lite-win/README.md

lite-win

A repeatable, minimal Windows 11 Pro VM image built with Packer and QEMU/KVM. No bloatware, no Microsoft account requirement, no unnecessary services.

Designed for a resource-constrained Linux host running Fedora with QEMU/KVM.

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What it does

1. Boots the Windows 11 Pro ISO fully unattended via Autounattend.xml
2. Partitions the disk (GPT/UEFI), installs Windows, configures WinRM
3. Runs five PowerShell provisioner scripts over WinRM:
   • Removes ~30 built-in apps and OneDrive
   • Disables telemetry, Cortana, advertising ID, and CEIP
   • Disables resource-heavy services (SysMain, Windows Search, Xbox, etc.)
   • Applies performance tweaks (High Performance power plan, fixed page file, no animations)
   • Cleans up temp files and compacts the OS
4. Produces a thin-provisioned, compressed QCOW2 disk image (~12–15 GB)

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Prerequisites

Install these on the Fedora host before building:

sudo dnf install -y qemu-kvm swtpm edk2-ovmf packer

Packer may not be in the Fedora repos depending on your version. If dnf doesn't find it, download the Linux AMD64 binary from releases.hashicorp.com/packer and place it in ~/.local/bin/.

You also need:

• Windows 11 Pro retail ISO — download from microsoft.com/software-download/windows11 (select the x64 multi-edition ISO)
• VirtIO drivers ISO — downloaded automatically by make virtio-iso

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Quick start

# 1. Download VirtIO drivers
make virtio-iso

# 2. Create your local variable file
cp variables.pkrvars.hcl.example variables.pkrvars.hcl

Edit variables.pkrvars.hcl and set:

win_iso_path     = "/path/to/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso"
win_iso_checksum = "sha256:<output of: sha256sum /path/to/Win11_*.iso>"

# 3. Build
make build

The finished image lands in output/windows11-lite.

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Running the image

Recommended: virt-install (repeatable)

virt-install \
  --name windows11-lite \
  --memory 4096 \
  --vcpus 2 \
  --disk output/windows11-lite,format=qcow2,bus=virtio \
  --import \
  --os-variant win11 \
  --network network=default,model=virtio \
  --graphics spice,listen=none \
  --video qxl \
  --boot uefi \
  --tpm emulator,model=tpm-tis,version=2.0 \
  --noautoconsole

Then connect with virt-manager or virt-viewer windows11-lite.

virt-manager GUI

1. File → New VM → Import existing disk image
2. Browse to output/windows11-lite; set OS to Windows 11
3. Set RAM and CPUs, then Customize configuration before install
4. Set Firmware → UEFI x86_64 (not BIOS)
5. Set disk Bus → VirtIO
6. Add Hardware → TPM → Emulated, TIS, version 2.0
7. Begin installation

All three settings — UEFI boot, VirtIO disk bus, TPM 2.0 — are required. The image was built against them; mismatching any one causes a boot failure.

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Windows activation

The build uses the generic KMS client key W269N-WFGWX-YVC9B-4J6C9-T83GX to allow unattended installation. This is not an activation key. Activate Windows with your own license after the build.

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Variables reference

Variable	Default	Description
win_iso_path	—	Required. Absolute path to the Windows 11 ISO
win_iso_checksum	—	Required. sha256:<hash> of the ISO
virtio_iso_path	virtio-win.iso	Path to VirtIO drivers ISO
vm_name	windows11-lite	Output image name
disk_size	51200	Virtual disk size in MB (50 GB)
memory	4096	RAM in MB during the Packer build
cpus	2	vCPUs during the Packer build
output_directory	output	Output directory for the QCOW2 image
winrm_password	Packer1234!	Build-time WinRM password — must match Autounattend.xml
ovmf_code	/usr/share/edk2/ovmf/OVMF_CODE.fd	UEFI firmware code (Fedora default)
ovmf_vars	/usr/share/edk2/ovmf/OVMF_VARS.fd	UEFI firmware vars template (Fedora default)

All variables except win_iso_path and win_iso_checksum have usable defaults.

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Project structure

.
├── build.sh                       # Starts swtpm, runs packer, cleans up on exit
├── Makefile                       # Convenience targets
├── windows11.pkr.hcl              # Packer template
├── variables.pkrvars.hcl.example  # Variable template (copy → variables.pkrvars.hcl)
├── http/
│   └── Autounattend.xml           # Unattended Windows install answer file
└── scripts/
    ├── 01-debloat-apps.ps1        # Remove built-in apps and OneDrive
    ├── 02-disable-telemetry.ps1   # Disable telemetry, Cortana, CEIP
    ├── 03-disable-services.ps1    # Disable unnecessary services
    ├── 04-performance.ps1         # Power plan, page file, visual effects
    └── 05-cleanup.ps1             # DISM cleanup, temp purge, Compact OS

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Make targets

Target	Description
make build	Build the VM image (default)
make validate	Validate Packer config without building
make init	Install Packer plugins
make virtio-iso	Download the VirtIO drivers ISO
make clean	Remove build output
make distclean	Remove build output and downloaded ISOs