How to enable Hyper-V in Windows 8

05
2014-04
  • iCE-9

    I've got a Windows 8 (not .1, not Pro; OEM with a Lenovo Z580 laptop), which I want to use for WP8 development.

    I've read this and this, and a few more articles.

    I have enabled in BIOS what looks like it has to do with hardware virtualisation - "Intel Virtual Technology" (is this VMX?). No signs of EPT or XD.

    I've got the four Hyper-V items in the enumeration that msinfo32 shows.

    However, in the 'Control Panel/Programs and Features/Turn on|off windows features' list, I don't have Hyper-V.

    Is this available at all on my machine, and if not what can I do to get it working?

    Thanks in advance.

    • Answers
  • peelman

    According to everything I have read, you have to have Win8 Pro or Enterprise in order to have the built-in HyperV client functionality.

    If you don't want to upgrade to Pro, try VirtualBox (free) or VMware Workstation (not free).

    Edit: never mind that last bit. MSDN login finally went through...

    Edit2: well upon further inspection, it seems that there are mixed results getting the WP8 VM working under VirtualBox. Link & Link YMMV I guess.


    • Related Question

    network adapter - Windows 8 Hyper-V - how to give VM internet access?
  • Graham Clark

    I've got Windows 8 Pro on my home machine. I want to have a Windows 7 Professional VM running under Hyper-V, and I want the VM to have full internet access. My physical machine has a wireless network adapter I use to connect to a router.

    Here's what I've done so far:

    • In Hyper-V Manager, I've created a new External Virtual Switch, which is connected to my wireless network adapter. If I look in Windows 8's Network Connections page, I can see it's created a virtual ethernet adapter and a network bridge, and my wireless adapter is now bridged.

    • I've created a Windows 7 VM, and in the Hyper-V settings I've set it to use the virtual switch.

    When I log into the VM, I have a network, but it's "unidentified" and has no internet access. What am I missing? Is it something to do with the "VLAN identification" settings? I'm not quite sure what these are about.

    This question was a Super User Question of the Week.
    Read the blog entry for more details or contribute to the blog yourself


    • Related Answers
  • KronoS

    In order to get the VM connected to the internet you have to tie it to the Ethernet/Wireless NIC Card. In order to do this you have to create a "Virtual Switch".

    1. Open your Hyper-V Manager

    2. Select Action --> Virtual Switch Manager

      Accessing the VM Switch Manager

    3. Select External and then Create Virtual Switch

      Virtual Switch Manager

    4. Give the Switch a Name and then select the External Controller you use to connect to the internet (Ethernet, or Wireless NIC, etc,.)

      VM Switch Properties

    5. Select Apply and then OK

    6. Right click on the Virtual Machine you want to connect and select Settings

      VM Settings

    7. Under the Network Adapter Setting select the newly created Virtual Switch

    Connecting the Switch to the VM

    This should enable the connection you use to connect to the internet to be accessible to the VM

  • Canadian Luke

    I had to disable and then re-enable the Allow management operating system to share this network adapter under the Virtual Switch Manager.

    If this isn't checked the host machine will not be able to use the chosen adapter. It had been checked in my case, for some reason I had to flip it back and forth again.

  • Mike Walsh

    Another trick as detailed in this question Windows 8 Hyper-V network not working on host is that this may not work over wireless... re did the setting several times nothing - set up an ethernet adapter - worked straight away. [quick edit to say of course I'd set up separate virtual switches for the two physical adapters...]

  • random

    In my case, while the VM was running I changed the virtual Switch settings to “Not Connected” and then back to my newly created virtual switch. Worked.

  • Simon

    Without rebooting I managed to get it working with a wireless adapter, which otherwise was doing nothing.

    Open the network connections control panel

    You'll see the virtual adapter setting has created a network bridge.

    enter image description here

    Right click on your Wi-Fi adapter (the one with the signal strength icon) and select Connect/Disconnect

    Then you have to click the On switch that comes up in the sidebar and select your network. For some reason it was Off even though I was online before.

    enter image description here

    Everything then magically lit up and I was able to access the internet from within my Win XP VM immediately.

    enter image description here