qvm-create-windows-qube: Unable to install due to QWT failure

I also see the NotifyQubes failure when booting up the WindowsVM sometimes; not sure if this is actually an issue (it may have no meaningful effect).

This is a Qubes defect, not a qvm-create-windows-qube defect.

Brendan

See here: https://forum.qubes-os.org/t/windows-usb-integration-with-r4-1/5001

Requires R4.1 and tabit-pro QWT crossbuild.

B

I can copy files to/from the VM, but I cannot connect any devices to it nor can I get seamless mode to work (not sure if they should).

Hotplug block device connect only works if you configure the installer to install the optional Xen PV Disk drivers. You can restart the QWT installer and run it in modify/repair mode, navigate to the Xen drivers node, open it, and enable the disk drivers.

Note: some people report stability issues, but I have found them rather stable, at least for SATA devices. I recommend cloning your VM first before installing the PV disk drivers just in case you experience boot or stability issues. Better safe than sorry.

Seamless mode only works with Windows 7 (and maybe under Qubes R4.0? I don’t use it.).

B

Ok, it appears the way I was moving the QWT iso file caused it to get corrupted; things now install fine. Hooray!

I can copy files to/from the VM, but I cannot connect any devices to it nor can I get seamless mode to work (not sure if they should).

I also get errors: Failed:qubes-notify (and I think one other I’ll have to see if I can catch it).

Thank you all for your help!

I have built the ISO several times and, since the changes I asked for in both it and qvm-create-windows-qube were implemented, I have not run into issues. This is with both R4.0 and R4.1

• Did you properly set the private volume to 10GB on your QWT build VM and restart the build VM before attempting to build?
• Did you look carefully to see each step finished without error? E.g. today web.archive.org failed to properly deliver dotNetFx the first time so I had to start tabit-pro’s step 2 twice.
• If you’re using R4.0 or (upgraded to R4.1 from R4.0) did you replace the existing ISO in dom0:/usr/lib/qubes with the one you built and ensure, if using linking, you linked correctly?

I spent a couple of hours today:

• removing my QWT build VM
• removing my windows-mgmt VM
• creating a new QWT build VM (I use standalone instead of ‘disposable’), based on fedora-34 (though i have used -32 and -33 in the past)
• building QWT from tabit-pro repo again
• placing .iso file into /usr/lib/qubes and updating the softlink from qubes-windows-tools.iso - I keep multiple versions around with different filenames (just in case I need to revert) so I always set the softlink using

ln -s new_iso_file_name.iso qubes-windows-tools.iso

• using install.sh from this repo to recreate windows-mgmt VM and the qvm-create-windows-qube command
• running qvm-create-windows-qube to create a Windows 10 Professional template.
• Remembered to set qvm-features gui and gui_emulated correctly of course when it completed.

It worked just fine.

I’m pretty sure you’re either failing to either perform a step correctly OR there is a gap in documentation that you are bridging differently than I am (and therefore getting a different result).

B

PS - it’s always wise to start from scratch, including removing your QWT build VM and the windows-mgmt VM. The only caveat on removing windows-mgmt is that downloading windows ISOs takes a very long time. I have a storage VM that I put all ISOs in after download so I can remove windows-mgmt at any time and then when it is rebuilt via install.sh I qvm-copy the ISOs back over and then move them to the appropriate subdirectory. Just a timesaving hint.

Good point. Something to consider before upgrading.

This is to be expected as I don’t think any version of QWT exists for Qubes R4.1 Beta as of yet. Will have to consult the core Qubes developers for that one.

Note that qvm-create-windows-qube currently only claims to support R4.0.