How to Boot a VirtualBox virtual machine from a physical USB Flash Drive

Last update: 07-25-2024

Running an operating system from a USB flash drive within VirtualBox can be very useful for testing and other purposes. This guide will take you through the process step-by-step, to help you boot a VirtualBox VM from your physical USB flash drive.

Step 1: Prepare the USB Flash Drive

Before starting, make sure your USB flash drive is ready to boot. You can use tools like Balena Etcher, Rufus, or Ventoy to create a bootable USB drive. Follow the instructions for your chosen tool to ensure the USB drive is correctly prepared.

Step 2: Locate the VirtualBox Installation Folder

By default, VirtualBox is installed in C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox. If you have installed VirtualBox in a different location, you will need to find its installation folder:

  1. Search for VirtualBox in the Windows Start menu.
  2. Right-click on 'VirtualBox' and select 'Open file location'. This will open the folder containing a shortcut to VirtualBox.
  3. Right-click on the shortcut and select 'Open file location' again to open the actual installation folder.
Open File Location

Step 3: Open Windows Terminal as Administrator

To run commands with the necessary permissions, you need to open the Windows Terminal as an administrator:

  1. Right-click on the Windows Start menu.
  2. Select "Terminal (Admin)".
Open Terminal as Administrator

Step 4: Navigate to the VirtualBox Installation Folder

In the Windows Terminal, navigate to the VirtualBox installation folder. Assuming it is installed in the default location, enter the following command:

cd 'C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\'

Step 5: Identify the USB Flash Drive

You need to find the ID of the USB flash drive you want to boot from:

  1. Right-click on the Windows Start menu and select 'Disk Management'.

    Open Disk Management
  2. In Disk Management, locate your USB flash drive in the lower half of the window.
  3. Note the disk number (e.g., Disk 1 or Disk 2) associated with your USB drive.
Disk Management

Step 6: Create a VMDK Virtual Disk

In the Windows Terminal, create a VMDK virtual disk that links to the physical USB drive. Replace PhysicalDrive1 with the correct disk number if necessary:

.\VBoxManage.exe createmedium disk --filename virtualDisk.vmdk --format=VMDK --variant RawDisk --property RawDrive=\\.\PhysicalDrive1

This command creates a file named virtualDisk.vmdk in the VirtualBox installation folder.

VBoxManage Create Medium

Step 7: Open VirtualBox as Administrator

Next, you need to open VirtualBox with administrative privileges:

  1. Search for VirtualBox in the Windows Start menu.
  2. Right-click on VirtualBox and select 'Run as administrator'.
Open VirtualBox as Administrator

Step 8: Add the Virtual Disk to the VM

  1. In VirtualBox, select the virtual machine (VM) you want to boot from the USB drive.
  2. Go to the VM's settings, then navigate to 'Storage'.

  3. Under 'Controller: SATA', click the icon to add a hard disk and then click 'Add'.

    Add SATA Disk
  4. Navigate to the VirtualBox installation folder and select the virtualDisk.vmdk file.

Step 9: Adjust the Disk Order

To ensure the VM boots from the physical USB drive:

  1. In the disk's attributes, change the port of the added virtual disk to SATA port 0.
  2. Adjust the ports of the VM’s internal virtual disk and optical drive to higher numbers, making sure the new virtual disk is the first in the boot order.
Set SATA Port 0

Step 10: Start the VM

Finally, start the VM. It should now boot from the USB flash drive.

By following these steps, you can successfully configure VirtualBox to boot from a USB flash drive, enabling a wide range of testing and development scenarios.

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