How To: Run SpinRite on a UEFI-only machine (Part 2C of 5 - Windows as base OS)

[Scott]

This article is split into multiple parts:

1. Introduction
2. Using Windows to Go as the base OS for your bootable VirtualBox system:
   • Part 2A - Setting up the Windows to Go drive, Installing VirtualBox
   • Part 2B - Creating a SpinRite Virtual Machine, Mapping the Host drives to the SR Virtual Machine, Steps to take when moving your Windows to Go drive to a new Target Machine
   • Part 2C - Updating the Windows to Go drive to include Mac "BootCamp" drivers (optional, and obviously only for those planning to run the Windows to Go drive against a target Mac) (this article)
3. Using Kubuntu Linux as the base OS for your bootable VirtualBox system
4. Using MacOS as the base OS for your bootable VirtualBox system
5. Downloading or Creating your VM and moving files in and out of the virtual drive

Prepping the Windows to Go drive for an Intel Mac:​

You'll need another USB flash drive for this step.

This step is optional, and only if you're planning to use your Windows to Go VirtualBox drive against a Mac as a target system

1. Intel Macs from at least 2012 on can boot a GPT formatted drive, as they are EFI / UEFI based
2. The tricky part is getting all of the needed drivers
3. You could just boot with the drive and then, if possible, go into Windows Update and download the Microsoft generic drivers which work on the Mac.
4. Not all Mac capabilities will be exposed this way, and depending on the Mac, maybe some needed functionality won’t work at all.
   1. I’m speculating on this, I only have one Mac (a mid-2012 MacBook Pro) to work from
5. Apple has Windows drivers available for Intel Macs, here’s how to put them onto your Win to Go Boot disk
   1. Make sure your MacOS is running the latest MacOS that it can (or even a newer one, if you’re using Open Core Legacy Patcher!!)
      1. You can go here:
         1. https://everymac.com
         2. Find your model, and check the "Maximum MacOS" spec to see if you're up to date
   2. From within MacOS:
      1. Download the Windows ISO from Microsoft, or the Tiny11 ISO I referenced earlier
      2. Plug in a 64 GB USB drive. You’ll only need this temporarily, but it will be wiped out
      3. From MacOS, in the Applications | Utility folder, run the Bootcamp Assistant
         1. After the Intro screen, you’ll see a “Select Tasks” screen
         2. Only select the first two tasks:
            1. Create a Windows 10 or later version install disk
            2. Download the latest Windows support software from Apple
            3. Do NOT select Install Windows 10 or later version (Uncheck this option from the screen)
         3. On the next screen, select the Windows ISO you downloaded, and the Flash Drive
         4. Click Continue and let the system write to the flash drive
         5. Exit Boot Camp Assistant when it's done
   3. So, what gets written to the Flash Drive?
      1. It’s a standard Windows Installer with Apple specific drivers added
      2. So you'll now copy those Apple specific drivers from this drive to the Windows to Go drive
   4. After the flash drive is done being written, eject it from the Mac
   5. Now boot your Mac from the Win to Go drive by holding down the Option key. You should see a Yellow Icon that looks like a USB drive called “EFI Folder”. Select that and let the system boot
   6. Ensure that you are connected to a network; as before, use a USB to Ethernet adapter if needed
   7. Run Windows Update, ensure the system is up to date
   8. Plug the newly created Win Installer USB into the Mac
   9. From the new Win Installer drive, copy the following two folders to the root of the Win To Go drive:
      1. $WINPEDRIVER$
      2. Boot Camp
   10. Eject the Win Installer drive
   11. On the Win to Go drive, go into the Boot Camp folder and run the Setup.exe
   12. Afterwards, the system will want to reboot, so reboot. Again make sure you’re connected to the internet. Hopefully on this reboot, the WiFi will be working and you can connect that way
   13. Now run the newly installed Apple Software Update. It will update any BootCamp drivers to newer versions. Reboot
   14. Then run Windows Update again, reboot if needed
   15. On my Mac, after doing all of the above, somehow Hibernation had gotten turned back on, so turn it off:
       1. Open an Elevated command prompt
       2. Run the following command:
          1. powercfg.exe /hibernate off
       3. That’s it! That’ll turn off hibernation and delete the hibernation file
   16. Mac Tips:
       1. On my trackpad, to do a right click, use a two-finger click in the lower part of the track pad.