Unable to install Windows 10 as a guest using OVMF (UEFI)

[kvickis]

I have followed the advice on the wiki here, to try to install Windows 10 as a guest on Proxmox 7.2-7.
The wiki-page does not mention anything about the choice of BIOS.
If I choose the legacy BIOS (SeaBIOS), everything works well, but as I need to pass on a GPU later on, I have learned that I need to use OVMF (UEFI) BIOS instead.
And this doesn't work at all for me.
When trying to start the installation, I am presented with the UEFI interactive shell. No attempt to boot the installation CD (.iso).

What could be wrong? And how do I troubleshoot this? The log at the bottom of the screen just says OK (I guess it sees that something has started).

 

[Dunuin]

Check the boot order under "YourNode -> YourVM -> Options -> Boot Order" and see if your virtual CD drive is at the top.

 

[kvickis]

Yes it is. And I have removed the checkmarks on all the other disks. However, I see that the bootable disk is marked as ide2. Maybe this is a problem?

Here is my configuration file:

agent: 1
balloon: 0
bios: ovmf
boot: order=ide2
cores: 6
efidisk0: local-lvm:vm-101-disk-0,efitype=4m,pre-enrolled-keys=1,size=4M
ide0: nfsproxmox:iso/virtio-win-0.1.215.iso,media=cdrom,size=528322K
ide2: nfsproxmox:iso/Windows_10_Pro_x64_En-US_Activated.iso,media=cdrom,size=3778602K
machine: pc-q35-6.2
memory: 8196
meta: creation-qemu=6.2.0,ctime=1661106007
name: Win10
net0: virtio=A2:C6:2B:08:F1:79,bridge=vmbr0,firewall=1
numa: 0
ostype: win10
scsi0: local-lvm:vm-101-disk-1,cache=writeback,discard=on,size=100G
scsihw: virtio-scsi-single
smbios1: uuid=bd77da3e-c7ed-48ea-8630-92bbd1cb9450
sockets: 1
vmgenid: e6a4e11c-7c47-4142-9e36-6e2e3785b56b

 

[leesteken]

There is a bug that you cannot boot from ide2 when ide0 is present. Just switch the ISO's between ide2 and ide0 and set the boot order to ide0.

EDIT: I was wrong. Make sure to press a key (on the virtual console that you need to open quickly after starting the VM) otherwise the Windows installer won't start and (because there is not other bootable medium) you end up in the EFI shell.

 

[fiona]

Hi,

There is a bug that you cannot boot from ide2 when ide0 is present. Just switch the ISO's between ide2 and ide0 and set the boot order to ide0.

can you provide more information about this bug? I just tested it with the following and it boots just fine:

bios: ovmf
boot: order=ide2
cores: 1
efidisk0: local-lvm:vm-132-disk-0,efitype=4m,pre-enrolled-keys=1,size=4M
ide0: cephfs:iso/virtio-win-0.1.215.iso,media=cdrom,size=528322K
ide2: nasi:iso/Win2019-evaluation.iso,media=cdrom,size=4985424K
machine: pc-q35-6.2
memory: 2048
meta: creation-qemu=6.2.0,ctime=1661157957
net0: e1000=B2:77:C8:29:1F:0F,bridge=vmbr0,firewall=1
numa: 0
ostype: win10
scsihw: virtio-scsi-pci
smbios1: uuid=c31bf83c-a07d-4519-b055-1ee4801816ee
sockets: 1
vmgenid: b768d8c3-7133-4ec1-8154-87b81e15f07c

 

[leesteken]

can you provide more information about this bug?

Sorry, I though I remembered something like this, but I cannot reproduce it anymore. I think it it caused by not pressing a key in time for the Windows installer to start. I will edit my previous post. I must have been to late in opeing the virtual console. Thank you for testing it and apologies for wasting your time.

 

[fiona]

Sorry, I though I remembered something like this, but I cannot reproduce it anymore.

Maybe the bug was present in an older version.

I think it it caused by not pressing a key in time for the Windows installer to start. I will edit my previous post. I must have been to late in opeing the virtual console. Thank you for testing it and apologies for wasting your time.

No worries

 

[kvickis]

I have now tested to change the disk connected to the virtual CD-ROM/DVD ide0 and ide2 with each other and made sure that it is the windows 10 iso that is booted.
Result: No change (Console shows UEFI shell)
I then removed the second CD-ROM/DVD entirely and made sure that it is the correct device (IDE0) that is set as boot device.
Result: No change (Console shows UEFI shell)

How do I procede from here?

 

[leesteken]

Did you see the text from the Windows 10 installer to press a key? I needed to very quickly open the console to see that text and press a key to start the Windows installer, otherwise I get the EFI shell.

 

[kvickis]

No, I am logged straight into UEFI shell.
Now I tried some alternative ISO's and they boot, so it must be something wrong with this particular Win10 ISO, which is strange because it boots OK when using legacy BIOS. But nevermind, I will find a different ISO that works. Thanks for all your trouble.

 

[fiona]

Can you try to press escape during the boot splash screen, select Boot Manager and see if the CD shows up there (the boot entry should be called something like UEFI QEMU DVD-ROM)?