Windows VM (Mac M1/M2)

Building a windows VM in Mac M1/M2

Create Windows

Installing VMware Fusion

1. Head over to VMware and select Fusion for Mac. You can click here.

2. Download VMware Fusion.

3. Under "VMware Fusion: Desktop Hypervisors for Mac", register to get a FREE key for personal use.

4. Install VMware Fusion and input the key you can find here.

Windows image for ARM64/AMD64

1. Head over to Microsoft to download the Windows Insider Preview for ARM64/AMD64.

2. Unzip and check that the files are indeed for ARM64.

3. Convert VHDX to VMDK by using QEMU.

   1. Installing QEMU via brew is the easiest.

   2. Run qemu-img convert -O vmdk <vhdx-file-downloaded.vhdx> <file-converted-from-vhdx.vmdk> in your terminal.

Building the Machine

1. Create a new machine in VMware as Windows.

2. Chose the virtual disk that you just converted in step 2.3.

3. Change settings up to your standards.

   1. What are the ramifications of storing the VMs locally in storage.

4. Start the machine.

5. You should now see the initial Windows setup.

6. Now, Fn+Shift+F10 and enter OOBE\BYPASSNRO in the CMD.

7. Configure the language and keyboard as needed.

8. Press "I don't have internet" to continue with the wizard.

9. Accept the license and continue with the wizard.

10. Let the setup finish running.

11. To be able to use VMware Tools correctly, do the following.

    1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.

    2. Run Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned.

    3. 
    4. In the VMware Menu, select "Virtual Machine" -> "Reinstall VMware Tools".

    5. Open the .psd1 file with PowerShell.

       1. Find PowerShell within C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0 if you need it.

    6. 
    7. Wait for the setup to finish and notice how the internet icon in the bar changes.

    8. You can also change the display, so you can move comfortably around the new machine.

12. Welcome your new VM!