This article shows how to create and configure a virtual machine with Hyper-V Client virtualization software on the Windows 10 64 Bit operating system.
Microsoft Hyper-v is a virtualization application built into different Windows 10 and Windows Server versions. With this program, you can create virtual machines on a host computer and use them as physical computers.
The hypervisor allows the host’s physical hardware resources to be used and managed on virtual machines. As with other virtualization software, you can install the guest operating system on another physical system because it adapts to the system without requiring the plan to have the same hardware resources.
Because Hyper-v supports hardware virtualization, every virtual computer created uses a hard disk, CPU, RAM, network card, and video card devices from the primary components of a computer.
Hyper-V, which comes built into Windows 10 and Windows Server systems, has two operational structures.
- Hyper-V Client: It is built into the system on personal computers and can be activated later.
- Hyper-V Host: It provides a complete virtualization solution by virtualizing physical Windows server computers.
Follow this video or the steps below to set up a new virtual PC using Hyper-V on Windows 10 or Windows Server.
Step 1: Install Hyper-V on Windows 10 before creating a new virtual machine with Hyper-V.
Step 2: After installing the Hyper-V Client software on your host computer, find the program in the start menu and run it. Click Action / New / Virtual Machine from the tool menu to open the VM wizard.
Step 3: When the Before You Begin window opens, you can check the ” Do not show this page ” option to skip viewing it again. In this window, if you click Finish, the virtual machine will be created automatically according to the default settings, and you will have to fine-tune its settings later. If you continue with Next, you will continue to create a custom virtual machine.
Step 4: In the Specify Name and Location window, you must type the name of the virtual machine you want to install, and you can configure the installation location to an external HDD or local disk as you wish. Since it will take up more space on your physical computer, if you install it on a portable SSD or NVMe disk, it will be beneficial in terms of both performance and disk space.
Step 5: The Specify Generation window contains critical settings for installing the operating system. There are two builds here, Generation 1 and Generation 2. Generation 1 should be selected for installing older systems because it uses BIOS as firmware. Generation 2, on the other hand, should be chosen for newer versions of Windows or Linux as it supports the unique firmware type UEFI. Therefore, if you care about system security, select Generation 2 and continue.
Step 6: In the Assign Memory window, you will see a default size of 1024 MB (1 GB) in the Startup Memory section because dynamic memory is enabled by default. Dynamic memory will automatically increase the size when the VM needs more memory. Still, for Windows 10 virtual machine, write 4096 MB (4 GB) in Startup Memory and continue.
Step 7: In the Configure Networking window, you will see the Default Switch Hyper-V uses by default. This network adapter will use NAT (Network Address Translation) to access the host’s local network, as seen in Virtual Switch Manager. If you encounter network connection problems, you can create an External Switch in Virtual Switch Manager and select the host’s network adapter as the network adapter.
Step 8: Create a new virtual disk in the Connect Virtual Hard Disk window. You can use the add existing disk option if you have a virtual disk you have created before. By default, the name of the virtual HDD will contain the system name you typed, so do not change it. Hyper-V will determine the capacity of the disk as 127 GB; if you still want to change it, you can configure a disk size of 50 GB.
Step 9: In the Installation Options window, you must add a Windows or Linux ISO file to your virtual computer. You can also add the ISO file later from the VM’s settings. After selecting the Install an operating system from a bootable image file option, add the Windows 10 ISO file to the guest machine via the Browse button.
Step 10: The Completing the New Virtual Machine Wizard window presents you with a summary of the settings you have made. Close the VM’s summary window by clicking Finish and continue.
Step 11: After creating the virtual PC, right-click on it on Hyper-V and open Settings. In the Processor section, determine the number of virtual processors according to the hardware power of your host computer and close the window.
Step 12: After right-clicking on the virtual computer again, click Connect and click the Start button in the open window; you can run the guest machine and start the Windows 10 installation.
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