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DaDesktop

How to Convert a Legacy-Boot Windows 10 Template to UEFI

Should you own a DaDesktop machine and wish to utilize a GPU or other pass-through devices, you must first switch it to UEFI boot.

While we still advise using win10-template-v53 or newer, if performing the upgrade manually seems more advantageous for your situation, follow the steps below:

  1. Turn on the defrag service
  2. Generate boot files on the C drive
  3. Mark the C disk as active
  4. Switch the system to UEFI mode
  5. Adjust the KVM configuration to support UEFI
  6. Correct the DaDesktop BIOS boot option
  7. Update the virtio-win drivers
  8. Disable the defrag service
  9. Optional: Relocate a partition ahead of the system partition to enable automatic disk resizing
     

1. Turn on the Defrag Service

  1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator
  2. Execute the following:
    sc config defragsvc start= demand

2. Make the C: Drive Bootable

  1. From an administrator Command Prompt, run:

    bcdboot.exe c:\windows /s c:

3. Set the C: Disk as Active

  1. Open Disk Management
  2. Right-click the C: partition
  3. Choose Mark Partition as Active
     

4. Convert the System to UEFI

  1. From an administrator Command Prompt, run:
   mbr2gpt.exe /concver /allowFullOS

 

5. Adjust KVM Configuration for UEFI Support

  1. SSH into the ddnode
  2. Make certain you are running commands as root

  3. Copy the OVMF_VARS.fd and qemu.conf files from a UEFI‑enabled template, such as:

    cp /var/lib/kvm/win10-template-v51/OVMF_VARS.fd /var/lib/kvm/yourimagename/
    cp /var/lib/kvm/win10-template-v51/qemu.conf /var/lib/kvm/yourimagename/

6. Correct the DaDesktop BIOS Boot Option

  1. Use the dd4t.dadesktop.com GUI or API to stop and start the machine
  2. The system will enter the UEFI Shell
  3. Enter: "exit"
  4. Navigate to Boot Management (TODO: FINISH IT)
  5. Press F10 to save
  6. Exit the BIOS
     

7. Upgrade the Virt-io Drivers

Some templates ship with an older VGA driver, which can lead to problems like an inability to change the resolution. To fix it:

  1. On your desktop, download the newer driver: https://fedorapeople.org/groups/virt/virtio-win/direct-downloads/archive-virtio/virtio-win-0.1.240-1/virtio-win-0.1.240.iso
  2. Install it (TODO: provide the exact file name)
  3. Reboot
     

8. Disable the Defrag Service

  1. Launch Command Prompt as Administrator
  2. Execute the following:
    sc config defragsvc start= disabled

 

9. Optional: Move a Partition in Front of the System Partition for Automatic Disk Resizing

 

  1.  Boot the system into Rescue mode
  2.  Use gparted to move a partition ahead of the system partition
  3.  Reboot

10. Install the Idd Drivers

  1. https://github.com/ge9/IddSampleDriver
  2. Download the package from: https://github.com/ge9/IddSampleDriver/releases
  3. Extract the contents to C:\ (otherwise it will not work)
  4. Install the certificate (as root)
  5. Install the driver by right-clicking the .inf file and selecting Install