When trying to use KVM to reinstall windows, mounting the ISO works when in BIOS, but when booted into the Windows 11 installer / PE environment it complains about missing drivers.
Additionally the CD drive shows up with a single README.txt file with:
"This disc contains a "UDF" file system and requires an operating system that supports the ISO-13346 "UDF" file system specification."
Which I suspect may be the issue.
share the iso you try to install
It was downloaded directly from: Download Windows 11
The resulting .iso is the one with sha256 (English 64-bit): B56B911BF18A2CEAEB3904D87E7C770BDF92D3099599D61AC2497B91BF190B11
Doubt if disc format has anything to do here if you get to PE.
PE environment booting would be reading WIM.
So the question is if PE is reading the injected DVD correctly.
please try to boot from the iso instead of using PE for install
I think what is reported is it boots. Then a mini is gets set up. I think it creates a fake x: where PE uses to run install.
Now I wonder if x:/ is really there.
Was md5 shal tested?
The PE env is part of the Windows install process, (ie. I am booting off the .iso).
Yes I've validated the downloaded .iso matches Microsoft's provided sha256.
My thoughts are that you are booting to a tested iso. If you get to PE then the optical format has nothing to do with it. PE creates an X:/ drive in ram and uses the mini OS to run installer. MS did a near trick to fit data in by reusing code. That again shouldn't stop.
So why the driver complaints? It is common for a non certified computer to be missing some things. If windows has Internet it can find support in some cases.
I used to install OS's to industrial computers with special devices and installers would always complain. We'd fix after base install.
I'd run memtest to see if ramdisk is safe.
I've identified the issue... but I found that none of the products, including PIKVM, can support Windows 11 ISO. They all fail to find drivers when entering the installation interface.
This is a kernel issue, but it may not have been resolved so far. The older kernel versions of RM1 indeed behaved more strangely, but the same applies to products with newer kernel versions like COMET PRO or PIKVM.
Are you saying Linux issue or Windows?
As in Linux driver problems?
So process is this?
Cold boot to iso stored on kvm.
Kvm watches screen while PE boots. Does PE finish? Do you get to install screen?
Sorry, but your assumption is actually wrong. Just try to mount any Windows 10/11 ISO on a running system, and you'll only get a README.TXT file telling you that the ISO is in UDF format.
I guess the USB gadget mode is buggy in your kernel, and has trouble handling UDF ISOs correctly, and that's the problem.
BTW, I haven't found any references to UDF ISO issues in the PIKVM project.
I've noticed inconsistent behavior between RM1's kernel and PIKVM's kernel after they're mounted. The RM1 kernel only displays a single readme file, while the PIKVM kernel shows multiple files. Both share a common issue: they can't be properly installed. When booting from this virtual device, they get stuck at the Win11 installation welcome screen, displaying "No driver found".
You're only looking at the surface problem
But is it possible to at least fix the problem so that UDF ISO files can be mounted correctly on the target system?
Yeah, we will try
Isn't it too big to fit in the GL-RM1's storage?
I thought it was too big too but it barely fits. I also have this issue.
So… this is to say that Comet cannot actually be used to reinstall Windows 11 on a remote PC, correct? That seems like it might just be something that should be mentioned in the documentation and the product pages.
I just ordered and canceled the order for a Comet because I luckily found this thread before it shipped. I needed the Comet to remotely reinstall Win11 on a PC that got malware infected 3 states away; guess that’s not gonna happen, not with a Comet at least.
The mounting issue will be resolved in version 1.5.0R1. For the insufficient storage problem, you can insert a USB drive to expand the capacity, but manual configuration is required.
Feature request: enable virtual media from USB port · Issue #14 · gl-inet/glkvm
But I still have to mention that STUPID Microsoft and motherboard manufacturers are making it unnecessarily difficult to install Windows. You might encounter a "driver not found" error when booting from a Windows 11 ISO—this isn’t a KVM issue, but rather something that requires BIOS configuration on the motherboard. I’m not entirely sure what specific settings are needed, but we’ve definitely observed this problem on some of our test computers.
I can confirm that the Windows 11 ISO now mounts correctly (GL-RM1 FW version 1.5.0 release1), and in fact I even got to the point where the Windows installer offers to select the disk where the OS will be installed (I didn't check further, since this was not a test PC). From this I can conclude that it works in my case. Thanks for fixing this issue!