How to Boot from ISO on VirtualBox EFI machine.
If you want to boot from ISO an EFI-enabled VirtualBox machine with and to overcome the "Boot order setting is ignored if UEFI is enabled in VirtualBox" issue, continue reading below.
The problem? When you mount a bootable ISO file in a existing Windows 10/11 VirtualBox guest running in EFI mode, the machine boots only from the Windows virtual disk, even though the optical drive is set as the first boot device in the boot priority options. (The issue doesn't occur when the machine in running in Legacy Mode).
How to Boot from ISO/Optical Drive in EFI Enabled Machines in VirtualBox.
To force the VirtualBox EFI machine to boot from Optical/ISO file, you need to change the boot order in the boot manager menu of the VirtualBox machine.
To access the Boot Manager menu on a VirtualBox EFI enabled machine, do the following:
1. Start the Virtual Machine and immediately and repeatedly press the ESC key.
2. When you see the below screen, navigate using the arrows keys to Boot Manager option and press Enter.
3. Now highlight the UEFI VBOX CD-ROM device and press Enter to boot from the ISO file.
That's it! Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.
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