G \ -drive file=win81.qcow2,format=qcow2,if=virtio \ -cdrom windows81.iso \ -drive file=virtio-win.iso,media=cdrom \ -net nic,model=virtio -net user -vga std ``` Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard 4. Windows Installation Steps Boot from ISO
If you already have a Windows 8.1 VMDK (VMware) or VHD (Hyper‑V):
Start QEMU, attaching both the QCOW2 disk and the ISO files. For better performance on Linux, use the --enable-kvm qemu-system-x86_64 -m windows 81 qcow2 install
First, open your terminal to allocate a virtual hard drive. Windows 8.1 requires at least 20 GB of space, but 40 GB or more is recommended for a usable environment. Run the following command to create the QCOW2 disk: qemu-img create -f qcow2 windows81.qcow2 40G Use code with caution. -f qcow2 : Specifies the QCOW2 format. windows81.qcow2 : The filename of your new virtual disk.
qemu-system-x86_64 -accel help
: Required if you use high-performance VirtIO controllers for disk and network. Older versions (like the October 2022 release) are recommended for Windows 8.1 compatibility. 3. Launch the Virtual Machine
Windows 8.1 requires storage and network drivers to communicate efficiently with KVM. Download the official Fedora-hosted VirtIO driver ISO: wget https://fedorapeople.org Use code with caution. Step 3: Launch the QEMU Installation Command G \ -drive file=win81
: You can run QEMU via WSL2 for better performance compared to native Windows emulation. Phase 2: Creating the QCOW2 Disk Image
virsh domblklist win81 # Find disk target (e.g., vda) virsh snapshot-create --disk-only --atomic win81 cp /var/lib/libvirt/images/windows81.qcow2 /backup/windows81_backup.qcow2 virsh blockcommit win81 vda --active --verbose --pivot For better performance on Linux, use the --enable-kvm
To fix this, install the remaining VirtIO drivers from inside the guest system: Open and navigate to This PC . Open the virtio-win CD-ROM drive.