Converting a W2K19 Server to Physical and Running as Win2Go on USB in Windows 10

=====================================================================================================

This article provides step-by-step instructions for converting a Microsoft Windows Server 2019 (W2K19) Datacenter edition from a virtualized environment, such as KVM or QEMU, into an operational physical system that can then be run using the Win2Go application on an external USB drive. The resulting setup will allow you to boot and use your W2K19 server instance directly from this portable storage device without needing access to its original host machine.

Prerequisites

----------

- A valid copy of Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Datacenter edition (or higher) installed in a virtualization environment like KVM, QEMU, or VirtualBox.

- An empty USB drive with at least 128 GB of free space. Larger drives will provide more available resources for your Win2Go image.

Step-by-Step Conversion Process

------------------------------

### Step 1: Prepare the W2K19 Server

Before starting this process:

* Ensure that all updates have been applied to both Windows Update and any third-party software installed on your virtualized server.

* Take a full backup of your current system, as the conversion process is irreversible.

### Step 2: Convert Virtualization Image to Physical

1. Open Disk Management (Press Win + R then type diskmgmt.exe).

2. Select all drives except for System and Recovery partitions, right-click on them, choose 'Export'.

3. Choose a location where you want your exported image saved as an .img or .vhd file.

### Step 3: Create Bootable USB Drive

1. Download the latest version of Rufus (https://www.rufus.ie/) from its official website.

2. Launch RufUSB and select 'ISO' for 'Boot selection mode'.

3. Browse to your exported W10 ISO image (.iso).

4. Choose UEFI or Legacy depending on whether you're using a newer UEFI motherboard or an older legacy BIOS setup (default is fine unless otherwise specified by your hardware documentation).

### Step 4: Run Win2Go

1. Insert the USB drive containing your newly created bootable Windows Server ISO into any available USB port.

2. Restart your computer and press F10 during POST to enter the Boot Device Menu or Boot Manager depending on your motherboard's UEFI/BIOS setup (F11 for older systems).

3. Select 'USB stick' from the list of devices listed under 'Boot device' and hit Enter.

### Step 5: Activate Win2Go

1. Follow the installation prompts until you reach the 'Enter Product Key' screen.

2. Type in your valid Windows Server key when prompted (not product code).

3. Agree to terms & conditions then click Next through each subsequent screens until finished installing Win2go on external USB device.

Troubleshooting Tips

----------------

- If mksysgen or any other tool throws an unhandled exception during the process, ensure that .NET Framework 4.x is installed and try running these commands with elevated privileges.

- Make sure your target computer's UEFI/BIOS settings are configured to boot from USB first (Secure Boot should be disabled if necessary).

-------

With this comprehensive guide, you've successfully converted a W2K19 server into an operational Win2Go environment that can run directly off a portable USB drive. This setup allows for maximum flexibility in terms of deployment and maintenance while still providing access to the full feature set offered by Microsoft's Server edition software stack.

By following these simple steps, IT professionals or power users alike can now easily create bootable Windows 10/Server images on-the-fly without needing physical media each time they want to test a new buildout scenario!

Target w2k19