows 11 VM to kick the tires on.
To register for the Windows Insider Program, visit:
In your Windows 10 VM:
- click Start, type "Insider" then the Windows Insider Program Settings page comes up
- click "Go to Diagnostics & Feedback settings to turn on optional diagnostic data."
- select "Optional diagnostic data", close the window
- click Start, type "Insider", then the Windows Insider Program Settings page comes up
- click the "Get-started" button
- click "Link an account" to add your Microsoft account
- select Dev Channel then close Window
- click Start, type "Windows Update" and hit enter
- click "Check for updates" button, you should see "Windows 11 Inside Preview" start to download and install automatically, with several reboots before it's ready
- you're done with the installation, enjoy Windows 11!
Video
Aug 02 2021 Update
Al Rasheed let me know about his great article, so I pre-pended my article above with the link to his fantastic work.
See also at TinkerTry
- All vSphere 7 articles
- All vSphere 7 videos
- How to update any VMware ESXi Hypervisor to the latest using ESXCLI for easy download and install
Aug 14 2018, updated Aug 20 2019
See also
- Creating a Windows 11 Virtual Machine with vSphere7
Jun 28 2021 by Al Rasheed at Al Rasheed BlogThe purpose of this blog post is to provide the guidance and the steps needed to configure and install a Windows 11 virtual machine with VMware vSphere 7.
- Securing Virtual Machines with Virtual Trusted Platform Module
Updated Dec 15 2020 at VMware DocsWith the Virtual Trusted Platform Module (vTPM) feature, you can add a TPM 2.0 virtual cryptoprocessor to a virtual machine.
A vTPM is a software-based representation of a physical Trusted Platform Module 2.0 chip. A vTPM acts as any other virtual device. You can add a vTPM to a virtual machine in the same way you add virtual CPUs, memory, disk controllers, or network controllers. A vTPM does not require a hardware Trusted Platform Module chip.
Social
It sure does, thank you @al_rasheed!
I've prepended a link to Al's clean-install-from-ISO method https://TinkerTry.com/windows-11-as-ws-11-as-a-vmware-esxi-vm
It'll be interesting to see if UEFI, Secure Boot, and maybe even vTPM
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/7.0/com.vmware.vsphere.vm_admin.doc/GUID-A43B6914-E5F9-4CB1-9277-448AC9C467FB.html
will all be required once Windows 11 goes GA late 2021
