Has anyone been using the free Windows 11 and Office365 lab? It’s a Hyper-V system that you can also pile on Intune, Configuration Manager, etc.
It unzips to a .zpaq file, anyone know what to do with this file to get it to run in a different hypervisor? My hopeful target is XCP-NG and hoping I can get it into a VHD with some tool.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-windows-11-office-365-lab-kit
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-mem-evaluation-lab-kit
One issue I can see right off the bat is the support for TPM on XCP-ng for windows 11.
OK, PeaZip can extract .zpaq or .*paq files, but it’s a mess of stuff:
Going to take some work to sort through this stuff and maybe (or not) being to get everything converted from VHDX to VHD and running. Most likely going to have to stand up a Windows Server with Hyper-V to get anywhere.
I’ve been wanting to explore Windows 11 and Office365 in a lab environment, so I might give it a shot soon.
As for converting the .zpaq file to run on XCP-NG, I haven’t tried that either, but I’ve tinkered with similar conversions in the past. Typically, you’d need to unzip the file first and then use a tool like QEMU-img to convert it to a compatible VHD format. It’s all part of the fun of experimenting with different hypervisors and lab setups, right? And hey, if you ever need legit Windows keys at a decent price, I recently stumbled upon Digital Chill Mart. They’ve got some solid deals that might come in handy for your lab adventures.
