A forum member recently updated his PC to Windows 11 and now finds the PIWIS 2 Virtual Machine (VM) has stopped working properly.
The software now displays “blacked out” selectable options. The diagnostic menus cannot be viewed.
The following steps set out how to get PIWIS 2 software running on a modern computer running Windows 10 or Windows 11.
This is achieved by creating a Virtual Machine using Oracle VirtualBox.
Instructions on how to link the Samtec HSX vehicle interface are not detailed here but are available elsewhere on the internet.
The original batch file to set the PIWIS VM back to 2019 does not seem to work on these newer versions of Windows namely :-
Windows 10 ver.22H2 and Windows 11 ver.24H2.
This is solved by opening or executing a new batch file with up to date commands that set the VM date back to 2019.
The same batch file works for Win10 and Win11.
I've named it "PIWIS 2025.bat" supplied here as a compressed (zipped) folder.
Windows 11 Instructions.
Windows 11 has more security features than Windows 10 and consequently requires extra steps to enable the PIWIS VM to run properly.
Some of the following steps bring up "User Access Control" warnings about changes to the computer. I accepted all the changes.
1) Check “Windows Features” by :-
1.1) Windows Taskbar, Search for “Windows Features”
1.2) Click on “Turn Windows Features On or OFF Control Panel”
1.3) Ensure the 2 boxes indicated are unticked.
2) Windows Hypervisor
Even though “Windows Hypervisor Platform” is apparently not running according to the running “Windows Feature” left unticked as in the previous step :-
Part of it is still “Running” in the background as a default part of Windows 11.
Because of this, Oracle VirtualBox sometimes has severe problems with running its own VMs alongside Windows 11 own version of Virtual Machines (Hypervisor)
Windows Hypervisor appears to allocate a protected area of memory from what it believes are malicious attacks. That is, running 3rd party VM software like VirtualBox.
This “Memory Integrity” can be overcome in the “Core Isolation” setting for Windows 11 by turning this setting OFF.
2.1) From the Taskbar search “Core isolation” / “System settings”
2.2) Turn “Memory Integrity” to OFF.
2.3) Re-Start computer to implement.
3) Install VirtualBox 7.1.6 + Extension Pack
3.1) If necessary, pre-install the Visual Studio C++ 2019 Pack.
(I installed the 2015 -2022 version)
3.2) Then Install VirtualBox 7.1.6 + Extension Pack.
The VirtualBox software can be installed either before or after turning “Memory Integrity” to OFF.
The order makes no difference at all.
The PIWIS VM will not load properly if “Memory Integrity” remains ON
4) Open VirtualBox / Import PIWIS VM.ova
Standard Import.
Settings work OK as is.
The PIWIS VM.ova file can be downloaded from the internet following a Google search for “PIWIS VM.ova” where the website has “Planet-9” contained in the title.
Then click on the white Boxster, PIWIS 2 Virtual Machine Setup, and scroll down to find the link "PIWIS VM.ova" and accept the download (11.7 GB)
Do not download the "PIWIS start window platform.bat" because this no longer works properly with newer versions of Windows.
5) Reset PIWIS Date to Year 2019
Close VirtualBox down completely.
“Open” or double click the "PIWIS 2025.bat" batch file to set the PIWIS software time clock back to 1st June 2019 and to start the VM.
Note, this does not affect the computer time clock and is slightly different from it because the Windows XP time zone is set to China.
6) Edit the Praegung.xml file
6.1) Double click the “Shortcut to Praegung.xml” to open the “praegung.xml” file in Notepad.
6.2) Edit the line shown by replacing the x by 9999
6.3) Save the file and close it.
The value (or something like it) will be visible next time the VM is opened.
Windows 10 Instructions
These 2 Versions Of Oracle VirtualBox have been found to work OK.
Install Oracle VirtualBox 6.0.6 + Extension Pack.
Import PIWIS VM.ova
Run PIWIS 2025.bat by double clicking it to adjust the VMs date
Edit and Save the “Shortcut to praegung.xml” as described previously.
