Guide: Installing Windows 8.1 on QEMU/KVM with QCOW2 Whether you're looking for a nostalgia trip or need a stable environment for legacy software, running Windows 8.1 as a virtual machine (VM) remains a popular choice for Linux and Windows power users alike. Using the QCOW2 (QEMU Copy-On-Write) format offers efficiency by only consuming disk space as you actually use it.
This guide walks you through setting up a high-performance Windows 8.1 VM using QEMU, KVM, and virt-manager. Phase 1: Preparation & Prerequisites Before starting, you need a few essential "ingredients":
Windows 8.1 ISO: Since Microsoft officially ended support in January 2023, downloading it from the official site can be tricky. You may need to source it from the Internet Archive or use a physical disc.
VirtIO Drivers: Standard Windows installers don't recognize QEMU's high-performance virtual hardware by default. Download the latest virtio-win.iso from the Fedora Project to ensure your virtual disk and network are detected. Virtualization Software: Linux: Install qemu-kvm, libvirt, and virt-manager.
Windows: You can run QEMU via WSL2 for better performance compared to native Windows emulation. Phase 2: Creating the QCOW2 Disk Image
The QCOW2 format is preferred because it supports snapshots and dynamic expansion. Use the following command to create a 40GB virtual drive: Windows 8.1 Qcow2 ((install))
Installing Windows 8.1 using a QCOW2 disk image is a common task for users of KVM/QEMU, Proxmox, or GNOME Boxes. Because Windows doesn't natively support the virtualized hardware drivers used by these platforms, you need to load "VirtIO" drivers during the installation process to see your virtual disk. Prerequisites Windows 8.1 ISO: A valid installation media file.
VirtIO Drivers ISO: Essential for the installer to recognize QCOW2 drives. Download the latest "stable" virtio-win ISO from the Fedora Project. 1. Create the QCOW2 Virtual Disk
Before starting the VM, create a virtual disk using qemu-img. A minimum of 40GB is recommended for a smooth experience. qemu-img create -f qcow2 windows81.qcow2 40G Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard 2. Configure the Virtual Machine
When setting up your VM (whether via virt-manager or CLI), ensure the following hardware settings are used: windows 81 qcow2 install
Disk Bus: Set to VirtIO (this utilizes the QCOW2 format's performance benefits). NIC: Set to virtio-net. CD-ROM 1: Mount your Windows 8.1 ISO. CD-ROM 2: Mount the virtio-win ISO. 3. The Installation Process
Boot the VM: Start the virtual machine and boot from the Windows 8.1 ISO.
Missing Drive: When you reach the "Where do you want to install Windows?" screen, the list will likely be empty. This is normal. Load Drivers: Click Load Driver > Browse. Navigate to the VirtIO CD-ROM.
Look for the folder: viostor\w8.1\amd64 (for 64-bit) or x86 (for 32-bit).
Select the driver and click Next. Your QCOW2 disk should now appear in the list.
Finish Setup: Select the newly visible drive and proceed with the standard Windows installation. 4. Post-Installation Drivers
Once you reach the Windows desktop, you will notice the internet and high-resolution graphics are likely missing. Open File Explorer and go to the VirtIO CD-ROM. Run the virtio-win-gt-x64.msi (or x86) installer. This will install all remaining drivers, including: NetKVM: For networking. QXL/Virtio-GPU: For smooth display performance.
QEMU Guest Agent: For better communication between the host and the VM.
Installing Windows 8.1 (QEMU Copy-On-Write) image is a common way to run the OS in a virtual environment like QEMU, KVM, or Proxmox Guide: Installing Windows 8
. Since QEMU lacks native Windows drivers, you will typically need the VirtIO drivers
for the disk and network to work correctly during or after the installation. 1. Preparation Windows 8.1 ISO : You can still download the installation media from the Official Microsoft Windows 8.1 Download Page VirtIO Drivers : Download the latest stable virtio-win.iso Fedora Project VirtIO-Win repository to ensure your virtual hardware is recognized. 2. Create the QCOW2 Disk
Use the following command to create a virtual hard drive. QCOW2 is preferred because it only takes up as much space as is actually written to the disk: qemu-img create -f qcow2 windows81.qcow2 Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard 3. Installation Steps
When running the virtual machine, you must mount both the Windows ISO and the VirtIO driver ISO. Launch the VM windows81.qcow2 as a VirtIO disk and the ISOs as CD-ROMs. Load Drivers
: During the "Where do you want to install Windows?" step, the drive list will be empty because Windows doesn't have VirtIO SCSI drivers. "Load driver" Browse to the VirtIO CD-ROM. Navigate to vioscsi\w8.1\amd64 (for 64-bit) and select the driver. Complete Setup
: Once the driver is loaded, your 40GB QCOW2 disk will appear. Continue the installation as normal. 4. Post-Installation
: After reaching the desktop, open the VirtIO CD-ROM in File Explorer and run the virtio-win-gt-x64.msi
installer to update the remaining drivers (Network, Graphics, etc.). Support Status : Note that Microsoft ended support for Windows 8.1 on January 10, 2023
. It no longer receives security updates, making it best suited for isolated or legacy testing environments. Microsoft Learn full QEMU command line Step 2: First Boot – Install Windows 8
configuration for optimized performance on your specific host OS? We need Windows 8.1 - Microsoft Q&A
The challenge: Windows setup cannot see the QCOW2 disk if it expects IDE/SATA but we use virtio-block. The workaround:
Better approach – Load drivers during Windows Setup:
qemu-system-x86_64 \
-enable-kvm \
-cpu host \
-smp 4 \
-m 4096 \
-drive file=win81.qcow2,if=none,id=drive0 \
-device virtio-blk-pci,drive=drive0 \
-cdrom win8.1.iso \
-cdrom virtio-win.iso \
-boot d \
-vga qxl \
-machine type=q35,accel=kvm \
-usb -device usb-tablet
When Windows Setup starts, at the "Where do you want to install Windows?" screen:
E:\viostor\w8.1\amd64 (the VirtIO SCSI/block driver).If you selected UEFI (OVMF) for the firmware:
cd /var/lib/vz/template/iso (or your storage)qemu-img create -f qcow2 win81-base.qcow2 50GThis is the most reliable method. We create a blank QCOW2 file and boot the Windows ISO.
You can create a virtual machine (VM) and install Windows 8.1 on it using the following command. Before running the command, replace /path/to/win8.1.iso with the actual path to your Windows 8.1 ISO file.
sudo qemu-system-x86_64 \
-enable-kvm \
-m 4096 \
-vga virtio \
-display sdl,gl=on \
-device virtio-tablet \
-device virtio-keyboard \
-smp 2 \
-cdrom /path/to/win8.1.iso \
-boot order=d \
-device virtio-disk0 \
-drive file=win81.qcow2,format=qcow2,if=virtio \
-netdev user,id=network0 \
-device e1000e,netdev=network0 \
-soundhw hda \
-device intel-hda -device hda-duplex
However, for actually creating a .qcow2 image and then installing Windows into it, you'll first need to create the image:
qemu-img create -f qcow2 win81.qcow2 60G
Then, use a slightly modified command to boot from the ISO and install Windows onto the .qcow2 image:
sudo qemu-system-x86_64 \
-enable-kvm \
-m 4096 \
-smp 2 \
-cdrom /path/to/win8.1.iso \
-boot order=d \
-drive file=win81.qcow2,format=qcow2,if=virtio \
-netdev user,id=network0 \
-device e1000e,netdev=network0
Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows 8.1. When prompted to select a disk, choose the virtual disk you've been using.
Read Other Blogs