[Q] Project Renegade: Windows ARM64 on dipper (Mi 8) - Boot Partition: None - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi,my first post on this forum, already with a problem of booting Win11 image from partition created on Mi 8 (NTFS partition).
I was guided by those three sources :
1) Original project Renage installation guide:
Renegade Project
Renegade Project
renegade-project.org
BTW Xiaomi Mi 8 is on supported decives list: https://renegade-project.org/#/en/windows/state-frame.html
2) this yt wideo about installing Win 11 on Mi 8 (unfortunately, in Russian and the youtuber is showing some tips too fast, so I had to slow it down to 0.25 in some parts)
3) yt tutorial about installing Win 11 on OnePlus 6T
So, I have manage to remove and create userdata partition, I have eacreated smaller userdata partion with 30 GB instead of 100-ish something GB,
I have created also \pe partition for WinPE boot (works from UEFI boot), \win (formatted in NTFS) with about 70-something GB, and ESP partition in FAT32.
The UEFI Boot for Mi 8 (device code: dipper) is not installed on the device, I am booting it by flashing it via fastboot (single time, the normal boot image on the device is still genuine boot.img from Xiaomi).
So, just like in the beforementioned guides / tutorials, I am able to boot WinPe (part English, part Chinese), able to start DISM+, able to open prepared Win11 disk (tried either on whole image or n single .wim file) and then:
1) I am asked for choosing a disk to install Win11;
2) I choose \win parttion in NTFS
3) I see window titled 'Bootmgr Repair-UEFI' with a message: 'Boot Partition: None Click more to specify it manually
4) If I choose NTFS partition, I see windwos titled "Tips" with message "If you boot with UEFI, it needs a FAT16/ FAT32 partition
5) I choose ESP Partition https://www.diskpart.com/articles/efi-system-partition-4348.html, install it, then install drivers; enabling Enable Test-Signing mode and reboot device with shutdown -s -t 0
After installation I reboot application -> no UEFI boot so i go to fastboot mode (by combinatin of buttons) from my PC i flash uefi dipper img i choose pption with Windws Bootloader from UEFI boot option, I am waiting and after a lot of time i see that there was a problem with installation of Windows.
What I am doing wrong here? Any thoughts?
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I know I'm late but I got past this point by running DISM++ on a computer instead of the device itself using mass storage mode described on https://wiki.renegade-project.cn/en/install. It was enabled for dipper in one of the RC of the uefi boot image.
I am however stuck at a blue screen where it just says my device ran into a problem and need to restart

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@h9419 hi, sorry for being late, but I've manage to go further steps with help on the Renegade Forum:
Open config '\simpleinit.static.uefi.cfg' failed. Not found. Config: load failed. device: Mi 8 dipper
Hi folks, I have installed win10 on my Mi 8 with drivers, but when I try to boot I see only K letter in a blue circle logo and message: main:initialize simple imp Open config ‘simpleinit.static.uefi.cfg’ failed. Not found Config: load failed and I’m going back to boot menu Besides of that I...
forum.renegade-project.tech
However, I have stuck now with blue screen and error:
"Your PC/Device needs to be repaired
The operating system couldn t be loaded because the digital signature of a file or of its dependencies couldn’t be verified
File:
\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\qcpil850.inf_arm64_51d4efc7c44baa30\qcpil.850.sys
Error code 0xc0000428
Press the Windows key for UEFI Firmware Settings"
I've received there some advice:"
If you flashed devcfg properly, you won’t get DRIVER_PNP_WATCHDOG anymore
If you successfully disabled testsigning and nointegritychecks using bcdedit, you won’t get 0xc0000428
Don’t use drivers from sdm845-drivers. They won’t work."
So I have checked testsigning and nointegritychecks using bcdedit:
Even after flashing fastboot flash devcfg_ab devcfg-dipper_FixTS.img
I still see “Open config ‘\simpleinit.static.uefi.cfg’ failed. Not found. Config: load failed”
DisableIntegrityChecks is set to True
and AllowPrereleaseSignatures also to True, but under BcdStore\Loaders\WindowsSetup
under {bootmgr} it’s only DisableIntegrityChecks, but without AllowPrereleaseSignatures
I’m a rookie regarding bcedit so I used Visual BCD Editor, should I add something in {bootmgr} or {bootloadersettings}? to the {bootloadersettings} I have no access from Visual BCD
obraz1035×475 149 KB
I see structure of this partition like this:
BTW via Mass Storage mode I have access to the esp partition stored here via Windows64 as I:\ and with Visual BCD editor I have an option to ‘repair bcd’ but I don’t know what this can done, so I don’t touch it
obraz851×486 71.3 KB
I am not sure if windows disk and BCD are connected here
obraz850×484 113 KB

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@Vistulack I got it to work a few months ago after joining the telegram channel. My process is about as follows:
1. Dism++ clean install
2. Dism++ driver injection (I used dipper driver 1.1.1)
3. Dism++ disable
testsigning and nointegritychecks
4. Boot into fastboot to flash devcfg (re-flash it after every install, before trying to boot)
5. Flash boot image 1.1.1 (same version as driver) to recovery
6. Boot to recovery to boot windows, reboot to get android
Others have success with 2.0rc2 but I'm happy with 1.1.1. USB, cellular, wifi, Bluetooth screen brightness and touch screen works. Built in audio and accelerometer doesn't. USB C to 3.5mm DAC makes audio work and CH340 driver for Arduino knockoffs works.

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Update:
thanks to @h9419 i have managed to succesfully install Win 11 on Mi 8
To sum up:
This time I have install drivers in ver. 1.1.1 https://github.com/edk2-porting/WOA-Drivers/releases/tag/v1.1.1
and after installation of dism I have used not only:
bcdedit /store Y:\efi\microsoft\boot\bcd /set {Default} testsigning on
bcdedit /store Y:\efi\microsoft\boot\bcd /set {Default} nointegritychecks on
but also :
bcdedit /store Y:\efi\microsoft\boot\bcd /set {Default} recoveryenabled no
Also I wouldn't recommend using Windows 10 home, as screen keyboard wasn't working there; I came across error:
C:\Windows\system32\osk.exe
A referal was returned from the server
This error wasn't seen on Windows 11 Pro
During install, I had also a problem with WiFi connections, but after putting mobile in the near of router I was able to connect (this issue camu up only during setting account)
Anyways, now I have other problem.
If I press turn off while charging, either from Windows or bootloader level, I end up back in bootloader menu, without knowing what is the battery level is (in Windows is still shows 0%, which is odd, because phone is still running).
Now I need to check how to enable turning phone off when charging (or put it into charging mode, with only battery level shown).
EDIT: ok, it looks like the best mode to charge the phone is setting it to recovery mode.

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If anyone was interested with installing some old apps build on Net Framework 2.0 or 3.5, it looks like it will not work on arm64 architectue.
After installing one of such apps, I saw and error
The following feature couldn't be installed:
.NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0)
The changes couldn't be completed. Please reboot your computer and try again.
Error code: 0x80240023
I have tried to fix it using advices from this video
and managed to formally 'install' Net 3.5 by script in PowerShell from sxs folder copied into TEMP folder but now the app is showing message:
"An error occurred:
System.NullReferenceException: Object not set to an instance of an object."
So it looks like it won't work (or maybe on some Virtual Machine build on arm64 for i.e Win Xp or Win7, but it maybe an overkill...)