Do you have a Raspberry Pi and are lacking things that lags, untimely updates and BSOD? So good news friends, because thanks to Bvmyou can now install Windows 11 on your little raspberry and enjoy the whole Microsoft experience like the big ones.

Bvmfor Botspot Virtual Machine, is an open-source project that allows you to run Windows 11 ARM in a virtual machine on Linux ARM devices, especially Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 (+ Archi Rockchip RK3588). Great to run 1 or 2 specific Windows applications you would need in the context of your work, without getting bored with Wine for example.

Developed by the same person who coded Pi-appsBVM completely automates the installation of Windows 11 ARM using KVM for virtualization (hardware rather than software), Qemu for the virtualization environment, a passthrough system for the network, USB and audio, the sharing of bi-direction files between the Windows and the host system, without forgetting PrismMicrosoft’s integrated emulator capable of turning X86/X64 applications on the Arm and RDP architecture for remote access to the Windows.

You will understand, it’s at all in one. The installation via BVM is done via a script that takes care of everything, all alone, and the fact that we are on virtualization rather than emulation allows to have performance close to the native, and does not degrade the perfs of the host.

Installation in terminal mode for bearded

Here’s how to install it:

# Cloner le dépôt
git clone https://github.com/Botspot/bvm
# Lancer l'aide pour installer les dépendances
bvm/bvm help

On the other hand, for the moment, there is no 3D graphics acceleration (so you can forget the games) and you will need 4 GB of minimum RAM as well as a little disk space (50 GB minimum). I advise you to take an SSD to install it all, in order to gain fluidity.

Then, to create and configure the VM:

# Créer une nouvelle configuration
bvm/bvm new-vm ~/win11
# Télécharger Windows et les pilotes
bvm/bvm download ~/win11
# Préparer le premier démarrage
bvm/bvm prepare ~/win11
# Lancer l'installation automatisée
bvm/bvm firstboot ~/win11

And then, on a daily basis, you will only have to throw it like this:

# Démarrer Windows sans affichage
bvm/bvm boot-nodisplay ~/win11
# Dans un autre terminal, se connecter via RDP
bvm/bvm connect ~/win11

Like that, once it is in place, you can boot the Windows in No-Display (without display) and connect to it via RDP to access the interface.

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Installation in guy mode for lazy

And if you are allergic to the command line (I don’t understand you serious & mldr; Loool), BVM also offers a graphical interface that does exactly the same thing, but with buttons. To throw it, it’s as simple as:

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GUI offers numbered options that follow the same process as the command line version, but with certain visual comfort. You can even configure the USB passthrough via a dedicated interface, instead of manually hacking the config file.

Now what is about this solution? Well thanks to the PRISM emulator integrated into Windows 11 ARM, a lot of X86/X64 applications work properly:

  • Suite Microsoft Office (if you are allergic to LibreOffice)
  • Specific ideas like Visual Studio Or LEGO MINDSTORMS.
  • Light CAD software
  • OneNote (which still does not have a decent alternative under Linux according to the pro)
  • Owner business applications that only run on Windows
  • Light or old games (but do not expect to turn Cyberpunk)

Web navigation via Edge or Firefox is working properly, and even YouTube can be used without major problems. For performance, we are obviously not on native windows on a muscular PC, but it is quite usable for office and light tasks.

Small nice bonus, with BVM you can mount the virtual disc of Windows directly in your Linux system. Practical to transfer mass files or tinker directly into Windows entrails (at your own risk). For that do:

The disc is then accessible via /media/pi/bvmmount in your file explorer. Be careful, it will only work when the VM is stopped. It’s perfect for recovering data if your virtual windows decides to have its adolescence crisis.

On the other hand, with this tool, the main current limitation is the absence of 3D graphic acceleration, which prevents webgl and gourmet GPU applications. But according to the developer, it is potentially a feature that could happen in the future, using graphic virtualization via Vulkan or OpenGL. We will see & mldr;

Another promising feature in development is the “RemoteApp” mode, which will allow you to integrate Windows application windows directly into your Linux office, as if they were native applications. Imagine being able to launch Word or Excel without having the whole Windows interface around & mldr; Just the app that fits perfectly into your Linux office! It would be royal!

Here, if you have a Raspberry Pi that takes dust, it may be the time to give it a second life as a Windows / Linux hybrid machine. Isn’t life beautiful?

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