OR
Install Oracle VirtualBox 7.1.6 + Extension Pack
Import PIWIS VM.ova :
Reboot or Restart the PC to prevent an error message
Run PIWIS 2025.bat by double clicking it to adjust the VMs date
Edit and save the “Shortcut to praegung.xml” as described previously.
This order of steps is important.
Further Notes
Once the Date of the PIWIS VM is set to 01/06/2019 in dd/mm/yyyy format, this date is stored permanently in the VirtualBox system.
If your computer uses a different date format, such as mm/dd/yyyy, then edit the batch file in Notepad ; command line “Powershell -command…..” with a date in your format.
If the date is not changed to match the mm/dd/yyyy format, then the PIWIS clock will be set to 6th January 2019. This works OK as well.
The date must not be set to 1st January 2020 or later as this will cause the software to fail, giving "blacked out options".
The date must be contained in the double quotation marks already present.
This means that the PIWIS VM can be started in one of 2 ways :
Option 1
Execute the PIWIS 2025 batch file to open PIWIS each and every time.
The PIWIS VM will always have the date set to 01/06/2019.
OR
Option 2
Start the VirtualBox program and open the PIWIS VM from the green “Start” arrow.
Continue starting like this and over time, the date of the VM will increase toward 2020, at which point the VM stops working properly.
The various options become blacked out.
Before this happens, re-run the PIWIS 2025 batch file to reset the date back to 01/06/2019
The Contents of PIWIS 2025.bat
The contents are provided to allow anyone to check and ensure this executable file will not harm your Windows computer :-
@echo off
rem 2025 PIWIS VM Configuration - Should work with Windows 10 + VirtualBox 6.0.6 or VirtualBox 7.1.6
rem This should also work with Windows 11 Home + VirtualBox 7.1.6
rem This batch file modifies the settings in VBoxManage which runs the PIWIS VM.
rem The available PIWIS VM.ova file is used to create an Oracle VirtualBox Virtual Machine
rem Thx to www.andysblog.de/virtualbox-zeit-synchronisation-deaktivieren for the overall process
rem Set is for setting variables
Set VMname=PIWIS
Set VBoxPath=C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox
rem The command below disables time synchronisation between
rem the host computer date and the date of the Virtual Machine
"%VBoxPath%\VBoxManage" setextradata "%VMname%" "VBoxInternal/Devices/VMMDev/0/Config/GetHostTimeDisabled" 1
rem The Powershell command below calculates the time difference between 01/06/2019 (dd/mm/yyyy format) up to todays date in MilliSeconds
rem and creates a file named temp.txt which contains the number of MilliSeconds calculated; a large negative number
Powershell -command "$date_diff = (Get-date "01-06-2019") - (Get-date); $date_diff = $date_diff.TotalMilliseconds; $date_diff | Out-File -FilePath temp.txt"
rem Converts UTF16 text format to UTF8
rem Creates a variable MS (MilliSeconds) to 3 decimal places (thousandth of a MilliSecond)
rem Removes the decimal point and 3 figures from the number (the last 4 characters from a 17 digit number)
Type temp.txt>newtemp.txt
Set /P MS=<newtemp.txt
Set MS=%MS:~0,13%
rem Deletes 2 temporary files
del temp.txt /q
del newtemp.txt /q
rem Sets the "biossystemtimeoffset" to 1st June 2019
"%VBoxPath%\VBoxManage" modifyvm "%VMname%" --biossystemtimeoffset "%MS%"
rem Start the virtual machine
"%VBoxPath%\VBoxManage" startvm "%VMname%"
The attachment is PIWIS 2025.bat but compressed (zipped) to allow it to be downloaded and saved in the "Downloads" folder
where it can be un-zipped to reveal the working file.
Click on the title of the attachment "PIWIS 2025.zip" and it should download to your PC without asking for permission.
From the Downloads folder, right click the zip file, click "Extract All".
A new folder will appear, "PIWIS 2025.bat" is the working file, contained in the un-compressed folder.
Both the downloadable Zip file and the PIWIS 2025.bat file have been virus checked with "Microsoft Defender" and are safe.
