Setup & prerequisites
If you prefer a graphical user interface over the command line, you can easily use (Virtual Machine Manager):
format is preferred because it grows dynamically as data is added. Read the Docs qemu-img create -f qcow2 win8.qcow2 40G : This creates a 40GB virtual disk named win8.qcow2 . You can adjust the size (e.g., ) based on your needs. 2. Launch the VM for Installation windows 81 qcow2 install
Over time, as you delete files, the QCOW2 image may not automatically shrink to free up space on your host. The virt-sparsify tool is designed to handle this.
Navigate to > Boot Order and select your newly attached drive as the primary boot device. 5. Installing Critical VirtIO Drivers Setup & prerequisites If you prefer a graphical
At the drive selection screen, the space will appear empty. Windows cannot see the QCOW2 drive yet. Click in the bottom left corner. Click Browse in the pop-up window.
1 GHz or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2 (Hardware virtualization VT-x/AMD-V must be enabled in your host BIOS). RAM: 2 GB (for 64-bit) allocated to the guest OS. Navigate to > Boot Order and select your
Once the virtual machine fires up, follow standard installation procedures with one critical deviation:
Once the Windows boot loader initializes, follow the standard setup prompts until you reach the disk selection screen. Click . Enter your product key and accept the license terms. Choose Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) .