Upgrade to Windows 10 (from Windows 7) in a VM.....?

[Mongo424242]

Hi all,

I am considering building an isolated Windows 10 box inside of a VM for evaluation (I trust Microsoft about as far as I can throw them).  It needs to have internet access (for updates), but no access to anybody else on the network (the other computers are easy enough: I just block the Win10 IP via firewall.  I still have not figured out how to do this for the printer or NAS).  Here is my plan:

1) Start with a Windows 7 Home Premium VM, configured for bridge networking (so I can have a discrete IP address, not NAT, to block)

2) Allow MS to upgrade it to Win10 (I know the free upgrade period is over, but they left a back door open for those who use handicapped access)

My question is twofold:

1) Is there a better way to isolate the Win10 VM from everybody on the network, but still have internet access?  I am not a network whiz by any stretch, and am just learning this stuff...

2) When building a VM, I need to specify what type of guest OS to set up for, correct? So, if I start with a Windows 7 configuration, and upgrade to a Windows 10 OS, do I change the VM guest assignment after I upgrade?  Based on what I have seen, the configuration files differ depending on the guest OS...

Thanks, all!....:)

[parmarr]

Hello,

Please see if you find the information on the link VMware Workstation Documentation Center useful for the network isolation. Also for the hardware compatibility VMware Workstation Documentation Center

[Mongo424242]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I have explored all of the isolation settings on Workstation, and have come to the conclusion that it is not possible to isolate the machine from all other devices on the LAN, but still have internet access. Host-only networking would indeed isolate it from everybody else, but unfortunately that includes the internet. I am now leaning towards some sort of subnetting at the router level, and put the Windows 10 VM on its own subnet. That will (?) keep the machine internet capable (for updates), and yet it will be unable to see devices on the other subnet. Now I just need to figure out the details...

I'm not sure where the hardware compatibility settings are applicable to changing between two operating system in the same VM (both of which are compatible with version 12.5). Here is the scenario: I have Windows 7 installed in a VM, which has been configured for Windows 7 (obviously). I then let Microsoft upgrade that OS to Windows 10 (but the VM is still configured for Windows 7). Then what? Do I change the configuration of the VM to Windows 10 after the upgrade? Are the VM configuration files (*.vmx) specific to the guest OS, and if so, would Workstation update those already set up for Windows 7 to those for the new OS of Windows 10?

[gimmely]

1) Is there a better way to isolate the Win10 VM from everybody on the network, but still have internet access?  I am not a network whiz by any stretch, and am just learning this stuff...

I'm afraid this is a question on networking, instead of VMware or virtualization.  I have to admit that I'm no expert in either area and agree that networking on top of virtualization may be considered as adding an "extra layer" compared to normal/non-virtualization networking.  But, I'd like to think this question from a perspective of trying to set up a physical machine on a network, with it having access to the Internet but no other device, which is probably what you'd come up with as you described in your latest comments.