Recommend users check with their own anti-virus software before use.
The software now displays “blacked out” selectable options. The diagnostic menus cannot be viewed.
The following steps set out how to get PIWIS 2 software running on a modern computer running Windows 10 or Windows 11.
This is achieved by creating a Virtual Machine using Oracle VirtualBox.
Instructions on how to link the Samtec HSX vehicle interface are not detailed here but are available elsewhere on the internet.
The original batch file to set the PIWIS VM back to 2019 does not seem to work on these newer versions of Windows namely :-
Windows 10 ver.22H2 and Windows 11 ver.24H2.
This is solved by opening or executing a new batch file with up to date commands that set the VM date back to 2019.
The same batch file works for Win10 and Win11.
I've named it "PIWIS 2025.bat" supplied here as a compressed (zipped) folder.
Windows 11 Instructions.
Windows 11 has more security features than Windows 10 and consequently requires extra steps to enable the PIWIS VM to run properly.
Some of the following steps bring up "User Access Control" warnings about changes to the computer. I accepted all the changes.
1) Check “Windows Features” by :-
1.1) Windows Taskbar, Search for “Windows Features”
1.2) Click on “Turn Windows Features On or OFF Control Panel”
1.3) Ensure the 2 boxes indicated are unticked.
2) Windows Hypervisor
Even though “Windows Hypervisor Platform” is apparently not running according to the running “Windows Feature” left unticked as in the previous step :-
Part of it is still “Running” in the background as a default part of Windows 11.
Because of this, Oracle VirtualBox sometimes has severe problems with running its own VMs alongside Windows 11 own version of Virtual Machines (Hypervisor)
Windows Hypervisor appears to allocate a protected area of memory from what it believes are malicious attacks. That is, running 3rd party VM software like VirtualBox.
This “Memory Integrity” can be overcome in the “Core Isolation” setting for Windows 11 by turning this setting OFF.
2.1) From the Taskbar search “Core isolation” / “System settings”
2.2) Turn “Memory Integrity” to OFF.
2.3) Re-Start computer to implement.
3) Install VirtualBox 7.1.6 + Extension Pack
3.1) If necessary, pre-install the Visual Studio C++ 2019 Pack.
(I installed the 2015 -2022 version)
3.2) Then Install VirtualBox 7.1.6 + Extension Pack.
The VirtualBox software can be installed either before or after turning “Memory Integrity” to OFF.
The order makes no difference at all.
The PIWIS VM will not load properly if “Memory Integrity” remains ON
4) Open VirtualBox / Import PIWIS VM.ova
Standard Import.
Settings work OK as is.
The PIWIS VM.ova file can be downloaded from the internet following a Google search for “PIWIS VM.ova” where the website has “Planet-9” contained in the title.
Then click on the white Boxster, PIWIS 2 Virtual Machine Setup, and scroll down to find the link "PIWIS VM.ova" and accept the download (11.7 GB)
Do not download the "PIWIS start window platform.bat" because this no longer works properly with newer versions of Windows.
5) Reset PIWIS Date to Year 2019
Close VirtualBox down completely.
“Open” or double click the "PIWIS 2025.bat" batch file to set the PIWIS software time clock back to 1st June 2019 and to start the VM.
Note, this does not affect the computer time clock and is slightly different from it because the Windows XP time zone is set to China.
6) Edit the Praegung.xml file
6.1) Double click the “Shortcut to Praegung.xml” to open the “praegung.xml” file in Notepad.
6.2) Edit the line shown by replacing the x by 9999
6.3) Save the file and close it.
The value (or something like it) will be visible next time the VM is opened.
Windows 10 Instructions
These 2 Versions Of Oracle VirtualBox have been found to work OK.
Install Oracle VirtualBox 6.0.6 + Extension Pack.
Import PIWIS VM.ova
Run PIWIS 2025.bat by double clicking it to adjust the VMs date
Edit and Save the “Shortcut to praegung.xml” as described previously.
