Move External Windows Installation to VM

[jacktorrance]

Hi all,

Apologies if this is a dumb question.
I have Windows 10 installed on an external SSD which I boot into using the option key during restart on my MBP.

Have ordered the M1 Max - is there any way to continue to use this SSD, perhaps through Parallels? I know I'll no longer be able to boot directly into the drive as I do now but would like to retain the setup and contents of the windows installation.

Thanks.

 

[bobcomer]

Hi all,

Apologies if this is a dumb question.
I have Windows 10 installed on an external SSD which I boot into using the option key during restart on my MBP.

Have ordered the M1 Max - is there any way to continue to use this SSD, perhaps through Parallels? I know I'll no longer be able to boot directly into the drive as I do now but would like to retain the setup and contents of the windows installation.

Thanks.

You don't say what your old machine is, but if it's an intel Mac, the answer is no, not even in Parallels.

 

[AndyMacAndMic]

Hi all,

Apologies if this is a dumb question.
I have Windows 10 installed on an external SSD which I boot into using the option key during restart on my MBP.

Have ordered the M1 Max - is there any way to continue to use this SSD, perhaps through Parallels? I know I'll no longer be able to boot directly into the drive as I do now but would like to retain the setup and contents of the windows installation.

Thanks.

As @bobcomer has already mentioned, this is probably not possible. Even running an ARM version of Windows on an M1 Mac will (at the moment) give more trouble and headaches than it is worth. At the moment some people are trying to run Win11 for ARM (through Parallels) on M1 Macs with various degrees of success. Microsoft (at the moment) does not officially licenses/supports Win11 for ARM on an M1, and it is unsure if they will.


My advice:
Buy the right tool for the job. If you need Windows a lot (also for work) buy a Windows laptop, or keep your old MBP to run your copy of Windows 10.

 

[jacktorrance]

Thanks both. My old machine is a 16” 2019 MBP. Intel obviously.

I use windows only for tethering to my Oculus. Wondering then if it’s possible to simply boot the external windows drive I also have from another machine. Will try on my iMac later.

 

[Isamilis]

Hi all,

Apologies if this is a dumb question.
I have Windows 10 installed on an external SSD which I boot into using the option key during restart on my MBP.

Have ordered the M1 Max - is there any way to continue to use this SSD, perhaps through Parallels? I know I'll no longer be able to boot directly into the drive as I do now but would like to retain the setup and contents of the windows installation.

Thanks.

It’s not possible as long as the laptop is not intel. The windows installed in ext disk is for intel-based.