Workaround to Attach Block and USB Devices to Win Qube(s) Under 4.2

Original forum link
https://forum.qubes-os.org/t/28117
Original poster
tempmail
Created at
2024-08-07 01:17:04
Posts count
61
Likes count
11

I have found never uglier way to achieve some goal.

IF YOU ARE WILLING TO RISK AND MESS WITH POTENTIALLY COMPROMISED XEN WI(N)DOWS PV DRIVERS, here's how to do it.

  1. Create Win HVM.
  2. Downgrade dom0 to qwt 4.1.69-1.
  3. Start Win qube for QWT installation (qvm-start win-qube --install-windows-tools).
  4. Install qwt as usual in Win qube and DO NOT install network and disk drivers.
  5. Copy .msi from CD-ROM to qube if you'll to take step 7. in this qube.
  6. Shutdown and start Win qube.
  7. Using specific program, like Universal Extractor under Windows, or correspondent under Linux (if there's any), extract .msi file from step 5 in order to get Xen disk drivers. If you did that in some other qube, copy it back to Win qube (qvm-copy-to-vm now works for Win qube, of course).
  8. In Device Manager, manually update/add the driver with the one found in xenvbd folder extracted from .msi file, in order to install Xen PV Storage Host Adapter.
  9. DO NOT "restart" (shutdown and start) WIn qube, or you're done. Press NO when asked to do so.
  10. Attach any block or USB device to Win qube.
  11. Do your business in the Win qube.
  12. When finished, detach device(s).
  13. UNINSTALL the driver you installed in step 8. in Device Manager AND make sure to mark/check the option "Attempt to remove the driver for this device", or you're done.
  14. Shutdown Win qube.
  15. When you want/need to use it again, REPEAT steps 8-14.

Admit you never seen uglier workaround!

Hopefully, it'll give to someone else idea what could be done to make the installation permanent.