have to clone a virt-manager Windows VM

I did set up my PIN (entering a Windows password and then emailing code) but with no other VM )Linux or BSD), so I have to go through these conformations. Obviously, I cloned the original using virt-clone; otherwise, I'm sure I would have to go through these absurdities again. And yes the Partizan screenshot should come first (sorry)

Interesting, more or less like when swapping hardware, PIN errors, so something gets detected there.
So that happens on the clone... Is this a VM with TPM I assume?

I've not much experience with virt-clone, but yeah works pretty straightforward.
There is an option to clone through virt-manager graphical interface; right click VM -> clone. But I assume it uses virt-clone as well.
Or something more bonkers: You could try an old-fashioned way of cloning: copying the virtual disk manually and creating a new VM while copying the XML of the source VM and changing name, UUID, MAC addr, etc. then pasting in new VM... But with virtual TPM which I never tested cloning this way is unknown territory if it will work.

Either way, my guess is the clone is detected as a new machine where the personal PIN gets in trouble.
Hence I don't have any VMs with a PIN to try this, I'm not sure you would be able to simplify the issue, unless not using a PIN in the first place.

Hi there

@martyfelker
@Hopachi

This method seems to be fairly infallible for cloning from Virt-Manager.

Tested on Debian, Fedora and ArchLinux hosts with KVM/QEMU and emulated TPM (swtpm - the IBM emulator for Windows guests). I've no reason to suppose that this method will fail on other major Linux hosts.

1) create a new "Virtual disk" for the existing virtual machine of sufficient size to receive the current GUEST.
2) set a stand alone bootable version of Macrium free to be the boot device
3)boot the macrium free
4)choose clone or image the original vm disk
5)shutdown the VM
6)delete the original virtual disk (don't unless you want to physically delete that data - just delete via remove hardware from the config).
7)set the new disk to the boot device (if imaging rather than cloning then obviously first restore the image via macrium again).
8)job done Q.E.D --passwords, accounts, pin numbers, partition UUID's etc all identical with original.

(This method also works for cloning Linux Guests too).

(This method also works if you want to convert a windows GUEST to a physical machine -- update drivers afterwards if necessary).

You can still get a working copy of the last Macrium Free edition from the majorgeeks website. It seems to have disappeared from the Macrium site or is so well hidden that I can't find it.

Cheers
jimbo