OR
Install Oracle VirtualBox 7.1.6 + Extension Pack
Import PIWIS VM.ova :
Reboot or Restart the PC to prevent an error message
Run PIWIS 2025.bat by double clicking it to adjust the VMs date
Edit and save the “Shortcut to praegung.xml” as described previously.
This order of steps is important.
Further Notes
Once the Date of the PIWIS VM is set to 01/06/2019 in dd/mm/yyyy format, this date is stored permanently in the VirtualBox system.
If your computer uses a different date format, such as mm/dd/yyyy, then edit the batch file in Notepad ; command line “Powershell -command…..” with a date in your format.
If the date is not changed to match the mm/dd/yyyy format, then the PIWIS clock will be set to 6th January 2019. This works OK as well.
The date must not be set to 1st January 2020 or later as this will cause the software to fail, giving "blacked out options".
The date must be contained in the double quotation marks already present.
This means that the PIWIS VM can be started in one of 2 ways :
Option 1
Execute the PIWIS 2025 batch file to open PIWIS each and every time.
The PIWIS VM will always have the date set to 01/06/2019.
OR
Option 2
Start the VirtualBox program and open the PIWIS VM from the green “Start” arrow.
Continue starting like this and over time, the date of the VM will increase toward 2020, at which point the VM stops working properly.
The various options become blacked out.
Before this happens, re-run the PIWIS 2025 batch file to reset the date back to 01/06/2019
The Contents of PIWIS 2025.bat
The contents are provided to allow anyone to check and ensure this executable file will not harm your Windows computer :-
@echo off
rem 2025 PIWIS VM Configuration - Should work with Windows 10 + VirtualBox 6.0.6 or VirtualBox 7.1.6
rem This should also work with Windows 11 Home + VirtualBox 7.1.6
rem This batch file modifies the settings in VBoxManage which runs the PIWIS VM.
rem The available PIWIS VM.ova file is used to create an Oracle VirtualBox Virtual Machine
rem Thx to www.andysblog.de/virtualbox-zeit-synchronisation-deaktivieren for the overall process
rem Set is for setting variables
Set VMname=PIWIS
Set VBoxPath=C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox
rem The command below disables time synchronisation between
rem the host computer date and the date of the Virtual Machine
"%VBoxPath%\VBoxManage" setextradata "%VMname%" "VBoxInternal/Devices/VMMDev/0/Config/GetHostTimeDisabled" 1
rem The Powershell command below calculates the time difference between 01/06/2019 (dd/mm/yyyy format) up to todays date in MilliSeconds
rem and creates a file named temp.txt which contains the number of MilliSeconds calculated; a large negative number
Powershell -command "$date_diff = (Get-date "01-06-2019") - (Get-date); $date_diff = $date_diff.TotalMilliseconds; $date_diff | Out-File -FilePath temp.txt"
rem Converts UTF16 text format to UTF8
rem Creates a variable MS (MilliSeconds) to 3 decimal places (thousandth of a MilliSecond)
rem Removes the decimal point and 3 figures from the number (the last 4 characters from a 17 digit number)
Type temp.txt>newtemp.txt
Set /P MS=<newtemp.txt
Set MS=%MS:~0,13%
rem Deletes 2 temporary files
del temp.txt /q
del newtemp.txt /q
rem Sets the "biossystemtimeoffset" to 1st June 2019
"%VBoxPath%\VBoxManage" modifyvm "%VMname%" --biossystemtimeoffset "%MS%"
rem Start the virtual machine
"%VBoxPath%\VBoxManage" startvm "%VMname%"
The attachment is PIWIS 2025.bat but compressed (zipped) to allow it to be downloaded and saved in the "Downloads" folder
where it can be un-zipped to reveal the working file.
Click on the title of the attachment "PIWIS 2025.zip" and it should download to your PC without asking for permission.
From the Downloads folder, right click the zip file, click "Extract All".
A new folder will appear, "PIWIS 2025.bat" is the working file, contained in the un-compressed folder.
Both the downloadable Zip file and the PIWIS 2025.bat file have been virus checked with "Microsoft Defender" and are safe.
Recommend users check with their own anti-virus software before use.
