Solved Help using the Windows 10 Mobile emulator

spapakons · May 23, 2023

Hello! At my job we repair PDTs (Portable Data Terminal), which are like a tablet combined with a barcode scanner and a keyboard. These are used for inventory, mobile issuing of invoices etc. Newer models run Android, but older models run Windows CE 2003 or Windows Mobile 6.5. In order to familiarise with the interface I have found a Windows Mobile emulator. I noticed that the latest version for phones and PDAs is Windows 10 Mobile and I found this site explaining how to download the official Microsoft emulator: https://techgenix.com/emulator-for-windows-10-mobile/
Running the installer produced a virtual hard disk file (VHD) about 2GB. Now what? I understand that I can use this file with Hyper V or other virtual machine application. I have VMware Workstation but I don't know how to use the VHD file. Probably I should convert it or something. Any help appreciated. Thanks.

spapakons · May 24, 2023

Hello! I decided to just create a new legacy virtual machine (not UEFI) and at hard disk selection to "Use existing virtual disk". I changed the file types to "all" and browsed to the folder I have the VHD file and selected it. VMWare offered to convert the disk, I proceeded and then changed the controller type to IDE (default was SCSI), just to be on the safe side. I booted and it worked! But, unfortunately there is a "but", it is not connected to the internet since it expects a Wi-Fi connection, while the virtual machine provides a LAN connection. Unlike Android-x86, Windows 10 Mobile cannot use that. I then thought to try Hyper-V since the VHD is its own format. I created a new Hyper-V virtual machine and at the hard disk screen I selected to use an existing virtual disk and browsed to the VHD file. Sure enough the virtual machine loaded and it had even retained my changes (language and other stuff). But, oh yes this "but" again, it had no internet connection! Come on! Is there any way to configure the Windows 10 Mobile to use the wired LAN connection of either VMware or Hyper-V? How? Would connecting a wireless USB dongle and giving access to the guest (virtual machine) work? Unfortunately, I cannot try this at the moment because I'm accessing the host PC remotely with the same dongle and would lose connection. I will try it at home later. Any help appreciated. It is very good to play around with Windows 10 Mobile or any other new OS, but nowadays without access to the internet is pretty useless. Thanks.

cereberus · May 24, 2023

spapakons said:
Hello! I decided to just create a new legacy virtual machine (not UEFI) and at hard disk selection to "Use existing virtual disk". I changed the file types to "all" and browsed to the folder I have the VHD file and selected it. VMWare offered to convert the disk, I proceeded and then changed the controller type to IDE (default was SCSI), just to be on the safe side. I booted and it worked! But, unfortunately there is a "but", it is not connected to the internet since it expects a Wi-Fi connection, while the virtual machine provides a LAN connection. Unlike Android-x86, Windows 10 Mobile cannot use that. I then thought to try Hyper-V since the VHD is its own format. I created a new Hyper-V virtual machine and at the hard disk screen I selected to use an existing virtual disk and browsed to the VHD file. Sure enough the virtual machine loaded and it had even retained my changes (language and other stuff). But, oh yes this "but" again, it had no internet connection! Come on! Is there any way to configure the Windows 10 Mobile to use the wired LAN connection of either VMware or Hyper-V? How? Would connecting a wireless USB dongle and giving access to the guest (virtual machine) work? Unfortunately, I cannot try this at the moment because I'm accessing the host PC remotely with the same dongle and would lose connection. I will try it at home later. Any help appreciated. It is very good to play around with Windows 10 Mobile or any other new OS, but nowadays without access to the internet is pretty useless. Thanks.

I just created a gen 1 hyper-v vm, selected the vhd and ran it with the default network adaptor.

I then clicked on link for IE and went to BBC website (see below), so obviously connecting to internet ok.

My guess is you have not set up hyper-v quite right.

spapakons · May 24, 2023

Are you connected by ethernet? I use a wireless USB dongle, but I don't think this is relevant. Probably my system specs (2nd PC) and the lack of hardware virtualization. Do you have hardware virtualization enabled? Failing to work in two different virtual machines I don't think has to do with the virtual network settings, most probably the lack of hardware virtualization. Any thoughts?

cereberus · May 25, 2023

spapakons said:
Are you connected by ethernet? I use a wireless USB dongle, but I don't think this is relevant. Probably my system specs (2nd PC) and the lack of hardware virtualization. Do you have hardware virtualization enabled? Failing to work in two different virtual machines I don't think has to do with the virtual network settings, most probably the lack of hardware virtualization. Any thoughts?

I use wifi. Pretty sure you need hardware virtualisatin for Hypér-V.

spapakons · May 25, 2023

SOLVED!
I first went to "traditional" Control Panel, switched View to Large icons, and then went to Programs and Features and then Windows Features. Just in case I ticked the boxes to enable "Virtual Machine Platform" and "Windows Hypervisor Platform". I tried to run the Hyper-V virtual machine again, but it didn't make any difference, still no internet access. I then figured it out that using the VHD file first in VMWare and then in Hyper-V must have affected it. So I deleted the Hyper-V virtual Machine, deleted the VHD file and run Windows 10 Mobile emulator setup again to download a fresh copy of the VHD file. When installation was complete, I created a new Generation 1 (legacy) Hyper-V virtual machine and browsed to the VHD file when asked for a virtual hard disk. I made sure I selected the default network adaptor to have internet access and proceeded. When I booted it, I wasn't connected to Wi-Fi, but this time I had internet access, so who cares. One "bug" I found is that clicking any button on the virtual keyboard does nothing. You can only type using the physical keyboard.

spapakons · May 25, 2023

Come on! I just found another bug. Trying to type using the host PC physical keyboard produces two times each letter on the virtual machine. For example typing "test" results in "tteesstt"! Is there any setting on the Hyper-V to adjust keyboard sensitivity or something relevant?

EDIT: Nervermind, the bug must be related to accessing the host PC remotely with AnyDesk. I enabled the onscreen keyboard and input on the virtual machine works OK. The joke is that I then tried to type using the physical keyboard and worked OK. I also found that you can change the input language Win+SPACE on the physical keyboard. Is there a "back" key as in Android? I hate pressing Win to return to the main screen each time.

spapakons · May 25, 2023

I also discovered that "back" is Win+Backspace on the physical keyboard! I copied the VHD file on another location and create a new Virtualbox virtual machine. Internet worked right away, so I guess something is wrong with VMware.