HBCD PE

[s-celles]

Hello,

I'm trying HBCD PE https://www.hirensbootcd.org/ in GNS3 with the following appliance.

{
    "appliance_id": "ac98ab6f-7966-444b-842f-9507c965b8b7",
    "name": "HBCD-PE",
    "category": "guest",
    "description": "Hiren’s BootCD PE (Preinstallation Environment) is a restored edition of Hiren’s BootCD based on Windows 11 PE x64. ",
    "vendor_name": "hirensbootcd.org",
    "vendor_url": "https://www.hirensbootcd.org/",
    "documentation_url": "https://www.hirensbootcd.org/howtos/",
    "product_name": "Hiren’s BootCD PE",
    "product_url": "https://www.hirensbootcd.org/",
    "registry_version": 4,
    "status": "stable",
    "maintainer": "GNS3 Team",
    "maintainer_email": "[email protected]",
    "usage": "",
    "symbol": "cd.svg",
    "qemu": {
        "adapter_type": "e1000",
        "adapters": 1,
        "ram": 4096,
        "hda_disk_interface": "sata",
        "arch": "x86_64",
        "console_type": "vnc",
        "boot_priority": "c",
        "kvm": "require"
    },
    "images": [
        {
            "filename": "HBCD_PE_x64.iso",
            "version": "1.0.8",
            "md5sum": "45baab64b088431bdf3370292e9a74b0",
            "filesize": 3291686912,
            "download_url": "https://www.hirensbootcd.org/download/",
            "direct_download_url": "https://www.hirensbootcd.org/files/HBCD_PE_x64.iso"
        },
        {
            "filename": "empty30G.qcow2",
            "version": "1.0",
            "md5sum": "3411a599e822f2ac6be560a26405821a",
            "filesize": 197120,
            "download_url": "https://sourceforge.net/projects/gns-3/files/Empty%20Qemu%20disk/",
            "direct_download_url": "https://sourceforge.net/projects/gns-3/files/Empty%20Qemu%20disk/empty30G.qcow2/download"
        }
    ],
    "versions": [
        {
            "name": "1.0.8",
            "images": {
                "hda_disk_image": "empty30G.qcow2",
                "cdrom_image": "HBCD_PE_x64.iso"
            }
        }
    ]
}

But I'm getting

File: \windows\system32\drivers\iaVROC.sys

A critical system driver is missing

Any idea?

[grossmj]

Maybe you need to include the OVMF firmware to enable UEFI support similarly to what has been done in our Windows 11 dev env appliance?

https://github.com/GNS3/gns3-registry/blob/master/appliances/windows-11-dev-env.gns3a#L48L56

[s-celles]

Thanks it helped me much.

This appliance is nice for a Windows like experience with some tools installed (browser Chrome or Firefox), easy keyboard layout change, easy access to on-screen keyboard, easy network config.

Here is my file

{
    "appliance_id": "ac98ab6f-7966-444b-842f-9507c965b8b7",
    "name": "HBCD-PE",
    "category": "guest",
    "description": "Hiren’s BootCD PE (Preinstallation Environment) is a restored edition of Hiren’s BootCD based on Windows 11 PE x64. ",
    "vendor_name": "hirensbootcd.org",
    "vendor_url": "https://www.hirensbootcd.org/",
    "documentation_url": "https://www.hirensbootcd.org/howtos/",
    "product_name": "Hiren’s BootCD PE",
    "product_url": "https://www.hirensbootcd.org/",
    "registry_version": 4,
    "status": "stable",
    "maintainer": "GNS3 Team",
    "maintainer_email": "[email protected]",
    "usage": "",
    "symbol": "cd.svg",
    "qemu": {
        "adapter_type": "e1000",
        "adapters": 1,
        "ram": 4096,
        "hda_disk_interface": "sata",
        "arch": "x86_64",
        "console_type": "vnc",
        "boot_priority": "c",
        "kvm": "require"
    },
    "images": [
        {
            "filename": "HBCD_PE_x64.iso",
            "version": "1.0.8",
            "md5sum": "45baab64b088431bdf3370292e9a74b0",
            "filesize": 3291686912,
            "download_url": "https://www.hirensbootcd.org/download/",
            "direct_download_url": "https://www.hirensbootcd.org/files/HBCD_PE_x64.iso"
        },
        {
            "filename": "empty30G.qcow2",
            "version": "1.0",
            "md5sum": "3411a599e822f2ac6be560a26405821a",
            "filesize": 197120,
            "download_url": "https://sourceforge.net/projects/gns-3/files/Empty%20Qemu%20disk/",
            "direct_download_url": "https://sourceforge.net/projects/gns-3/files/Empty%20Qemu%20disk/empty30G.qcow2/download"
        },
        {
            "filename": "OVMF-edk2-stable202305.fd",
            "version": "stable202305",
            "md5sum": "6c4cf1519fec4a4b95525d9ae562963a",
            "filesize": 4194304,
            "download_url": "https://sourceforge.net/projects/gns-3/files/Qemu%20Appliances/",
            "direct_download_url": "https://sourceforge.net/projects/gns-3/files/Qemu%20Appliances/OVMF-edk2-stable202305.fd.zip/download",
            "compression": "zip"
        }
    ],
    "versions": [
        {
            "name": "1.0.8",
            "images": {
                "bios_image": "OVMF-edk2-stable202305.fd",
                "hda_disk_image": "empty30G.qcow2",
                "cdrom_image": "HBCD_PE_x64.iso"
            }
        }
    ]
}

Unfortunately I'm still facing issues with keyboard (as in many other end-device appliance).

[grossmj]

I've successfully run the appliance inside GNS3 🥳

Unfortunately I'm still facing issues with keyboard (as in many other end-device appliance).

I didn't get any issue, is this because you use a non-US keyboard or something like that?

[s-celles]

Yep. I'm french and I'm using an AZERTY keyboard.
Many end devices are difficult to use because of that. On some, numbers on top of keyboard are unavailable, same for numeric keypad. It doesn't behave as if I was using an AZERTY keyboard with QWERTY layout... the problem seems more complex. Some applications in the same QEmu VM doesn't behave the same through noVNC. That's quite complicate.
Fortunately there is on-screen keyboard quite easily available on some appliances.

[grossmj]

Yep. I'm french and I'm using an AZERTY keyboard.
Many end devices are difficult to use because of that. On some, numbers on top of keyboard are unavailable, same for numeric keypad. It doesn't behave as if I was using an AZERTY keyboard with QWERTY layout... the problem seems more complex. Some applications in the same QEmu VM doesn't behave the same through noVNC. That's quite complicate.
Fortunately there is on-screen keyboard quite easily available on some appliances.

Oh yes, I am familiar with this problem ;)

Anyway, do you want to create a new PR to add the appliance to this repository?

Thank you.